Whereas it is perhaps too gentle for hardcore horror followers, Coronary heart Eyes continues to be a enjoyable horror/comedy mash-up.
PLOT: The notorious Coronary heart Eyes killer has been concentrating on {couples} on Valentine’s Day for a few years. Quickly, two co-workers (Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt) mistaken for a pair discover themselves spending what’s presupposed to be probably the most romantic evening of the 12 months operating for his or her lives.
REVIEW: Watching Coronary heart Eyes, I questioned why there haven’t been extra romantic comedy/ horror mash-ups. In any case, the horror style is a perennial date evening staple, as nothing breaks the ice on a date like being frightened and clutching your date’s arm when a soar scare occurs. Director Josh Ruben, who beforehand helmed the well-received Scare Me and Werewolves Inside, dives head-first into each genres with a gory slasher movie that leans extra closely into the rom-com facets than you would possibly anticipate, given the movie a novel flavour.
To make certain, Ruben and his crew of writers (together with Glad Demise Day’s Christopher Landon) purposefully lean into all of the rom-com tropes with their two leads. Olivia Holt’s Ally is a pushed profession lady with a damaged coronary heart and no time in her life for love. Mason Gooding’s Jay is her new, high-flying co-worker who, regardless of his ladykiller vibe, desires to cool down and discover “the one.” They work for a style model making an attempt to construct a marketing campaign round romance, so to do some “research,” they ebook a desk on the most romantic restaurant on the town. Alas, the Coronary heart Eyes killer, who we be taught has been terrorizing {couples} for years, has lately arrived of their metropolis, errors them for a very comfortable couple, and turns into targeted on taking away them.
Now, Coronary heart Eyes is probably not for the extra hard-core horror fan. Whereas some nifty gore moments earn it a hard-R ranking, the vibe is stored gentle all through. Even when operating for his or her lives, Gooding and Holt, a likeable pair, commerce quips and by no means appear particularly afraid, even when a maniac is chasing them. Gooding is a rising star within the style because of his position within the Scream films and he settles properly into a number one man half. Whereas newer to the style, Holt makes for a stable closing lady, and their chemistry is robust sufficient that you just hope they’ll find yourself collectively in true rom-com style by the point the credit roll.
Nonetheless, it ought to be mentioned that the Coronary heart Eyes killer’s reign is unquestionably secondary to the romance. I’d positively classify Coronary heart Eyes as a rom-com that simply occurs to have horror parts, and regardless of the excessive physique depend, the killer’s reign by no means appears to be taken too critically. On condition that it’s a comedy, all of the aspect characters are performed for laughs, with Devon Sawa and Jordan Brewster’s Coronary heart Eyes-hunting cops knowingly named Hobbs & Shaw in a cheeky nod to Brewster’s hottest franchise. Sawa chews the surroundings because the ultra-macho Hobbs, whereas Brewster’s Shaw complains about by no means having the ability to discover a man (a little bit of a stretch given how jaw-droopingly beautiful she is). Neither is performed straight, however they’ve greater roles than you’d suppose, with mistaken id and a violent journey to the police station rating among the many movie’s goriest highlights.
Coronary heart Eyes ought to show to be a stable sleeper when it comes out, as it’s good for the viewers it’s concentrating on – {couples}. Arduous-core horror aficionados is perhaps tougher to please, however in the event you don’t thoughts the heavy emphasis on comedy and romance, you’ll nonetheless discover lots to love concerning the slasher flick, together with sensible gore results and an outstanding design for the killer’s masks. I had fun with it and wouldn’t be hostile to seeing this flip right into a perennial Valentine’s Day custom, the place the killer stalks a brand new couple in every sequel.
