With several new horror movies arriving in theaters this month, one stands out above the rest for us. That movie is Heart Eyes, and it's set to hit theaters on Feb. 7. Be sure to grab your tickets and experience it on the big screen!
After a sluggish start to the year with the box office flop Wolf Man, things finally took a turn for the better as the sci-fi horror film Companion hit theaters later that January. Now, the momentum is set to continue with the highly anticipated release of the slasher Heart Eyes. It's been a while since we've seen a slasher worth watching, so we have high hopes that this movie will deliver the thrills, tension, and brutal kills that horror fans have been craving. If it lives up to expectations, it could be the next great addition to the genre!
Josh Ruben, who some people may know for directing the comedy horror movies Scare Me and Werewolves Within, helmed this slasher. He worked together with Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon, and Michael Kennedy, who wrote the script. Additionally, Spyglass Media Group and Divide/Conquer are the production companies behind the film.
Like many other movies nowadays, Heart Eyes drew inspiration from a familiar source. In an interview with the horror site Bloody Disgusting, director Josh Ruben mentioned that he took inspiration from a particular slasher film while crafting Heart Eyes. In fact, this slasher is not only well-known but is also considered a fan-favorite within its franchise. It's the 1986 slasher Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, which saw the infamous masked killer resurrected before heading back to Camp Crystal Lake/ Camp Forest Green to begin another killing spree.
Here's what Ruben had to say about what inspired him during the making of Heart Eyes:
"My gold standard, my north star, was Tommy McLoughlin’s Jason Lives. That film is as brutal as it is silly as it is fun, and that was the white whale. Then everything after that was searching within myself, the kid that loved rom-coms, like Sleepless in Seattle, which is as funny and sweet as it is heartbreaking, super well acted but also silly, etc. Also, movies like Defending Your Life and Big and so on and so forth.”
Ruben also mentioned in the interview that he looked to horror legends such as John Carpenter and Joe Dante and their work when trying to determine the tone for Heart Eyes. That's already a good sign because both filmmakers are masters in the craft and have created some of the most iconic and influential horror films of all time.
Another slasher that appears to have influenced Ruben while making Heart Eyes was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). In the gripping official trailer for Heart Eyes, a clip shows a couple being brutally murdered by the Heart Eyes killer in their car. Shortly after, the camera pulls back through one of the victim's wounds. This shot will immediately call to mind the unforgettable moment in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre when a woman takes her own life, and the camera dramatically dollies backward through the hole in her head.
Heart Eyes follows a masked serial killer known as Heart Eyes, who exclusively targets couples. He sets his next killing spree in Seattle and comes across two co-workers working a night shift at their job. However, he doesn't know they're just colleagues. He mistakes them for a couple and marks them as his next victims.
Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding play as the two co-workers, Ally and Jay. The rest of the cast includes Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, Jordana Brewster, Latham Gaines, and Chris Parker.
Don't forget! Heart Eyes lands in theaters tomorrow, Feb. 7.