There’s plenty to spoof about horror movies.
The dumb decisions. The endless tropes. The heroes who leave the almost-dead killer breathing to slay again.
Been there, “Scream’d” that.
“Heart Eyes” isn’t content to mock just one genre. It takes aim at rom-coms, too, delivering a dual-edge spoof that will make you jump out or your seat.
How efficient. How entertaining.
The Heart Eyes killer (or HEK) has turned Valentine’s Day into a white-knuckled affair. The fiend moves from city to city, slashing love birds every Feb. 14.
That hardly applies to Ally (Olivia Holt). She’s still nursing wounds from a recent breakup and has soured on Valentine’s Day. She has a proto-typical Meet Cute moment with a handsome stranger named Jay (Mason Gooding), who ends up being her fierce competitor at work.
Coincidence? Yeah, and that’s the point. “Heart Eyes” mocks movie cliches across genres but saves its best shots for horror and rom-coms.
Turns out Heart Eyes is stalking Ally’s neighborhood, and a fake kiss leads the fiend in her direction.
“Heart Eyes” opens with a hilarious pair of kills. Sure, it’s grisly, but it’s deliciously funny, too. We’re off to a strong start, and director Josh Ruben is just getting started.
We’re soon introduced to Ally’s best pal (Gigi Zumbado) who swipes a few scenes. Fellow scene-stealer Michaela Watkins takes a few more as Ally’s silver-maned boss.
Both actresses get killer lines and swat them out of the park.
There’s still a killer afoot, and Ruben makes the stalking scenes crackle with danger. One set piece, set in Ally’s home, yields a clutch-your-armrest squeal.
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Both Holt and Gooding are appealing and grounded, dabbling in dating woes between fleeing for their lives. The laugh quotient is remarkably high for much of the story, although the third act puts the emphasis on horror.
It’s always funny when the pair stops everything to work through their feelings. Hey, Heart Eyes killer, you’ll have to wait for us to sort things out.
Thanks, Mmkay!
The subtle nods to the “Scream” franchise help and hurt the movie. A third-act confrontation should have gotten a hearty edit and echo the worst parts of that Wes Craven-spawned franchise.
It’s hard to hold anything against “Heart Eyes.” The musical choices rock, the script is wise and witty and even the weaker jokes bring a smile.
Naming the cops investigating the murder spree “Hobbs” and “Shaw” (Devon Sawa, Jordana Brewster) is Exhibit A. Groan all you want. The film’s giddy tone makes it click.
It’s hard to keep up the film’s dizzying pace at times, something rarely said about most films today. There’s enough creative spark to spread across a trio of films.
When was the last time a horror-comedy hybrid over-delivered as much as “Heart Eyes?” Darned if we can remember.
HiT or Miss: “Heart Eyes” is the laugh-out-loud horror comedy we needed.
The post Shrewd ‘Heart Eyes’ Delivers Laughs, Scares and Romance appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.
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