Heart Eyes Review: Entertainingly Bad Valentine’s Rom-Com Horror

Valentine’s Day horror movies are a niche in themselves, blending romance, gore, and often a good dose of camp. Heart Eyes attempts to carve out its own space in the subgenre, but does it succeed? Well, that depends on how you look at it...

More Rom-Com than Horror

First things first—calling Heart Eyes a true horror movie is a stretch. At its core, it’s more of a rom-com with a slasher backdrop rather than a full-fledged horror flick. Sure, there are some fun, gory kills along the way, but the film never fully leans into terror. Instead, it embraces its own absurdity, delivering a self-aware and intentionally cheesy experience. This film, in a traditional 'movie critic' sense, is bad. But it's intentionally bad which makes it entertaining.

Great Chemistry, Not So Great Villain

The masked killer, known as Heart Eyes, doesn’t have a strong presence throughout the film. In fact, large chunks of the runtime pass without much slasher action. Yet, the movie manages to stay engaging, largely thanks to its leads, Olivia Hoult and Mason Gooding. Their chemistry carries the film, making up for the lack of a truly menacing villain.

Speaking of Mason Gooding, if you enjoyed his performance in Scream, you’ll likely appreciate seeing him here. He brings the same charm and energy, which helps elevate the material.

Another Bootleg Scream

It’s hard to ignore Heart Eyes’ influences—this is essentially a budget-friendly version of Scream, though not nearly as well-executed as other recent meta-horror films like Thanksgiving. Predictability is one of its biggest flaws. If you’re someone who enjoys guessing the plot twists in advance, you’ll have no trouble calling every major moment in this one.

That said, there’s a certain charm in its ridiculousness. The film is packed with over-the-top moments that will make you roll your eyes, but you’ll likely be entertained by its sheer stupidity.

Final Verdict:

Will Heart Eyes become a classic? Definitely not. Will you remember much about it a week later? Probably not. But if you’re in the mood for a lighthearted, dumb-but-fun slasher to enjoy with your friends or a date who doesn’t mind some eye-rolling moments, it’s worth a watch! and if nothing else, Mia Toretto is in it—if that’s not enough to sell you, I don’t know what will.

Heart Eyes releases this Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2025.