Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Heart Eyes 

This film is spectacular! Now their are so many films I have seen that have romance and horror within the same film but very few I have seen where they have crafted the film around valentines day and have tons of heart symbolism that is used in a way that is both  terrifying ways but also come across tongue and cheek without it resulting in it being out of place. Heart Eyes soars as one of the most fun, smartly written and truly enjoyable horror films I have seen so far in 2025! 

Firstly, This film was exactly what I wanted and so much more for a multitude of reasons I will dive into! So the film as I mentioned surrounds the as I call it card pushing holiday of Valentines Day and the film does not hold its punches in terms of tone and theme. The film is able to explore themes of genuine love and connection between both characters it is able to play in the are of being a legitimate love story while being soaked in blood and being chased by a psychopathic killer. The great thing about it is the creative team involved meshes the two genres in a way that compliments each other so well. It operates as a terrifying horror film because the film’s antagonist foes after couples on valentines day you have no idea where he could be lurking in any corner of the street he could b anywhere at any time and that is a terrifying notion to think of which keeps you on your toes the entire time is the incredibly well built suspense. As the film uses the sound design greatly here where any person keeps you on edge as you have no idea when the next target could be hit and they could be hit in plain view and so their were multiple times I jumped out of my seat due to the well timed jump scares not usually I find those to be cheap and lazy as their incredibly overused but if done right can be really affective at striking fear into the audience which I think it did amazingly well. The film at times has very brutal kills that will have your jaw on the floor and the Heart Eyes Killer uses their kills as a way of making it sadistically fun but also having a point to the kills and it felt very reminiscent of Scream in that over the top but still grounded way of showcasing the horror and blood factor of the kills. It is able to as I mentioned play around as a legitimate horror film and romance film that does not feel out of place as the writing is so smartly done and great at its ability to understand tone and character dynamic you can enjoy this film that is poking fun at itself while exploring two different styles of storytelling in a very compelling way that has you intrigued the whole entire way through. 

Secondly, The performances were solid from its two leads! Now I think Olivia Holt does a great job at showcasing rising star final girl status in a terrific leading performance onscreen. She is able to play this very guarded but also not big fan of the card pushing holiday that Is Valentines Day she voices why she is not the biggest fan of it and how she is very jaded when it comes to love and the whole thing surrounding the day of love. Then you have Mason Gooding who gives a fantastic lead performance I mention that as he has mostly done supporting work and has not gotten a great deal of chances to showcase his talent at the top billing actor of a film before. He appeared in the Scream films as the muscle bound fan favourite who got more screen time in it’s follow up for Scream 6 and people took a liking to his character and he got huge notice from that film and thankfully this studio trusted he has the chops good enough to lead a film which he shows he can do really well. He plays this guy that the entire time I had a feeling the film would play into his character being the one you teeter if you should trust them or not and he plays in that grey area of if you should fall into his charm trap and fully trust him or if you should have your guard up around him either way Mason Gooding delivers a astonishing performance that has him playing with so much character wise that really makes him standout with his performance. Overall both leads give great onscreen performances but in my opinion I think Mason Gooding really proves he is a force to be reckoned with. 

Lastly, Heart Eyes is a small budget horror romance film that is not distributed by one of the bigger studios it is an independent horror film that wasn’t made for much. The film does a great job at exploring the places of romance and horror and making its fully realized tone film with great style amazing chemistry among its leads and be able to deliver the thrills and chills of a modern horror film while also giving great character growth and romance in the other layers this film operates in. Heart Eyes is a spectacular film that is one of the most refreshing and original takes on the genre while incorporating other genres into it without it feeling misplaced if anything due to the smart writing at hand it soars. Heart Eyes is a blood drenched love story that is both terrifying but also romantic and I can see becoming a new Valentines Day staple for a lot of horror fanatics I recommend everyone go and see this in theatres and support small independent horror films like this as it deserves all its success.   

This film centres on the Heart Eyes killer that targets his victims of those that are happy couples and who’s kill count spikes big on the biggest day of love Valentines Day

Rated R : Strong Violence and Gore|Some Sexual Content|Language

Mason Gooding : Gooding delivers an impressive leading performance in this film! Now As I mentioned he has never really gotten the chance to take as chance at leading roles this is really the first time we have seen him front and centre at a film sure its a horror film but its a start as it shows they have faith in him to be the lead character of a film which shows confidence from the studio involved. He plays this handsome well spoken marketing guy that we don’t know what to make of him due to how well the film positions him. He is a character that you don’t entirely know what to make of him because he has this mysterious element of him that has you scratching your head going is he the killer the whole way through. When we meet him you can’t help but get swept up instantly in his charming gaze he has and he leans into that knowing very well that if we are fogged by that charming ability of his character it will cloud our judgment to properly say he is someone we shouldn’t be falling for because he may be the killer since he makes the character so likeable and so charismatic when they throw into question if he could be the killer the first response is no way he could. Now that is what the writing does well is install doubt among the way we perceive him but he is playing it as if he is a likeable guy that is being set up but is he really being set up or is he making us believe he is and Mason Gooding is able to have this great presence onscreen that is so confident and fun you can’t help but blush and want to learn more about him. He is able to suck all the energy in the room onto him and really just have you wanting to know what he is doing trying to create this romantic tension between himself and the girl who works their what is he getting out of that is he genuinely into her or is their other means of motive at play.  He then tries reassuring the audience he isn’t the killer but is that not something the killer would do he just does so many things that leave the viewer in the dark and creating mystery from who he is and Mason has such fun at creating that tension in a very playful way. He is able to showcase such a great amount of fun and bits of layers of who this person is only to reveal that their is a damaged man at the centre that hides behind multiple emotional masks to make himself appear like he is this super confident guy. Mason Gooding does a tremendous Job at keeping the audience questioning but also having a likeable character that answers the right questions about who he is but does not reveal to much that the mysterious element of what he may be is revealed. He is both charming and comes off throughout the whole film as someone you question putting your faith in but he is so likeable you really hope he isn’t the Heart Eyes Killer. He is also really funny but in a dry witty way it never comes across too comedic but their are for sure moments I chuckled at his ability to make jokes at the right time as the film takes place in a horror setting mixed with romance so he has quite a lot to have fun with creatively. He is able to be smooth and flirtatious but also mysterious and not entirely trust worthy and I love that he mixed those two traits in his performance as it made him that more intriguing to watch and at the same time he is fantastic as leading man status. I hope we see more of him in films like this nature sure yes its horror but he works great in the genre of course I wanna see him branch out but as long as he gets offered more lead characters as he has proven here that he is more then capable of taking on the lead character of a film and delivering a fun performance the audience gets to pick apart and and look over of who this guy is overall Mason Gooding does a solid Job in this film. 

Josh Ruben : Josh gives exceptional work on this horror romance film! Now I have not seen any of this filmmakers work prior to seeing his work on Heart Eyes but after seeing how solid his direction was on this I will for sure be keeping a eye out for his stuff going forward. I know he made up until this film underground horror films and this in many ways is his first big one to get mainstream attention which I could only imagine how exciting that must be for him. As the story is penned by Christopher Landon who’s work in horror I love he is known for mixing horror and light hearted comedy into his films with Freaky, Happy Death Day and so having these two collaborate together was a great use of their talents. As you have a great winter who has a history of horror films under his belt and at the helm you have a filmmaker that has made well received critical underground films of the same genre and putting those two together was a great combination. The film is able to act like a suspenseful thrilling horror with jump scares, gore but also be a romance film so it in many ways breaks the mold of a traditional horror film by taking on the responsibility of a romance plot line. Sure their is lots of horror films with romantic side plots within the two characters but this film makes it very clear it is a romance and horror film which stylistically I have not seen done in a way like this before or at least very few before it have done it in this fashion. It never felt corny or way to out their in terms of tone it fit the story and actually really benefited from leaning into the romance stuff as it created for great symbolism for the Heart Eyes killings without it taking the serious moments of horror away from the film. It was taken seriously and never felt like a parody or spoof like nature of storytelling which it easily could have done in a film of this nature. It was able to respect the genres while then also making them mesh together and work in a way that will surprise people and that is a testament to the great creatives attached to this film as Josh Ruben was able to create suspense multiple times through the film that will have you on edge but then also have great romantic chemistry between the two leads that you want to see more of them. He did a great job brining this slasher and romantic tale to the screen I cannot wait to see what Josh Ruben does next after the massive success of his work on Heart Eyes.