Franchise first, concept second.
That’s the thinking behind “Heart Eyes.” Eager to extend this into “Heart Eyes” 7, 8 or even 9, producers didn’t have a storyline before they concocted a gimmick.
Unlike Michael Myers, Freddie Krueger, Ghostface and other lasting killers, the guilty one in this wasn’t traumatized as a child or spurned as a high school kid. He just lashes out at happy couples, specifically on Valentine’s Day.

To set him apart from other serial killers, he wears a mask with two electric hearts for eyes. He goes after a couple in the throes of their proposal (in a field, no less) and gets the story going.
Then, the plot turns to an advertising exec who has created a questionable campaign for a jewelry company. She has an eye on ill-fated romances, but no one thinks it’s a workable idea. A ringer is brought in to help and soon the two are in situations that would send a red flag to Heart Eyes.
People are also reading…
Sure enough, the electric killer loads his dart gun and starts tracking.
Where “Heart Eyes” loses is in its ability to mix humor and horror. Others have done it (particularly “Scream”), but this often drifts into a Hallmark concept of Halloween. The laughs aren’t clever enough to temper the horror; the horror isn’t quick enough to blunt the mild titters.
Mason Gooding, a “Scream” veteran, plays Jay, the advertising hot shot deployed to help Ally (Olivia Holt), the misguided content creator. They butt heads, lock lips and quickly find themselves in the crosshairs of Heart Eyes. How he knows where to go is anyone’s guess but the two wind up running from him repeatedly. Even when they go to a police station, they’re dogged.
Directed by Josh Ruben, the film tries to wink at other, more successful franchises (like “Fast and Furious”) and repeats tropes that worked in those “killer in the house” offerings. Characters fill niches, too, but the only one worth watching is Micheala Watkins as the boss who nixes the ad campaign that prompts Gooding and Holt to join forces. She’s funny in a way that only retail workers could understand.
Unfortunately, she’s not in the picture very long.

Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding attend a special Beyond Fest screening of "Heart Eyes" in Santa Monica, California.
When it gets to the final minutes of Valentine’s Day, you see how lame this concept is – particularly when Heart Eyes explains a few things.
There’s a post-credits scene attached to the film but it’s safe bet no one will stick around to see it.
If the box office does well, “Heart Eyes” will be back with a sequel. It won’t make sense, either, but it will keep the registers ringing.
Why did he spend so much money crafting a mask that lights up? Perhaps Part 2 will explain more than the OG ever did.