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‘Heart Eyes’ Review: A Bloody Valentine That Makes Rom-Coms and Slashers Click

Josh Ruben’s Heart Eyes makes a mistaken-couple premise fuel both romance and slasher suspense, with Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding grounding a bloody, funny genre blend.
Opened Runtime4 min Written byDocumentaryTube Team
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Heart Eyes is a horror-comedy-romance that understands its best joke and its strongest source of suspense are the same: a Valentine’s Day couple can be a target before they are even a couple. Josh Ruben’s film makes that mistaken-pairing premise work through Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding’s appealing central dynamic, then gives the slasher side enough menace and gore to keep the romance from turning the killer into a prop. It is a satisfying genre blend, though viewers looking for either an uncomplicated date-night rom-com or a grim, humorless slasher should set their expectations accordingly.

What is Heart Eyes about?

For years, the Heart Eyes Killer has hunted romantic couples on Valentine’s Day. This year, Ally McCabe, a cynical advertising executive, and Jay Simmonds, her hopelessly romantic colleague, are mistakenly targeted. The setup turns a workplace pairing into a survival problem: the two must contend with a killer who sees romance as a reason to hunt, whether or not the people involved see themselves as a couple.

Josh Ruben directs Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding as Ally and Jay. The supporting cast includes Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, and Jordana Brewster. Paramount’s catalog lists a February 7, 2025 premiere; Rotten Tomatoes lists a U.S. theatrical release on that date, an R rating, and a runtime of 1 hour 37 minutes. Paramount Global Content and Rotten Tomatoes provide the catalog and listing details.

Does the romance work?

Ally and Jay’s opposing outlooks give the film a workable romantic-comedy engine. Ally’s cynicism and Jay’s earnestness create a familiar contrast, but the killer’s interference gives their interactions an immediate stakes-driven purpose: they have to read one another, cooperate, and decide what trust means while danger is closing in. Holt and Gooding make that pairing engaging enough to carry the stretches between attacks, rather than treating the romance as a decorative break from the horror.

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#1 Best Overall
Sale
Heart Eyes - Blu-ray + Digital
  • For the past several years, the ?Heart Eyes Killer? has wreaked havoc on Valentine?s Day by stalking and murdering romantic couples. This Valentine?s Day, no couple is safe?

The film is more invested in recognizable rom-com rhythms than in reinventing them. Its central relationship benefits from the contrast in temperament and from the absurdity of being mistaken for a couple by a murderer, but the emotional material does not always cut as deeply as its genre references might suggest. That is a limitation of the blend, not a fatal one: the chemistry is a convincing connective thread, even when the romance is not the film’s most distinctive element.

Is it a rom-com or a slasher?

It is deliberately both, and the slasher half is not softened into a harmless Valentine’s gag. Sony classifies the movie as horror, comedy, and romance, while Ruben has described the creative aim as honoring both romantic comedy and horror. In a Directors Guild of America account of a 2025 Q&A, he said: “We always came back to legitimately Nora Ephron and legitimately Wes Craven. Let’s not shortchange either genre.” He also discussed music as a way to guide viewers into the emotional and frightening registers, rather than using comic exaggeration to dilute the threat. The DGA’s account offers the clearest explanation of that approach.

Rank #2

That intention mostly comes through. The humor can release pressure, but the killer remains dangerous; the romantic premise does not excuse the violence. The film uses the slasher threat to make Ally and Jay’s growing connection active rather than abstract, while their mismatched sensibilities supply comic friction under pressure. The transitions are not seamless at every moment, and the joke-to-threat balance will be a matter of taste, but the tonal shifts feel purposeful more often than they feel like interruptions.

How well does the slasher side deliver?

Heart Eyes offers a real slasher threat, with chases, attacks, reveals, and strong violence and gore. The violence gives the Valentine’s premise a sharp edge: this is not a cozy romantic comedy with a masked figure added for seasonal decoration. Ruben’s emphasis on preserving terror helps the killer retain menace even when the film is being funny.

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Rank #3
Julia's Eyes [Blu-ray]
  • Julia's Eyes (2010) ( Los ojos de Julia ) ( Lost Eyes )
  • Julia's Eyes (2010)
  • Los ojos de Julia
  • Lost Eyes

The suspense works best when the danger forces the leads to act together, joining the two halves of the story instead of pausing one for the other. The kills and gore provide spectacle, but they are not the only reason the horror is there; uncertainty about the threat and the characters’ immediate survival keep the attacks moving the plot. The film’s comic instincts sometimes soften the intensity, so horror fans who want an unbroken stretch of dread may find the rhythm too playful. Its R rating is for “Some Sexual Content|Language|Strong Violence and Gore,” according to Rotten Tomatoes.

What did critics and viewers think?

Rotten Tomatoes’ displayed consensus calls the film “A mixture of gory slasher and sweet rom-com” and says it “ingeniously nails both formulas.” That is an aggregator’s summary, not a guarantee that every viewer will respond the same way. The displayed critic excerpts show some variation: a Toronto Star excerpt from Adam Nayman says the humor “doesn’t cut particularly deep,” while other coverage praises Holt and Gooding’s chemistry and the balance of gore and humor.

Rank #4
In the Heart of the Sea (3D & 2D) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Belgium ]
  • In the Heart of the Sea (3D & 2D)
  • In the Heart of the Sea

As accessed on October 5, 2026, Rotten Tomatoes displayed a 78% Tomatometer from 181 reviews and a 76% Popcornmeter from 1,000+ verified ratings. These platform figures can change; they are a snapshot, not a measure of universal agreement. Check the current listing for updated scores.

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Where can you watch Heart Eyes?

Sony currently describes Heart Eyes as available on Blu-ray and digital. Its listing names digital options including Apple TV, Prime Video, Fandango, DIRECTV, Verizon Fios, YouTube, Sony Pictures Core, Kaleidescape, and FanFlix. Rotten Tomatoes currently lists Netflix streaming and Fandango rental or purchase. These are page listings, not guarantees of availability in every country or at every moment; check the service in your territory before planning to watch. Sony also lists Amazon among retailers for the Heart Eyes Blu-ray. No specific edition, price, or bonus features are established here.

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Quick Recap

SaleBestseller No. 1
Bestseller No. 2
Heart Eyes [Blu-ray] [Region A & B & C]
Heart Eyes [Blu-ray] [Region A & B & C]
Horror, Comedy, Mystery
$11.42
Bestseller No. 3
Julia's Eyes [Blu-ray]
Julia's Eyes [Blu-ray]
Julia's Eyes (2010) ( Los ojos de Julia ) ( Lost Eyes ); Julia's Eyes (2010); Los ojos de Julia
$16.75
Bestseller No. 4
In the Heart of the Sea (3D & 2D) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Belgium ]
In the Heart of the Sea (3D & 2D) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Belgium ]
In the Heart of the Sea (3D & 2D); In the Heart of the Sea
$19.73
Bestseller No. 5
Through the Eyes Of The World [Blu-ray]
Through the Eyes Of The World [Blu-ray]
Factory sealed DVD
$46.90

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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