Upamanyu Biswas
‘Heart Eyes’ ends with the revelation of the titular serial killer’s identity, throwing Ally and James into grave danger. After being chased by the masked murderer throughout the narrative, the two characters realize that their tormentor has more secrets in their closet than initially expected. However, a bigger question abounds as to why they are being hunted in the first place. As they try to survive their ordeal, a potential chemistry develops between the pair, allowing the story to play with various genre conventions creatively, often inciting some comparisons to classic slasher horror movies. However, it all culminates with Ally and James having to escape the Heart Eyes Killer and figure out their future as a duo, even as the deadly night wears on without any end in sight. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Heart Eyes Plot Synopsis
The movie begins with a couple being killed at a winery by the Heart Eyes Killer, who has garnered huge media attention over the years because of a penchant for killing lovers on Valentine’s Day. When cops look into the murder scene, specifically Detective Zeke Hobbs and Jeanine Shaw, they discover a wedding ring engraved with the initials “J.S.” Elsewhere, Ally McCabe, an advertisement designer, finds herself in the firing line of her jewelry company boss Crystal Cane for using the killings as an inspiration for one of her latest advertisements. As a result of the debacle, Ally is forced to work together with a newly appointed consultant advertiser, Jay Simmons, who she met earlier at a coffee shop. We also learn that the protagonist is nursing wounds from a recent break-up with her ex-boyfriend, Collins.
The first major task on Ally’s schedule is to work in tandem with Jay, who asks her out to dinner to establish a rapport. While Ally is hesitant, she is also intrigued by the possibility of restarting her love life. Her best friend Monica helps her pick out an outfit for the night before she heads out for the occasion. The date takes off quite well in the beginning. However, things take a turn for the worse when Jay asks her probing questions about her failed relationship with Collins, causing her to lash out at him. Realizing they both have very different ideas about romance, Jay decides to take leave and walks out of the shop. Ally immediately regrets her decision and follows him out to apologize. As she makes her excuses, she notices Collins out on a date with his new girlfriend. Jealous about the matter, she impulsively kisses Jay to show she is on a level playing field with him.
Following an awkward conversation with her ex, Ally and Jay take a cab back to their places. Unbeknownst to them, they are followed by the HEK (Heart Eyes Killer), who views them as a potential target. After dropping Ally off, Jay realizes that she may have forgotten her house key. He decides to help her break in but only injures himself. The two end up spending some time together in her room before the HEK shows himself. In the ensuing chaos, Jay and Ally manage to escape the apartment and head outside for safety. However, the murderer ends up coming after them in a relentless pursuit. Jay gets knocked out during an attack, which leaves Ally with no option but to flee without him. Fortunately, the authorities show up to save her from the murderer. In the meantime, Jay is angry she left him to fend for himself.
Heart Eyes Ending: Who is the Heart Eyes Killer?
Ally and Jay’s encounters with the Heart Eyes keep escalating throughout the night. After surviving the first attack, Jay is taken to the police headquarters for questioning by Detective Hobbs and Shaw, who believe that he might be the killer. His name matches the initials engraved under the wedding ring, and he can also be traced to the same areas where the killer was active in the past. However, he denies any accusations, stating that he is not the killer. He is right because, by the end of the story, the killer’s identity is revealed to be Detective Shaw and David, the IT guy at the police station. It turns out that the murderer is not one person but three people working separately under the same moniker. While Shaw and David are the main part of the triumvirate, their third accomplice is a man named Eli, who is described as a “fanboy” by the duo.
Shaw and David’s reasons for killing people are linked to their pathological makeup. They both derive sexual pleasure from killing people, likely a case of erotophonophilia, more commonly known as lust murder. Killing people is their version of a unique sexual kink. The wedding ring with the “J.S.” engraving actually belongs to Shaw, whose full name is Jeanine Shaw. She and David are secretly married and spend their time murdering people on Valentine’s Day for their personal enjoyment. It showcases their twisted mindset and how their relationship is on the opposite spectrum to Ally and Jay’s more healthy bond. As the movie constantly digs into classic romantic tropes despite primarily being a horror movie, it is interesting to see the differences between the couples and their special dynamics.
Do Ally and Jay End Up Together?
While figuring out the killer’s identity and taking them down is a big part of the movie, its other big part revolves around Ally and Jay’s romantic bond, which evolves as we progress. Initially, the story portrays them as professional enemies who will never get along because of a conflict of interest at work. However, as they survive the night of reckless murder together, they start to understand things about one another, which also brings them closer as people. After taking down Shaw and David, Ally and Jay are at a completely different spot in their relationship compared to the beginning of the story. They effectively go through a friends-to-lovers transition, highlighting how, underneath the hostilities, they are kindred souls. To that end, the movie ends with them agreeing to marry one another a year into the future, cementing their bond.
It is also important to provide context to the situation because it is tough to realize where both of them are coming from without the necessary details of their past. At the movie’s start, we follow Ally at one of the lowest points of her life as she feels heartbroken about being dumped by Collins while simultaneously obsessing over everything he is up to in his daily life. It leaves her neither here nor there and only contributes to her misery. Meanwhile, Jay is a hopeless romantic whose ideology runs completely contrary to what Ally’s broken-hearted self is feeling at the time. Thus, in some ways, they meet each other at the wrong time in their lives, even though they are both genuinely looking for a connection. Ironically, the attack from the HEK ends up being the catalyst for their romance.
With marriage on the horizon at the end of the movie, it shows that they are past their initial differences and ready to take the big leap in their life which only leads to more responsibilities. However, at the end of the day, it may be worth it because it is one of the final hurdles to sharing a life together properly and illustrates that their love is true on the same Valentine’s Day they survived the murderous rampage of a serial killer.
Who is the Caller? Is Heart Eyes Back?
Despite ending on a seemingly happy note, the movie’s mid-credits scene momentarily disrupts the feeling of positivity with a scary reminder of the Heart Eyes Killer. While sharing a kiss in the drive-in theatre, Ally receives a mysterious call from an unknown number. Her fears are only elevated when the voice on the phone sounds exactly like the muffled, deep vocals of the HEK. As it is a mid-credits scene, the entire conversation feels like a setup for a sequel. However, those theories are quickly quashed when we realize that the person behind the call is Monica, Ally’s best friend. She uses the couple’s marriage proposal as the perfect opportunity to play a prank on them. In reality, she is stationed just outside the drive-in theater, taking pictures of them on her camera. As she keeps droning on, the call is cut off.
‘Heart Eyes’ wraps up its story in such a way that the titular serial killer seems well and truly gone, mainly due to the deaths of David, Shaw, and Eli. However, the mid-credits scene sparks some new discussion about a potential revival of the character. These ideas are common for popular projects to generate attention and intrigue about a sequel. However, as the horror movie essentially takes a subversive attitude to its own genre conventions, often bringing up familiar tropes only to play with them, the mid-credits scene feels like a continuation of the same theme. To that end, it is best described as a fake-out by the creators to add an amusing twist and leave our main characters with a seemingly fairytale ending to their journey without anything to worry about. Still, it does not rule out the possibility of a sequel.
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