Heart Eyes

''Heart Eyes'' is a 2025 American romantic comedy slasher film directed by Josh Ruben and written by Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon (who also produces), and Michael Kennedy. The film stars Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding as a pair of coworkers who are mistaken as a couple by a serial killer; Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, Yoson An and Jordana Brewster also star.

''Heart Eyes'' was theatrically released on February 7, 2025, by Screen Gems (through Sony Pictures Releasing) in North America and by Republic Pictures (through Paramount Pictures) internationally. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $33 million.

Plot

For the past few years, a serial killer known as "Heart Eyes," a.k.a. "H-E-K," has moved to different cities in the United States, killing multiple couples on Valentine's Day. In the present year, Heart Eyes moves to Seattle and murders two couples, one at a winery and another at a spa. A wedding ring engraved with the initials "J.S." is found at the winery.

Ally McCabe, a pitch designer for a jewelry company who has recently broken up with her boyfriend Collin, is ridiculed for a commercial she wrote involving doomed couples, seen as offensive in light of the recent murders. Ally's boss, Crystal, orders her to work with consulting advertiser Jay Simmons, whom Ally had encountered at a coffee shop earlier. Jay suggests they have dinner that night to gain inspiration, and Ally's encouraging friend Monica helps her pick an outfit.

Ally and Jay meet at the restaurant, but Ally grows hostile as they question each other's views on love. An offended Jay leaves and Ally follows, kissing him as she sees Collin approaching with new girlfriend Sienna. From a distance, Heart Eyes watches. The two of them reconcile and take a cab to Ally's apartment, where she realizes she forgot her key and Jay helps her break in, cutting his hand in the process. Ally helps tend to Jay's wound upstairs, only for Heart Eyes to attack them. He kills their cab driver and chases them, knocking Jay out; Ally flees until she is able to summon help. Detectives Zeke Hobbs and Jeanine Shaw arrest Jay for the murders, having found him with the killer's mask and weapon.

At the station, Hobbs and Shaw point out Jay's initials match the ones on the ring found at the winery, and that he was in the same cities at the same time as the killer's previous attacks. Ally waits in the lobby with desk officer Fran and IT technician David; on his way out, David asks Ally on a date, but she declines due to her recent stress. As the power is deactivated, Heart Eyes appears and kills Fran before moving in against Ally. Shaw confronts Heart Eyes, who escapes and kills Hobbs. Ally rescues Jay, and they flee to a drive-in movie theater, where they connect while hiding. Heart Eyes slaughters several movie-goers, causing the duo to decide to confront him. In the scuffle, Ally and Jay fatally wound Heart Eyes, and they unmask him to reveal an unknown man. They are tended to by an ambulance until Shaw, injured but alive, arrives. She offers Jay a ride, which he accepts.

At home, Ally realizes she fell in love with Jay and goes to find him, but Heart Eyes calls her to reveal that he is holding Jay at a chapel and will kill him unless she comes alone. Ally arrives, and Heart Eyes is revealed to be David and Jeanine Shaw, secretly a married couple, while the deceased third killer was their fanboy and lover. They have committed every murder, switching out the costume; in particular, David killed the couple at the winery, losing his wedding ring. Their motivation is a kink for killing together for fun.

They present Ally with the choice of killing herself or Jay, but she shoots Shaw instead, hitting Jay in the process. The two couples fight and Jay stabs David in the eye with his own arrow, resulting in David falling on candles, whose wax immolates him. A shocked and enraged Shaw attempts to kill Ally, but Ally surprises Shaw by stabbing her neck with a metal straw and gains the upper hand, pushing Shaw onto the sword of a statue of Saint Valentine, which stabs her through the neck as it slowly decapitates her. David momentarily springs back to life, but Jay shoots him dead with another arrow, finally ending the Heart Eyes killing spree. One year later, Ally returns to medical school and the couple attends a drive-in movie. Jay asks Ally to move in with him, but she instead proposes and he accepts.

In a mid-credits scene, Ally receives a sinister phone call, which is revealed to be a prank from Monica. As she congratulates the couple, the call is cut off.

Cast

* Olivia Holt as Ally McCabe, a pitch designer
* Mason Gooding as Jay Simmonds, a consulting advertiser
* Gigi Zumbado as Monica, Ally's friend
* Michaela Watkins as Crystal Cane; Ally, Jay and Monica's boss
* Devon Sawa as Det. Zeke Hobbs
* Jordana Brewster as Det. Jeanine Shaw
* Yoson An as David, IT tech
* Bronwyn Bradley as Fran, desk officer
* James Gaylyn as Chief Richard Hartley
* Lauren O'Hara as Adeline Garrett
* Ben Black as Collin, Ally's ex
* Chris Parker as Tommy, Crystal's assistant

In addition, the film's director, Josh Ruben has a cameo appearance as a drive-in movie patron.

Production

The film is directed by Josh Ruben and produced by Spyglass Media Group. The script is written by Phillip Murphy, Michael Kennedy, and Christopher Landon.

Filming took place in New Zealand in June 2024. In October, it was announced that Jay Wadley was composing the film's score.

Release

Theatrical

In June 2024, Republic Pictures acquired worldwide distribution rights outside the United States and Canada to the film. In September 2024, Sony Pictures acquired the North American distribution rights and released it on February 7, 2025.

Home media

The film was released on digital on March 4. The film was released on April 15 on DVD and Blu-ray.

Reception

Box office

''Heart Eyes'' grossed $30.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $2.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $32.9 million.

In the United States and Canada, ''Heart Eyes'' was released alongside ''Love Hurts'' and was projected to gross $7–8million from 3,102 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $3.7million on its first day, including an estimated $1.1million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $8.3million, finishing second behind holdover ''Dog Man''. The film underperformed with couples, with only 40% of opening weekend attendees going with a spouse or date, on par with the previous weekend's opener '' Companion''. The following weekend, which coincided with Valentine's Day, the film grossed $9.9million, an increase of 19% noted as uncommon for horror films, which normally see steep drops in their second weekends. It was released on digital on March 4, 2025, and dropped out of the box office top ten the following weekend.

Critical response

Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B–" on an A+ to F scale, while those surveyed by PostTrak gave it a 68% overall positive score.

Notes

References

External links

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{{Josh Ruben

2025 comedy horror films
2025 crime comedy films
2025 romantic comedy films
2020s American films
2020s English-language films
2020s serial killer films
2020s slasher films
African-American comedy horror films
African-American romantic comedy films
American black comedy films
American romantic horror films
American serial killer films
American slasher films
Crime horror films
English-language comedy horror films
English-language romantic comedy films
Films about interracial romance
Films directed by Josh Ruben
Films scored by Jay Wadley
Films set in Seattle
Films shot in New Zealand
Films with screenplays by Christopher Landon (filmmaker)
Holiday horror films
Screen Gems films
Slasher comedy films
Spyglass Entertainment films
Valentine's Day in films