In the ever-evolving landscape of horror cinema, Screen Gems and Spyglass Media Group are set to deliver a fresh take on the slasher genre with “Heart Eyes,” a film that cleverly blends romance and terror. Directed by Josh Ruben and starring Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding, this Valentine’s Day-themed horror film promises to reinvent both the rom-com and slasher genres.
The genesis of “Heart Eyes” came from an unexpectedly relatable place: a bad date. Screenwriter Phillip Murphy transformed his own dating misfortune into a thrilling premise. “We had such great chemistry on a zoom call—and then, in person, nada,” Murphy recalls. “First dates are all about finding ways to connect, so I kept wondering what we could have done that would help us really see each other… maybe if a masked killer had been chasing us, that would have brought us together.“
“Heart Eyes” represents a bold experiment in genre-blending, attempting to create what Chris Stone, EVP of Production & Development at Spyglass, calls “an original, event movie that serves as both complementary and counter programming for the Valentine’s season.” The film poses an intriguing question that Stone summarizes as: “Do these two people need to survive in order to fall in love or do they need to fall in love to survive?”
The concept caught the attention of horror maestro Christopher Landon, known for “Happy Death Day” and “Freaky,” who joined the project as both producer and co-writer. “I loved the opportunity to combine the tropes of a slasher movie with the tropes of a rom-com,” says Landon. “The mash-up felt fresh and I wanted to help create the ultimate date-night movie that could satisfy both lovers of gore and all things Meg Ryan-esque.“
Director Josh Ruben, fresh off his success with “Werewolves Within,” was brought on board to helm the project. His pitch meeting couldn’t have been more appropriately timed – he presented his vision to Spyglass on Valentine’s Day 2024. “From the moment I pitched on Heart Eyes, I knew that we had to create an iconic killer,” Ruben explains. “I was excited about the prospect of his eyes lighting up and what that could mean.“
The film’s antagonist, the Heart Eyes Killer, required careful consideration to create a memorable horror villain. The team enlisted makeup effects legend Tony Gardner to design the mask, which features a disturbing combination of heart-shaped eyes and a weathered, blood-stained surface. “We added that layer of aging, whether it be dried, oxidized blood, and divots so that there was a history there,” Ruben describes. “That was the moment that the dam broke for all of us, and where it became actually scary.”
Lead actress Olivia Holt, who plays Ally McCabe, remembers her first encounter with the mask: “The first time I saw the mask of Heart Eyes, I was frolicking around the production office… I remember doing a double take and being like, ‘That is scary. I don’t like that. What is that?‘”
The film follows Ally, a jaded 20-something, and Jay Simmonds (Mason Gooding), who find themselves targeted by the Heart Eyes Killer after being mistaken for a couple. Gooding, known for his role in the “Scream” franchise, describes the film as “basically one long chase scene through the lens of two people who, at the beginning, are at odds with each other, and then by the climax of the film have become like minds and kindred spirits.”
The production team was determined to create memorable and impactful kills that would satisfy horror fans. Producer Greg Gilreath emphasizes the complexity of crafting effective horror sequences: “You can’t write a scary sequence. You can write the outline of a scary sequence, but to make something scary, to make something intense, is in the way it’s executed.“
Cinematographer Stephen Murphy approached the film with a nostalgic lens, drawing inspiration from classic horror films. “Our very early conversations were all about shooting something that would look and feel like the movies we loved in the 80s and 90s,” Murphy explains. “For me and Josh, that meant shooting in anamorphic for a widescreen aspect ratio, and it meant using lots of blue moonlight at nighttime, which is a very stylized thing but it looks beautiful.“
The film also features an impressive supporting cast, including Gigi Zumbado as Ally’s best friend Monica, Devon Sawa and Jordana Brewster as detectives investigating the Heart Eyes Killer’s spree, and Michaela Watkins as Ally’s eccentric boss.
“Heart Eyes” represents a bold experiment in genre-blending, attempting to create what Chris Stone, EVP of Production & Development at Spyglass, calls “an original, event movie that serves as both complementary and counter programming for the Valentine’s season.” The film poses an intriguing question that Stone summarizes as: “Do these two people need to survive in order to fall in love or do they need to fall in love to survive?“
Set for release on February 7, 2025, “Heart Eyes” promises to deliver both screams and swoons, offering audiences a unique take on the traditional Valentine’s Day movie experience. With its combination of romance and horror, it might just prove that sometimes the path to true love runs through terror.
