This Slasher Rom-Com Is not Scary, However It Is Trendy And Candy

Slasher motion pictures appear to be having a revival lately, supplied they’ve a neat little hook that provides some flare to the subgenre. This new wave of slashers aren’t simply slasher motion pictures — they’re slasher motion pictures with a twist. Enter “Coronary heart Eyes,” a brand new flick that asks, “What if a slasher film was additionally a rom-com?” So as to add some gas to the hearth, “Coronary heart Eyes” additionally suits into the “vacation horror” sub-genre — whereas Christmas appears to reign supreme right here (much more so than Halloween, oddly sufficient), there are many different holidays on the calendar to show into days of mass homicide. “Coronary heart Eyes” makes use of Valentine’s Day as its backdrop, becoming a member of the likes of the 2 “My Bloody Valentine” movies and the considerably forgotten 2001 slasher “Valentine.” 

As a plus, “Coronary heart Eyes” has some proficient individuals on the helm: it hails from indie horror filmmaker Josh Ruben, who directed fantastic little fright flicks like “Scare Me” and “Werewolves Inside,” and has a script co-written (with Phillip Murphy) by Christopher Landen (the filmmaker behind glorious neo-slashers “Glad Dying Day,” “Glad Dying Day 2U,” and “Freaky,” among the best fashionable slashers) and Michael Kennedy, a author who appears to focus on fashionable slashers with a hook (he wrote the body-swapping slasher “Freaky,” the Christmas slasher “It is a Fantastic Knife,” and the current Netflix time journey slasher “Time Lower”). 

All of that is promising. And certainly, “Coronary heart Eyes” has a enjoyable, humorous script and a few surprisingly trendy route — Ruben has a great eye, and takes his time along with his photographs, even throwing in a cut up diopter second for good measure. To sweeten the deal, “Coronary heart Eyes” additionally has two charming, likable leads in Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding, who play a mismatched couple simply making an attempt to dwell via the evening whereas a masked killer hacks and slashes their method via hordes of individuals. There’s rather a lot to like right here. And but … “Coronary heart Eyes” finally ends up feeling barely inert. I had enjoyable with most of this flick, however by the point the third act rolled round and sure characters began rattling off seemingly countless monologues, I felt my eyes glazing over. It additionally would not assist that the movie appears fully bored with being scary. On the subject of this horror rom-com, “Coronary heart Eyes” is heavy on the rom-com and intensely gentle on the horror.

After an amusing, gory prologue, “Coronary heart Eyes” reveals that for the previous two years, a serial assassin generally known as the Coronary heart Eyes Killer (or HEK for brief) has terrorized {couples} on Valentine’s Day. The killer, who sports activities a cool fetish-like masks with glowing crimson eyes, first slaughtered people in Boston one yr, then the next yr set his heart-shaped sights on Philadelphia (side-note: I screened the movie in Philadelphia, and my viewers hooted and hollered on the mere point out of the Metropolis of Brother Love). Now, Valentine’s Day has come alongside once more, and nobody is aware of the place the killer may find yourself subsequent. 

In Seattle, Ally (Olivia Holt) finds herself dreading Valentine’s Day, and never due to the Coronary heart Eyes Killer. For one factor, she’s lately damaged up along with her boyfriend, and might’t cease taking a look at his frequent social media posts along with his new girlfriend. For an additional, her job as a advertising whiz for a jewellery firm is at risk after her newest advert marketing campaign — which hilariously recreates dying scenes between lovers in movies — has been met with backlash. To avoid wasting the corporate, her boss has introduced in a sizzling shot freelancer named Jay (Mason Gooding) to set issues proper. Jay could also be simple on the eyes and intensely charming, however Ally needs nothing to do with this man, anxious that he is gunning for her job. So when Jay insists they’ve a enterprise dinner on Valentine’s Day, Ally instantly refuses — however finally ends up aquessing when it looks as if she has no alternative.

All of this has the markings of a regular rom-com. Jay and Ally actually have a humorous meet-cute at a espresso store earlier than she finds out who he actually is. And as so many enemies-to-lovers romances have taught us, it’s going to solely be a matter of time earlier than these two loopy youngsters fall for one another. After all, “Coronary heart Eyes” throws within the added wrinkle of a serial killer, who begins stalking Jay and Ally all through the night, racking up a heavy physique rely alongside the way in which. 

The table-setting moments of “Coronary heart Eyes” work like gangbusters, and it helps that Holt and Gooding make for a pair of charming leads. They’ve an exquisite back-and-forth patter and legit chemistry that goes a great distance. Gooding particularly is so easy, humorous, and likable right here that I left the movie desirous to see him in additional issues, instantly (critically, make this man a star). The early moments the place Ally and Jay get to know one another and begin falling in love, solely to be interrupted by Coronary heart Eyes, are the perfect of the movie. Certainly, regardless that I am a horror man, I’ve to say that the horror parts are the least attention-grabbing issues about “Coronary heart Eyes.” I discovered myself wishing this was only a rom-com by itself — it would not really want the slasher angle. It actually would not assist that the movie appears to expire of steam somewhat shortly.

After Ally and Jay discover themselves in Coronary heart Eyes’ crosshairs, “Coronary heart Eyes” begins to spin its wheels. You get the sense that the filmmakers did not suppose this via — they’d a fantastic set-up (a slasher rom-com) however did not know the place to take it. In consequence, the narrative begins to sag closely. A repetitiveness units in: Jay and Ally transfer to at least one location, get chased, watch individuals get killed, repeat. To liven issues up, the movie throws in two bumbling cop characters — the clueless Hobbs (Devon Sawa) and the lovelorn Shaw (Jordana Brewster), and sure, the movie makes a flat joke about their names being Hobbs and Shaw, ya know, just like the film? (Brewster, after all, is already a part of the “Quick & Livid” franchise, which provides an additional meta ingredient to the gag, however would not make it any funnier). 

That is all a bit disappointing. I used to be totally charmed by the primary forty or so minutes of “Coronary heart Eyes,” and was excited that I had a brand new slasher pic to embrace. However after its successful set-up, the movie by no means fairly finds its footing once more. There are some enjoyable bloody kills right here and there, however I stored eager for the film to reclaim the power of its early scenes, and it by no means did. Even at a brief 97 minutes, “Coronary heart Eyes” finally ends up feeling too lengthy, like a brief movie thought stretched to function size.

“Coronary heart Eyes” is stable sufficient to entertain. The jokes land, the leads are nice, and the romance storyline is surprisingly candy — I totally believed that Jay and Ally have been falling for one another, which isn’t any simple feat (in case you do not consider me, simply know there are about 100 made-for-Netflix rom-coms the place the 2 leads have completely zero chemistry collectively). Ruben’s route retains all the things collectively properly, and the kills will doubtless illicit (intentional) laughs from the gang.

And but, by the point “Coronary heart Eyes” reaches its finale, all of it feels considerably forgettable. I am glad new slasher motion pictures proceed to reach, and I give “Coronary heart Eyes” credit score for making an attempt to mash-up rom-coms with horror. However because the movie’s completely clunky third act arrives and offers us an all-too-obvious reply about Coronary heart Eyes’ id, the fun is gone. Nonetheless, as Valentine’s Day counter-programming goes, “Coronary heart Eyes” has its charms.

/Movie Score: 6 out of 10

“Coronary heart Eyes” opens in theaters on February 7, 2024.