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He's faced Alphas (28 Years Later), Rhinos (Kraven The Hunter), vampires (Nosferatu), and years of media lines asking whether or not he'll ever play James Bond, but for his next move, it looks like Aaron Taylor-Johnson is preparing to dance with the devil in the pale (full-)moonlight. Per Variety's reporting, the English actor is set to reunite with Nosferatu director Robert Eggers on the filmmaker's upcoming 13th century-set horror joint Werwulf. And, what's more, fellow Eggers alumni Lily-Rose Depp is in talks to join him.

Set to immerse cinemagoers in a meticulously detailed period setting once again, Werwulf — co-written by Eggers alongside Icelandic poet and The Northman scribe Sjón — is currently slated for release on Christmas Day 2026 stateside, meaning we'll likely see the movie hit British shores sometime in early 2027. In terms of what to expect from the movie however, beyond Eggers' now-customary era-accurate language and, presumably, a werewolf of some description,...

Exclusive: Directorial duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah (Adil & Bilall) have signed to direct a feature film adaptation of Riders Republic, the award-winning video game from French games giant Ubisoft.

The project, which seeks to bring the spills and thrills of the extreme sports-focused game to the big screen – is being developed and produced by Gaumont and Ubisoft Film & Television. Gaumont’s international sales arm is launching the project in Cannes.

The partners have also signed award-winning writer Noé Debré, whose credits include Cannes Palme d’Or Dheepan, Stillwater and The World Is Yours, for the screenplay adaptation.

Adil & Bilall broke out in their native Belgium in 2018 with hit Gangsta, and then gained international recognition with the third and fourth instalment of the Bad Boys franchise: Bad Boys for Life (2020) and Bad Boys: Ride or Die (2024) which together grossed over $830M at world box office.

With more than 10 million players worldwide,...

I'll be the first to admit that, when it comes to horror movies, I'm a bit of a wimp. When I was a kid, "The Exorcist" was re-released, and the TV commercials gave me nightmares for several weeks. With that said, a movie like Josh Ruben's "Heart Eyes" is approachable even for scared little babies like me, which makes it utterly unsurprising that the movie is performing quite well on Netflix, according to FlixPatrol.

"Heart Eyes" came out on February 7, 2025 — and now that its theatrical release is finished, it's found a home on Netflix and is getting a lot of attention ... as it should! The horror-romance hybrid centers on Ally McCabe (Olivia Holt), a young woman who works for a jewelry company and, fresh off a breakup, ends up meeting consulting advertiser Jay Simmons (Mason Gooding) in a professional context ... only for sparks to quickly fly. However, things go...

Three months after the film released in theaters, where it scared up $32.9 million in its worldwide run, we’ve learned that the slasher Heart Eyes is now headed to Netflix.

Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within, Scare Me) directed Heart Eyes, with Mason Gooding (Scream) and Olivia Holt (“Cruel Summer”) starring in the romantic slasher.

Heart Eyes will begin streaming on Netflix on May 8, 2025! It’ll help to whet your appetite for Netflix’s brand new slasher Fear Street: Prom Queen, arriving on May 23.

Slasher comedy Heart Eyes is currently available for rental or purchase on all major VOD/Digital outlets, and the DVD and Blu-ray were just released earlier this month.

Exclusively watch the 10-minute opening for Heart Eyes below, which features three gory kills and introduces the legend and mythology of your new favorite holiday slasher villain!

“For the past several years, the Heart Eyes Killer has wreaked havoc on...

With season two of “The Last of Us” now underway and director David F. Sandberg‘s adaptation of Until Dawn arriving in theaters this Friday, horror video game adaptations are having a moment. That doesn’t even touch on the box office juggernaut that is Minecraft, or sequels Mortal Kombat 2 and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 arriving later this year.

It doesn’t appear that the horror video game adaptation trend will slow down any time soon, with Barbarian director Zach Cregger gearing up to take on Resident Evil and André Øvredal (The Last Voyage of the Demeter) attached to direct Bendy and the Ink Machine.

All of this to say that movies based on video games have come a very long way since 1993’s Super Mario Bros., especially in the genre space. This week’s streaming picks are dedicated to horror video game adaptations. Here’s where to stream these five horror movies.

We’ve got some seriously exciting news for horror fans! A terrifying new slasher that hit theaters just a couple of months ago is already gearing up for its streaming debut. And this isn’t just any horror release. This blood-soaked thrill ride had audiences buzzing when it premiered back in February. It's Sony's Heart Eyes! Can you believe it? Fans will get to relive all the brutal kills and nerve-wracking suspense of this thrilling slasher very soon. It feels like Christmas came early!

This is easily one of my favorite horror films of the year, so I’m beyond thrilled it’s finally heading to streaming. I expected it to land on a platform eventually, but I definitely didn’t think it would be this soon. With it being the talk of the town during its theatrical release, I'm almost positive this streaming debut is going to bring...

In the wake of A Minecraft Movie's record-breaking opening weekend, another classic video game of the early 2010s is returning to the big screen as Angry Birds 3 has a new release date, a new studio, and a new cast...with some returning favorites. Released in 2009, Angry Birds was a mobile game that took the world by storm and became one of the most downloaded games in history. Two feature films were made to capitalize on the phenomenon: 2016's The Angry Birds Movie and 2019's The Angry Birds Movie 2. The franchise will return to the big screen eight years after the last film and almost twenty years after the game's launch.

Deadline reports that The Angry Birds Movie 3 will be released on Jan. 9, 2027. While the original two films in the franchise were released through Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures is now taking over the distribution of the third entry. Original cast members Jason Sudeikis,...

There have been a lot of movies based on video games over the years and sadly, they’re usually not that great. But there are still some that rise above the others.

The latest to hit theaters is “A Minecraft Movie,” starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, based on the “Minecraft” video game. In it, four misfits enter a dimension known as the Overworld, where anything you can imagine is possible, so long as it can be built with blocks.

The movie debuted to a very early 47% on Rotten Tomatoes, but that is sure to change over the course of its opening weekend. So, in the meantime, we’ve rounded up the current winners of the genre.

Here are the 10 best video game movies, according to their Rotten Tomatoes scores.

Alicia Vikander in 2018’s “Tomb Raider.” (MGM) 10. Tomb Raider (2018) – 52%

Starring Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft, the 2018 remake of “Tomb Raider...

Over the last two decades, live-action adaptations of video games have become more common. Whether or not many of those adaptations have actually done their source material justice is another story! Aspects like world-building, characterization, and vibes are all huge components that determine the success of a game-to-screen translation.

Within the last few years in particular, video game adaptations have become more appealing for both fans and newcomers by offering new stories, great characters, and loyalty to the source games. I present to you: the top six live-action video game adaptations from the last six years.

2019: Pokémon: Detective Pikachu

In 2019, hope for video games and anime adaptations was given a boost with the release of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu. This film attempted to blend the real world with that of Pokémon, having humanity carry on alongside all types of pocket monsters. In terms of world-building, the movie did a good...

If you're a huge fan of wasting your time and money, there's historically not a surer way to maximize the squandering of both than strolling down to your local multiplex and paying full admission to watch a movie based on a video game. With astonishingly few exceptions, video games have proved stubbornly resistant to film adaptation. There are numerous reasons for this, but the one hurdle that most filmmakers seem incapable of clearing is that watching a game isn't nearly as fun as playing one. Sounds crazy, but I really think there's something to it!

With this in mind, studios have trouble entrusting their would-be video game movie franchises to top flight directors. "Werewolves Within" is an outlier on account of being an indie film adaptation of a game that wasn't widely known outside of hardcore gaming circles, which allowed director Josh Ruben and screenwriter Mishna Wolff to basically do their own thing.

The video game adaptation genre is one Milla Jovovich is plenty familiar with, and one of her movies is now climbing the streaming charts. After some smaller roles in the late '80s, Jovovich first rose to stardom with her turn as Leeloo in Luc Besson's The Fifth Element. The years since have seen her star in everything from Spike Lee's He Got Gameto Ben Stiller's Zoolander and its sequel, as well as David Harbour's Hellboy reboot.

Her most notable project to date, however, remains that of the Resident Evil movie franchise, an adaptation of Capcom's survival horror video game series of the same name. Partnered with her husband, writer/director Paul W.S. Anderson, Jovovich carried the role of heroine Alice through six movies, while also having starred in Anderson's adaptations of The Three Musketeers and George R.R. Martin's In the Lost Lands. Among...

One of Stephen King’s favorite movies in recent years has been released into theaters this week, while one of the most popular theatrical releases of 2025 so far has made its way home. And that’s just the beginning of a week packed with Eleven new horror releases.

Here’s all the new horror that released March 3 – March 7, 2025!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

After scaring up $30 million at the box office worldwide, the Valentine’s Day-themed slasher movie Heart Eyes is now available on Digital at home courtesy of Sony.

Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within, Scare Me) directed Heart Eyes, with Mason Gooding (Scream) and Olivia Holt (“Cruel Summer”) starring in the romantic slasher.

You can rent the film on Digital outlets now for $19.99 or purchase it for $24.99. We’ve also learned that Heart Eyes will be slashing into DVD & Blu-ray on April 15.

Exclusively...

On February 7th, Sony Pictures gave a theatrical release to the Valentine’s Day-set horror romantic comedy Heart Eyes (you can read our review Here), the latest film from Werewolves Within and Scare Me director Josh Ruben. Now, just over three weeks later, the film has received a Digital release and is available to watch on Amazon, among other platforms.

Heart Eyes has the following synopsis: When the Heart Eyes Killer strikes Seattle, a pair of co-workers pulling overtime on Valentine’s Day are mistaken for a couple by the elusive couple-hunting killer. Now they must spend the most romantic night of the year running for their lives. Ruben previously provided the following statement: “My love of horror is rivaled only by my love of romantic comedies. I’m excited as hell to mount my most challenging genre bender to date: a brutal slasher in a nostalgic rom-com universe.“ Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy,...

He wasn’t the first and certainly will not be the last to launch big at Sundance with a directorial debut and then take a bit more time to navigate his way through a sophomore feature — a narrative that Cutter Hodierne would put together while the iron was hot. Following Fishing Without Nets, Hodierne now moves into the murky world of crypto. Anchored by a script penned by John Hibey (a participant in the 2023 Sundance Screenwriting Lab), Hodierne not only directs but also produces alongside Vanishing Angle’s Benjamin Wiessner (known for Werewolves Within) and Hibey. Cold Wallet, a heist thriller, exudes a vibe that seamlessly oscillates between a comedy noir, overt slapstick and the intricate layers of the criminal underworld.…...

It’s incredibly rare for any movie to make more money in its second weekend of release than its first, but Spyglass and Sony’s slasher Heart Eyes managed to do just that over the weekend.

Topping its opening weekend domestic haul of $8.3 million, director Josh Ruben’s Heart Eyes just scared up an additional $10 million in its second weekend at the U.S. box office!

Positive word of mouth and strong reviews helped out here, but Heart Eyes‘ week two success can no doubt be largely attributed to this past Friday being Valentine’s Day. The movie made $4.9 million on V-Day alone, up from the debut Friday total of $3.7 million. Even this week’s Sunday and Monday totals were higher than the previous week’s Sunday and Monday hauls. Another holiday, President’s Day, surely helped to boost this past Monday’s performance.

Here’s the full Weekend #1 vs.

Every horror film needs a good boogeyman, and the monstrous maniac at the centre of Heart Eyes is a great one. Striking every Valentine’s Day, the Heart Eyes Killer (the police and media dub him Hek) kills only couples, his huge, heart-shaped peepers doubling as night vision goggles (cue Silence Of The Lambs-y pov shots but bathed in red) and his weapon of choice a crossbow that fires deadly cupid’s arrows. He provides a fantastic nemesis in Josh Ruben’s (Werewolves Within) tremendously knowing, fun romp that mashes up romcoms and horror slasher movies and playfully decides the two genres have more in common than you think.

The set-up is pure romcom fluff, featuring every trope in the book (with a pink cover); good looking people in high-end jobs, meet-cutes over mixed up coffee orders, knocking their heads together bending down, speaking over each other (“no you go...

Heart Eyes slays the Valentine's Day box office by skewering romantic comedies with bloody slasher fun. Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding co-star as Seattle advertising executives targeted for slaughter after a chance meeting. Kismet proves to be a death sentence as they run for their lives while hilariously still flirting. Director Josh Ruben, known for Scare Me and his fantastic adaptation of Werewolves Within, started his career in sketch comedy and CollegeHumor shorts. Speaking to MovieWeb, Ruben credits these early experiences with establishing a good working relationship with his terrific Heart Eyes ensemble, which also includes Jordana Brewster and Devon Sawa:

"I try to speak to my actors as I would like to be spoken to. That all starts with a vibe. You have to be confident as the cruise captain, but you also need to set a precedent, or create the kind of playground where actors feel like they can take risks.

With Heart Eyes slicing its way into theaters this weekend, the rebirth of the holiday horror genre takes another step forward following the impressive success of Eli Roth’s 2023 hit, Thanksgiving. Along with having its obvious ties to Valentine’s Day, Josh Ruben’s (Werewolves Within) latest feature-length production also blends the bloody and gruesome genre with another beloved category — rom-coms. At its gooey, mushy center, Heart Eyes is the tale of a love between two people so strong that a serial killer will stop at nothing to destroy it. The two characters in question are Olivia Holt’s Ally and Mason Gooding’s Jay. Not only were the leading actors tasked with playing up the horror-comedy of it all, but they also needed to sell their romance because, without that, there wouldn’t be a film.

Josh Ruben’s Heart Eyes brought a brand new original slasher to the box office over the weekend, with the holiday-themed horror movie nearly matching the opening weekend of fellow Spyglass slasher Thanksgiving back in 2023. While that movie opened to $10.3 million, Heart Eyes came up a tad bit short with a domestic opening weekend haul of $8.5 million.

Sony released Heart Eyes into 3,102 theaters across the United States over the weekend, with the slasher/romantic comedy hybrid competing with the Super Bowl on Sunday. But the real test for Heart Eyes will be this coming weekend, with Valentine’s Day Weekend giving the Valentine’s Day-themed horror movie a perfect opportunity to win over more hearts.

Heart Eyes, which comes with a reported $18 million production price tag, is currently in the #2 spot on the domestic box office charts behind the animated family movie Dogman.

The slasher is currently Certified Fresh on...

Heart Eyes North America Box Office: Opening Weekend Update (Photo Credit – Instagram)

Sony’s new R-rated horror thriller Heart Eyes has landed at the #2 spot in the domestic box office chart as projected. However, the film earned lower than the predicted opening weekend range. The movie opened with positive reviews, carrying a reported production budget of $18 million. Scroll below for the deets.

Its lack of star power and being released on the Super Bowl weekend might be one of the reasons for an underwhelming weekend despite showing promise with its release-day collection. The movie was directed by Josh Ruben, who has directed Scare Me and Werewolves Within. It is a romantic comedy slasher with a B- rating on CinemaScore.

According to Luiz Fernando’s report, Heart Eyes collected only $8.5 million on its three-day opening weekend, whereas it was predicted to earn between $11 million and $14 million. It is 22.7-39.3% less than the expected prediction.

The Wolf of Snow Hollow, one of modern horror's most underappreciated movies, will land on Tubi next February. Considering Leigh Whannell's newest adaptation of the horror subgenre, Wolf Man, wasn’t exactly as acclaimed as everyone hoped, we still have to rely on the werewolf movies that can make an impact. Jim Cummings' The Wolf of Snow Hollow is one of them.

The Wolf of Snow Hollow can be streamed for free on the platform with one of the finest collections in today's streaming landscape. Other horror titles that have also recently joined the free service include two Stephen King movies (Misery and The Boogeyman), and both the 1979 and 2005 versions of The Amityville Horror. In terms of other genres, you will also be able to stream 1984's The Terminator, the legacy sequel Bill & Ted Face The Music, and dramas like Monster's Ball and Selena.

The Wolf of Snow Hollow...

Heart Eyes director Josh Ruben may be a horror filmmaker, but nothing could’ve prepared him for the waking nightmare he experienced last month.

On Jan. 7, just weeks before Ruben and his wife Lauren Sick were slated to move into their dream home in Altadena, they watched along in horror as the Eaton Fire headed straight for their new neighborhood in Los Angeles County. While they assumed the worst when their security camera cut to black, Ruben and Sick received confirmation on Jan. 9 that their vacant home was gone. Immediately, friends and collaborators like Mark Duplass, Jordana Brewster and Christopher Landon came to their aid and rallied wider support from the general public, raising nearly $75,000 to get the beloved filmmaking couple back on their feet.

In the process, Ruben also overcame two of the most common fears a person can have: asking for help and accepting it.

“It’s virtually...

Plot: The infamous Heart Eyes killer has been targeting couples on Valentine’s Day for many years. Soon, two co-workers (Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt) mistaken for a couple find themselves spending what’s supposed to be the most romantic night of the year running for their lives.

Review: Watching Heart Eyes, I wondered why there haven’t been more romantic comedy/ horror mash-ups. After all, the horror genre is a perennial date night staple, as nothing breaks the ice on a date like being frightened and clutching your date’s arm when a jump scare happens. Director Josh Ruben, who previously helmed the well-received Scare Me and Werewolves Within, dives head-first into both genres with a gory slasher film that leans more heavily into the rom-com aspects than you might expect, given the film a unique flavour.

To be sure, Ruben and his team of writers (including Happy Death Day...

“Heart Eyes,” in theaters this weekend, is a one-of-a-kind accomplishment.

It’s a slasher movie that is just as much a romantic comedy and vice versa. It’s not trying to be either of these things, it just is. Stars Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt have genuine chemistry, so when their meet-cute is interrupted by the Heart Eyes Killer, a serial murderer who has been stalking couples for years, you’re rooting for their continued survival, not the least of which because you want to see their relationship blossom. It’s odd to call a movie with this much arterial spray cute, but it really is cute.

And the movie feels like even more of an accomplishment because it maintains the quirks and charms of its director Josh Ruben, who is making his studio movie debut. Ruben is a veteran of CollegeHumor, the online comedy site, and his two features,...

Singles rejoice, for one director is giving you a concrete reason to be thankful you're not smitten this Valentine's Day. Werewolves Within director Josh Ruben has crafted a love-themed scare for couples and singles alike this February, and it's finally in audiences' hands. Heart Eyes, a new Valentine's Day slasher from Sony, might just scare you single. The latest addition to the masked killer film family is sitting at a comfortable 82% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is quite impressive for a holiday-themed horror film.

Heart Eyes, starring heartthrobs Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt as a brave couple daring to fight back against a killer with glowing hearts for eyes,was released to the public today, February 7. From the comedic mind of the director of Werewolves Within (one of cinema's funniest horror films), the new slasher movie is now playing nationwide and reviews are piling in.

A former member of digital sketch group CollegeHumor,...

The first week of February kicks off with the at-home premiere of this year’s biggest theatrical release so far, while the big screen is taken over by a brand new original slasher movie.

Here’s all the new horror that released February 3 – February 7, 2025!

For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.

First up, Leigh Whannell’s Wolf Man already made its way out of theaters this week and howled its way home, the Universal Monsters reboot now available on Digital outlets.

You can rent Wolf Man for $19.99 or purchase it for $24.99.

In Wolf Man, “Seeking a fresh start, Blake (Christopher Abbott) moves his wife Charlotte (Julia Garner) and daughter Ginger (Matilda Firth) to his childhood home in rural Oregon. Upon arrival, they encounter a brutal animal attack, forcing the family to barricade themselves inside the house as an unseen creature prowls the perimeter. As the night wears on,...

The Valentine’s Day-set horror romantic comedy Heart Eyes, the latest film from Werewolves Within and Scare Me director Josh Ruben is now in theatres (you can read our 7/10 review Here and watch our interviews with cast members at This Link), and during an interview with our friends at Bloody Disgusting, Ruben revealed that he used writer/director Tom McLoughlin’s 1986 classic Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI as his guide when figuring out how to balance horror and comedy in his own slasher movie.

Heart Eyes has the following synopsis: When the Heart Eyes Killer strikes Seattle, a pair of co-workers pulling overtime on Valentine’s Day are mistaken for a couple by the elusive couple-hunting killer. Now they must spend the most romantic night of the year running for their lives. Ruben previously provided the following statement: “My love of horror is rivaled only by my love of romantic comedies.

Heart Eyes oozes with blood and charm. The slasher pic delivers as both a romantic comedy and horror movie, just in time to make Valentine’s Day a little more fun this year. Director Josh Ruben takes cues from Jason Lives and Sleepless in Seattle, making meet-cutes and bloodbaths a damn fine pairing.

The titular killer is here to ruin Valentine’s Day. No lovers are safe. Everyone in Seattle is on edge, including Ally (Olivia Holt) and Jay (Mason Gooding) as they fall for each other—both literally and figuratively. Co-written by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day), Heart Eyes is a sincere love letter to slashers and rom-coms.

Ruben stages some familiar genre tropes with great enthusiasm, similar to his directorial debut, Werewolves Within. Recently, the filmmaker spoke with Daily Dead about his latest acclaimed film.

[Editor's Note: Minor plot points and scenes are discussed, so if you want to remain entirely spoiler free, feel free to read this after checking out Heart Eyes for yourself. That said, if you've seen the latest trailer / clips,...

The time honored tradition of holiday-themed slashers is alive and well in 2025, with Heart Eyes carving up a new Valentine’s Day favorite for horror fans and romance lovers alike. Director Josh Ruben gives romance and horror equal weight in this seamless fusion of slasher and romcom, ensuring that the gore hits just as hard as the sizzling hot chemistry between leads Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding. It’s the rare crowd-pleasing slasher movie with broad appeal without sacrificing the gore.

Ruben, working from a script by Phillip Murphy (The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard) and Christopher Landon & Michael Kennedy (Freaky), sets the charming, funny, and suspenseful tone straightaway with a cold open that introduces the Heart Eyes Killer and his rather gnarly modus operandi of savagely slaughtering lovers in punny, elaborately gory form. This killer, sporting a memorable mask destined for merchandising, targets couples every Valentine’s Day from across the country.

Well, shut my mouth.

Just a few hours — I repeat, hours — after writing that Hollywood never releases a classic romantic movie on Valentine’s Day, I see a film that proves me wrong. It just happens to also be an ultraviolent slasher. Touché, Hollywood. You win this round.

Then again with a film as good as Josh Ruben’s “Heart Eyes,” everyone’s a winner. Ruben is the director of the brilliant 2021 horror comedy Werewolves Within, hands down the best movie ever adapted from a video game. It comes as no surprise that his follow-up would do the same thing for another underwhelming subgenre. “Heart Eyes” raises the bar for emoji movies, which sounds like faint praise since “The Emoji Movie” forgot to install a bar, but it’s still true.

For the last two years a serial killer in a mask that looks like the “heart eyes” emoji has...

This post contains major spoilers for "Heart Eyes."

One part rom-com, one part slasher movie, all bloody good fun, "Heart Eyes" is in many ways the perfect Valentine's Day entertainment. It's got a masked killer themed around the holiday, a genuinely fun "will they, won't they" romance at the center of it between Olivia Holt's Ally and Mason Gooding's Jay, and it plays expertly with two well-trodden genres. Credit to director Josh Ruben, who previously helmed the acclaimed video game movie "Werewolves Within," and screenwriters Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon ("Happy Death Day"), and Michael Kennedy ("Freaky"). 

/Film's Chris Evangelista called "Heart Eyes" a "stylish and sweet" ride in his review, and the fun doesn't stop when the credits roll either, as the flick included a pretty fun post-credits scene that plays with a very common slasher movie trope. The film centers on a serial killer who has been...

Throughout Josh Ruben’s brilliant new Valentine’s Day slasher “Heart Eyes,” potential suspects and would-be victims reference real romantic comedies. “My Best Friend’s Wedding.” “Crazy Stupid Love.” “Pretty Woman.” Whatever your preferred chick flick — combined with the predator-prey mania of “My Bloody Valentine” (and just a touch of the goofiness in “Scream 6”) — that should be enough to compel you toward this giddy and graphic whodunit. It’s a freaky celebration that confirms holiday horror, if it ever left, is so back, and a standout achievement in the deceptively dense category of recent romances across genre comedy.

Silly, slick, and self-aware, the latest farce from the “Werewolves Within” director is laugh-out-loud funny and boasts pops of gore that earn the comparison to Eli Roth’s “Thanksgiving.” Although the killer pilgrim movie from 2023 is more stomach-churning than Ruben’s film, this nutty blend of hyper-violence and one-liners is a dark comedic delicacy.

There isn’t a single rough surface in Heart Eyes. Even the titular serial killer’s dirty, sweaty mask has been aged to a lovely patina—Ooh, is that cowhide?—and outfitted with a set of nifty neon heart-shaped night-vision goggles straight out of a Purge movie. The settings are artificial,...

Valentine’s Day with dinner and a movie has always been a staple for date nights, no matter what your age might be. This year, Heart Eyes has an entirely new approach to V-Day celebrations, unless you consider My Bloody Valentine, which originally came out in 1981 and was remade in 2009, to be your go-to romantic slasher movie… From the producers of the 2022 movie Scream and Scream VI and the director of horror comedy movies like Scare Me and Werewolves Within, comes a new delightful thriller filled with gruesome attacks, kill scenes, and subtle hilarity. Similar to Happy Death Day and Freaky, this movie takes common tropes from both comedy and horror movies and twists them into an entirely new dark comedy coming to theaters this week. Read on to find out everything you need to know about the latest light-hearted horror movie, Heart Eyes!

Olivia Holt as Ally and Mason Gooding as Jay in ‘Heart Eyes’ (Photo by: Christopher Moss / Screen Gems)

Just when you thought Companion was going to be the big Valentine’s Day horror crossbreed movie, along comes Heart Eyes.

Heart Eyes is about a young woman named Ally (Olivia Holt from Cloak & Dagger) who, while having a rough day at work, meets an attractive stranger named Jay (Mason Gooding from the newer Scream movies). They are forced into working together, which leads to a reluctant romance, mainly because it’s Valentine’s Day. All they have to do is survive the night. Both figuratively and literally.

See, the city where they live, Seattle, is the new hunting ground for a serial killer called The Heart Eyes Killer, or H.E.K. for short, who only comes out on this one day and stalks couples. And he has, apparently, mistaken Allie...

Slasher movies seem to be having a revival these days, provided they have a neat little hook that adds some flare to the subgenre. This new wave of slashers aren't just slasher movies — they're slasher movies with a twist. Enter "Heart Eyes," a new flick that asks, "What if a slasher movie was also a rom-com?" To add some fuel to the fire, "Heart Eyes" also fits into the "holiday horror" sub-genre — while Christmas seems to reign supreme here, there are plenty of other holidays on the calendar to turn into days of mass murder. "Heart Eyes" uses Valentine's Day as its backdrop, joining the likes of the two "My Bloody Valentine" films and the somewhat forgotten 2001 slasher "Valentine."

As a plus, "Heart Eyes" has some talented people at the helm: it hails from indie horror filmmaker Josh Ruben, who directed wonderful little fright flicks like "Scare Me" and "Werewolves Within,...

Heart Eyes disembowels Valentine's Day in a grisly laugh riot that mocks romantic comedies. The tongue in cheek slasher flick takes an Olympic dive through tired horror genre tropes and comes up for air with a devilish grin. The film doesn't take itself seriously, acknowledges absurdity with slivers of clever dialogue, and then doubles down on the carnage to fill fandom's expected gore quota. The plot makes zero sense outside the overall premise, but that's not entirely detrimental. Fantastic chemistry between capable leads keeps your attention when common sense attempts to overtake the bloody fun.

Gruesome Slasher Fun 2.5/5

Heart EyesComedyHorrorRomanceRelease DateFebruary 7, 2025DirectorJosh RubenWritersMichael Kennedy, Phillip Murphy, Christopher LandonCast

Olivia Holt Ally

Mason Gooding

Jordana Brewster

See All Cast & Crew Powered by

ExpandCollapsePros & ConsHilariously shreds romantic comedies.Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding are solid leads.The practical visual effects are gory fun.Scenes linger and lose effectiveness.There's a lot of filler in a short runtime.

Ever since the genre was created, the “meet cute” has been a staple of romantic comedies. So it makes sense that in the new “romantic comedy horror film” from director Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within), couples should die cute. Well, not cute exactly, unless you think of spears going through eyeballs or heads being crushed into bloody pulp as cute. Of course, for the target audience of Heart Eyes, that’s exactly what they are. They relish the gruesome deaths, the more graphic the better, the way audiences used to relish spectacular production numbers in musicals.

If movie musicals had their heyday in the 1930s and ‘40s, the equivalent for slasher movies was the 1980s. Like the Scream franchise, which it closely resembles, Heart Eyes both pays homage to and parodies its inspirations, which, considering that it’s set on Valentine’s Day, must include My Bloody Valentine (the 1981 original, of course,...

There’s often a willingness to overcategorize middling slashers as horror comedies. However, balancing true horror with legitimate laughs is far more challenging. However, Heart Eyes pulls off the rare combo. Not only does it deliver legitimate laughs, easily showcasing itself as one of the funniest studio films in recent memory, but it’s got a mean streak few films possess. With plenty of gore and slasher frights, it’s an early standout for horror in 2025.

Heart Eyes — The Plot

Every Valentine’s Day, a masked killer known as the Heart Eyes Killer stalks couples in major cities. As a new killing spree starts up in Seattle, young ad executive Ally (Olivia Holt) kicks off a troubling ad campaign. Her boss (Michaela Watkins) brings in Jay (Mason Gooding), a freelance advertising specialist, to help right the course. As Ally and Jay find themselves at odds with each other, they become hunted by the infamous killer.

Shaking off the January doldrums, February movie theaters fill their love seats (or plush recliners) with lovesick horror and action movies for the lovebirds and lonely hearts, while the actual rom-coms are shunted to streamers. We have Hallmark to thank for turning romantic comedies into exploitation films, but there’s...

Made popular beginning in the 1970s with films including Black Christmas and Halloween, and then taken to the next level throughout the 1980s, the holiday slasher has long been a staple of the sub-genre, with pretty much every major (and even minor) holiday getting its own slasher over the years. Valentine’s Day is no exception, with 1981’s My Bloody Valentine standing tall all these years as the definitive Valentine’s Day slasher movie. But we’ve got a new contender vying for the throne this year, with Heart Eyes slashing into theaters soon.

The filmmakers behind Freaky, Happy Death Day and Werewolves Within join forces for Heart Eyes, coming to theaters on February 7, 2025. Josh Ruben (Werewolves Within, Scare Me) directed the Valentine’s Day-themed Heart Eyes, with Mason Gooding (Scream) and Olivia Holt (“Cruel Summer”) leading the cast of the rated “R” slasher gore-fest.

While you wait, fan Wilson Cleveland...

The past several weeks have seen devastating losses of life and property in Los Angeles, California, with the region’s wildfires leaving communities in ruins and countless individuals without the support needed to rebuild. Many of our friends in the entertainment industry have been hit hard, with various fundraisers asking friends and fans alike to come together to help.

A makeup artist on Blumhouse’s Halloween Ends and The Exorcist: Believer, Jill Fogel has seen her neighborhood in Altadena decimated and rendered uninhabitable, leaving she and her two kids, Arrow and Rain, in a tough spot. A fundraiser on Go Fund Me started by a friend is currently just shy of its $18,000 goal, and you can lend a hand and pitch in right now.

Also a special makeup effects artist, Gabe Bartalos is a legend in the field, having worked on everything from Leprechaun to Frankenhooker, Darkman, Gremlins 2, Underworld, and...

The slasher movie sub-genre appears to be alive and well in 2025 with Heart Eyes, a new horror effort from Werewolves Within director Josh Ruben and writers Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day), Phillip Murphy and Michael Kennedy. While a slew of horror movies are opening in the first part of the year, including the buzzy AI thriller Companion, signs point to Heart Eyes being the true break out of the bunch if these first reactions to the film are any indication.

On X, @bigscreenleaks said, "#HeartEyes is going to become your latest obsession. A breath of fresh air for the slasher genre, Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding have chemistry for days, delivering every line perfectly and investing you for the long haul. The kills are simply put, Bloody Beautiful and a delight."

Related The Most Anticipated Horror Movies Coming in 2025

Hopefully, these upcoming horror movies will be scarier than the thought...

When you think of werewolves, your mind probably goes straight to foggy forests and full moons—but let’s not forget the other perfect backdrop for a beastly horror story: snow. Wintery werewolf movies are quite the niche but still an oh-so-satisfying subgenre. One where the frigid chill of the season cranks up the tension, and the isolation of a snowy landscape creates the perfect hunting ground for our furry friends.

Werewolves in the snow are pure nightmare fuel. There’s something about the mix of primal creatures and icy environments that feels so right. Maybe it’s the visual of blood staining freshly fallen snow, or the way a howling wind seems to mimic the call of a wolf. Whatever it is, winter werewolf movies hit a little differently, offering both atmospheric dread and some ferocious fun.

So, whether you’re here for gothic fairy tales, dark comedies, or...

Nosferatu has given Robert Eggers a lot to celebrate. The 2024 horror remake starring Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, and Nicholas Hoult became the director's highest-grossing movie following its impressive Christmas week release and has since gone on to gross $90 million domestically and $156 million worldwide. With an incredible box office run and rave reviews, Nosferatu has certainly given Eggers a blank check, and he is cashing it in on another iconic monster archetype. He is moving from vampires to werewolves with his next feature film.

The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Eggers is following up Nosferatu with an original film, Werwulf, which he co-wrote with Sjón, his co-writer on The Northman. While plot details are being kept under wraps, sources close to THR say the story is set in 13th-century England and features dialogue that was true to the period and will have translations and annotations for those uninitiated to Old English. Nosferatu...

The original 1941 movie The Wolf Man, starring Lon Chaney Jr. set the template for Hollywoods depiction of the werewolf for many years afterwards. It’s huge influence came be seen in the great tales of the genre from An American Werewolf in London to The Howling, Ginger Snaps and even modern classics like Werewolves Within.

After the enjoyable but unremarkable 2010 remake and the abortive attempts to bring the character back as part of their doomed Dark Universe, (find out more in my Invisible Man review!) it seemed Universal had lost their bite when it came to this particular shaggy wolf story.

Enter Leigh Whannell, who after dragging The Invisible Man into the modern era, set his sights on the Wolf Man. In his first Universal monster remake he managed to do something no-one else could – create a masterpiece that made the see-through mad scientist scary again. Because of this, it...

“Heavens to Betsy!”

Jean-Paul Sartre is known for the brutally honest aphorism “hell is other people.” While the French philosopher was likely referring to social interaction and fears of forced extroversion, he could just as easily have been thinking of life in a small town. These tiny burgs offer the illusion of isolation—along with picturesque scenery—but more often than not they become breeding grounds for all types of strange behavior. Josh Ruben explores the humor and horror of this close camaraderie with his 2021 film Werewolves Within.

Based on a video game, the small town of Beaverton is turned upside down when a werewolf moves in and begins stealthily using her neighbors’ petty grievances to lay the groundwork for her next meal.

New park ranger Finn Wheeler (Sam Richardson) has just arrived in town when a vicious predator begins hunting the residents. Thankfully mail person Cecily (Milana Vayntrub) offers...

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For those who've only known an existence with home gaming consoles, it might feel wild to realize that the video game movie genre is still quite young. The first movie to be based on a pre-existing video game was Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel's mangled-by-studio-interference adaptation of "Super Mario Bros.," a massive box office flop that caused studios to tap the brakes on future excursions in this newfangled genre. While 1995's sensibly budgeted "Mortal Kombat" turned a sizable profit for New Line, video game movies weren't viewed as potential blockbusters by the studios until "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" grossed $275 million worldwide in 2001. The floodgates opened over the next decade, but the movies were, with very few exceptions (Paul W.S. Anderson's first "Resident Evil" and Christophe Gans' "Silent Hill"), about as bad as movies get.

The video game movie turns 32 this year,...

Couples won't just have to worry about reservations and flowers this Valentine's Day, but will also need to keep an eye out for anyone trying to pull them apart – graphically speaking. Get ready to scream this Valentine's Day as a couples-centric slasher film makes its way into theaters. In preparation for its theatrical release, Sony just dropped the first full trailer for the upcoming slasher film Heart Eyes, starring Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt.

From the producers of Scream, Heart Eyes marks a new take on the horrors of Valentine's Day. Looking like a creepy artist's rendition of the heart-eyes emoji, the new slasher on the scene is picking off couples every time Cupid's holiday rolls around, but this time it's a little different. When Gooding and Holt's characters find themselves next on the couple-hating killer's list, the pair decide to try to put an end to the bloody Valentine's Day sprees.

Sony has finally dropped the official trailer for its upcoming Valentine’s Day-themed horror film, Heart Eyes, and it’s making us even more eager to catch it in theaters! This Valentine's Day slasher is set to hit the big screen on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, by Sony Pictures Releasing. Don't forget to save the date!

Heart Eyes is one of our most highly anticipated horror flicks of 2025. Coming from the same production team behind Scream, this slasher introduces viewers to a new iconic masked serial killer known as Heart Eyes. For the past several years, this infamous masked killer has stalked, hunted, and brutally murdered couples on Valentine's Day. On this particular Valentine's Day, the killer embarks on his killing spree in Seattle.

Meanwhile, two co-workers pulling an overtime shift at their job find themselves targeted by the Heart Eyes killer, who mistakenly believes they are a couple. Will they survive the night?...