Richard Crouse

SYNOPSIS: In “Heart Eyes,” a new comedy slasher flick now playing in theatres, a serial killer with glowing hearts for eyes, murders couples on Valentine’s Day. When he mistakes Ally and Jay for a romantic couple, the co-workers spend their Valentine’s Day on the run from the Heart Eyes Killer. “He’s like Cupid with a kink.”

CAST: Olivia Holt, Mason Gooding, Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, and Jordana Brewster. Directed by Josh Ruben.

REVIEW: “Heart Eyes” is a wild movie.

Is it a violent rom com? Yup. Is it a googly-eyed slasher flick? Also correct. By the time the end credits roll, director Josh Ruben has thrown teen comedy, rom coms and slasher flicks into a blender, and whipped up a tasty cocktail of “Scream” and “10 Things I Hate About You.”

The thrill killer with heart shaped eyes takes a back seat to Ally and Jay, nicely played by Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding. Ruben takes his time developing their relationship, whether it as two strangers who flirt, or a warrior duo doing battle against an unrelenting killer. It slows the film’s momentum, creating lengthy periods when there isn’t much happening.

At least by the standards of a bloody slasher flick.

By the time the going gets gory, the relationship is built, and Ruben has fun playing with genre conventions. As Ally starts to warm to Jay after a particularly gruesome Heart Eyes attack, she says, “Tonight should have been the worst night of my life, but it wasn’t.”

“Ditto” he replies.

In a different context those lines could have appeared in a hundred other cheesy rom coms, but here it is funny, a nod to the audience that “Heart Eyes” isn’t taking itself too seriously.

I’m not sure if “Heart Eyes” is a satire of slashers with some romance or the other way around. What I do know is that it is a snappy 90 minutes in which both rom commers or horror fans should find something to enjoy.