‘Heart Eyes‘ concludes with the unveiling of the title serial killer’s identity, putting Ally and James in deep trouble. After being pursued by the masked killer throughout the story, the two protagonists find that their abuser has more skeletons in their closet than initially anticipated. Nevertheless, a larger question looms as to why they are being pursued in the first place. As they attempt to survive their ordeal, a possible chemistry develops between the two of them, which enables the story to play with genre conventions in creative ways, frequently provoking some allusions to and comparisons with old-school slasher horror films. But all this finally leads to Ally and James escaping the Heart Eyes Killer and figuring out what their future will be as a couple, even as the deadly night staggers on with no apparent end. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Heart Eyes Plot Synopsis
The film opens with a couple murdered at a winery by the Heart Eyes Killer, a serial killer who has attracted immense media coverage throughout the years due to a fondness for murdering couples on Valentine’s Day. When police investigate the murder scene, namely Detective Zeke Hobbs and Jeanine Shaw, they find a wedding ring bearing the initials “J.S.” Meanwhile, Ally McCabe, an ad designer, is in the crosshairs of her jewelry firm boss Crystal Cane for using the killings as an idea for one of her recent ads. Due to the fiasco, Ally is compelled to collaborate with a recently appointed consultant advertiser, Jay Simmons, whom she had previously met at a coffee shop. We also get to know that the protagonist has wounds from a previous break-up with her ex-boyfriend, Collins.
The first significant task on Ally’s agenda is to collaborate with Jay, who invites her to dinner to create an air of familiarity. Although Ally is uncertain, she is also excited by the prospect of relaunching her love life. Her best friend Monica accompanies her to choose an outfit for the evening before she goes out on the evening. The date flies well initially. But all hell breaks loose when Jay quizzed her about her not-so-successful romance with Collins, and she lashes out at him. When they realize they have two completely different conceptions of romance, Jay leaves the shop to take time out. Ally instantly regrets what she’s done and follows him out to apologize. As she excuses herself, Collins is seen on a date with his new girlfriend. Envy of the situation, she spontaneously kisses Jay to prove she is on the same playing level as him. After an awkward encounter with her ex, Ally and Jay share a taxi ride back to their destinations. They are unaware that the HEK (Heart Eyes Killer) is stalking them, seeing them as a target. After leaving Ally at home, Jay notices that she might have left her house key behind. He decides to assist her in breaking in but ends up injuring himself. The two spend some time together in her room before the HEK makes an appearance. During the commotion, Jay and Ally are able to get out of the apartment and go outside for safety. The killer, however, follows them in a merciless pursuit. Jay is knocked unconscious during an assault, leaving Ally with no other choice but to leave him behind as she runs for safety. Thankfully, the police arrive to save Ally from the killer. Meanwhile, Jay is upset that she abandoned him to take care of himself.
Heart Eyes Ending: Who is the Heart Eyes Killer?
Ally and Jay’s encounters with the Heart Eyes continue to intensify throughout the night. Following the first attack, Jay is brought to the police station for interrogation by Detective Hobbs and Shaw, who suspect that he could be the killer. His name also corresponds to the initials inscribed below the wedding ring, and he can be found in the same locations that the killer operated in the past. But he refutes accusations, affirming that he is not a killer. He is correct since, towards the conclusion of the narrative, the identity of the killer is established as Detective Shaw and David, an IT specialist in the police station. It becomes apparent that the killer is not an individual but a triumvirate of three individuals who are operating separately under the same alias. Although Shaw and David comprise the bulk of the triumvirate, their third accomplice is identified as a man called Eli, whom the duo characterizes as a “fanboy.”
The motive behind killing individuals for Shaw and David is connected to their pathological composition. They both attain sexual gratification through the killing of individuals, most probably an instance of erotophonophilia, which is otherwise referred to as lust murder. Human killing is their interpretation of a special sexual fetish. The wedding ring engraved with the name “J.S.” is actually Shaw’s, whose real name is Jeanine Shaw. She and David are actually married in secret and engage their time in killing individuals on Valentine’s Day for pleasure. It proves their warped mind and how their relationship is the complete opposite of Ally and Jay’s healthier relationship. Given that the film is always challenging traditional romantic clichés even though it is a horror film at its core, it is fascinating to compare the couples and their unique dynamics.
Do Ally and Jay End Up Together?
While identifying the killer and bringing them to justice is a major aspect of the film, its other major aspect is Ally and Jay’s love connection, which develops as we move along. At the beginning, the film shows them as office rivals who will never see eye to eye due to an interest conflict in the workplace. But as they make it through the night of drunken killing together, they begin to realize things about each other, too, which also ultimately serves to unite them as individuals. By defeating Shaw and David, Ally and Jay have reached a very different place in their relationship than they were when the novel began. They basically get a friends-to-lovers thing going, and it serves to emphasize how, beneath the antagonisms, they are similar kinds of people. In aid of that, the film concludes with them consenting to wed each other a year later, sealing their love.
It is also vital to give background information to the scenario because it is difficult to understand where both of them are headed without the required information of what happened to them in the past. We begin at the beginning of this film with Ally at one of the lowest points in her life when she is heartbroken over being dumped by Collins yet still fixating on what he is doing in his day-to-day life. It gets her nowhere and only adds to her misery. At the same time, Jay is an idealistic romantic whose philosophy is the exact opposite of what Ally’s heartbroken self is experiencing in the moment. In a sense, therefore, they encounter each other at the wrong moment in their lives, although both are really seeking a bond. Ironically, the HEK attack becomes the spark that ignites their romance. With marriage looming at the end of the film, it reflects that they are beyond their initial differences and are now willing to take the big step in their life which only paves the way for more responsibilities. But at the end of the day, it might be worth it because it is one of the last obstacles to living a life together correctly and shows that their love is real on the same Valentine’s Day that they lived through the deadly rampage of a serial killer.
Who is the Caller? Is Heart Eyes Back?
Even ending on what appeared to be a positive note, the mid-credits scene in the film briefly shatters the sense of optimism with the terrifying reminder of the Heart Eyes Killer. Sharing a kiss in the drive-in cinema, Ally’s heart skips a beat when she receives an unidentified call from an unknown number. Her worries are only heighted when the caller speaks in a voice that is identical to the muffled, deep voice of the HEK. Since it is a mid-credits scene, the whole dialogue seems like a lead-up to a sequel. Those, though, are invalidated the moment we find out that the voice on the other end is Monica, Ally’s best friend. She takes advantage of the couple’s marriage proposal scene as the best opportunity to pull a prank on them. She is actually stationed just outside a drive-in theater, snapping pictures of them in 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. But since the horror film is in effect taking a subversive stance towards its own genre traditions, frequently raising expected tropes only to toy with them, the mid-credits scene comes to seem like an extension of the same idea. To that effect, it is best attributed as a bait-and-switch on the part of the creators to introduce a comedic angle and provide our main characters with what would appear to be a fairytale conclusion to their story without any cause for concern. Nevertheless, it does not entirely preclude the potential for a continuation. Read More: Best Horror Movies on HBO Max
