The latest Valentine’s-themed horror movieHeart Eyesaccomplishes a rare feat, gaining critical praise in the oft-panned subgenre of slasher horror, but it’s not the first horror comedy of its kind to resonate with general audiences. Even putting aside the merit behindHeart Eyes’ reviews, horror fans have seen enough paint-by-numbers slasher films that it’s refreshing to see literally any film in the genre offer something new. That’s why it’s so satisfying to seeHeart Eyes’ charactersengage with rom-com tropes while in the middle of fleeing from a killer. It’s inherently ludicrous, yet that’s somehow exactly why it works.
Whether it’s because of similarities toHeart Eyes’ ending, similar romance plots, or just a few familiar names in the end credits, there are some great horror comedies both old and new that should resonate with those who enjoyedHeart Eyes. And while there are other horror movies that take place on Valentine’s Day, the best movies likeHeart Eyesare similar for slightly different reasons.
Scream
Cast
1996’s Scream follows a teenage girl who is targeted by a masked killer a year after her mother’s murder who uses horror movies as a deadly game against her and her friends.
Although theScreamfranchise’s Mason Goodingappears inHeart Eyes,the two films have primarily been compared on the basis ofScream’s very first installment. Both movies include similar twists involving multiple killers who seem almost giddy when it comes time to finally reveal their ultimate plan, and both movies include a ton of self-referential humor. WhileScreamnaturally voices criticisms about the horror genre,Heart Eyesdrills more into the rom-com side of its premise.
10 Ways Scream Changed The Horror Genre Forever
In 1996 Scream changed the horror genre forever, subverting overused horror tropes, introducing new character types, and pulling off iconic scenes.
The similarities betweenHeart EyesandScreamdon’t end there. Although it doesn’t come up until close to the end ofHeart Eyes,it turns out the Heart Eyes Killer and Ghostface both enjoy playing games. Both movies also wring jokes out of killers springing to life after having seemingly been killed. PerhapsScreamwasn’t originally billed as a comedy, but there’s no denying the film’s sense of humor has had an impact on Hollywood’s horror writers for close to thirty years, and that impact can be very lovingly felt inHeart Eyes.
Warm Bodies
Based on a novel and inspired by Romeo and Juliet, Warm Bodies stars Nicholas Hoult as R, a zombie living in an abandoned airport who falls in love with a living girl despite his undead status. As R works to protect the girl, Julie, from his fellow zombies, her presence begins to help him remember what is was like to be alive. Teresa Palmer, Rob Corddry, and John Malkovich also star.
Despite being written and directed by a man whose feature directorial debut was slasher filmAll the Boys Love Mandy Lane, zombie romanceWarm Bodiesdoesn’t actually emphasize its horror elements all too aggressively. There are some extremely tense scenes when Nicholas Hoult’s “R” first meets Teresa Palmer’s Julie, but the film is pretty much a full romcom by the time ofWarm Bodies’ ending. And while the skeletal “Boneys” offer a menacing zombie threat, the CGI is so rubbery thatWarm Bodiesonly ever feels about as scary as any given scene fromMars Attacks!.
Warm Bodies 2: Potential Story, If It’s Happening & Everything We Know
Warm Bodies 2 could continue the story from the zombie rom-com, and here is what we know about the story, cast, and news about the possible sequel.
That said, there’s no denying the film’s general darkness, andWarm BodiessharesHeart Eyes’love for portraying its central romance in the most grimly dysfunctional setting possible. And sinceHeart Eyesnever includes a scene where Jay watches Ally sleep while noshing on chunks of her ex’s brain that he keeps in his pocket,Warm Bodiesmight actually win that contest.
Idle Hands
Idle Hands is a horror-comedy directed by Rodman Flender. Released in 1999, the film follows 17-year-old stoner Anton, whose lack of ambition leads to unexpected chaos when his hand becomes possessed. Amid humorous and supernatural events, Anton must confront this demonic force threatening his way of life.
Decades beforeHeart Eyesand just a year beforeFinal Destination, actor Devon Sawa appeared inIdle Hands. The movie follows a directionless stoner who suddenly finds himself unable to stop killing people when an evil spirit possesses his hand.It also features post-ScreamSeth Green as a zombified murder victim, a soundtrack by The Offspring, and a romantic subplot in which an unemployed 20-something still living at home is able to woo Jessica Alba. Essentially, it’s as 1990s as a teen horror comedy could get.
Idle Hands Star Would Return for a Reboot of the Horror Comedy
Devon Sawa says an Idle Hands reboot is at the top of the list of sequels he wants to be a part of, comparing his experience on set to summer camp.
Admittedly,Idle Handsgot significantly worse reviews thanHeart Eyes, but it did accrue something of a cult following. And whilethe film’s sense of humor is a lot less subtle than that of a film such asHeart Eyes, it’s a harsh reality that it was really the overlap in timing betweenIdle Handsand Columbinethat helped kill the movie. But much likeHeart Eyes, the movie loves its gore just as much as it loves its comedy, and that alone has given it a special place in the hearts of numerous millennial horror fans.
Totally Killer
Totally Killer is a 2023 comedy horror film by director Nahnatchka Khan (Always Be My Maybe) created for Prime Video. Jamie, a seventeen-year-old, plans to head out for Halloween night thirty-five years after the murder of her mother’s three friends by a serial killer. When Jamie ignores her mother’s pleas and heads out for the night, she becomes targeted by the infamous “Sweet Sixteen Killer.” However, the chase ends with her being sent back in time to the year it all began- and now Jamie will have to team up with her teenage mother to stop the killer and return home before it’s too late.
Devon Sawa and Mason Gooding aren’t the only returning horror alums in the main cast ofHeart Eyes. Amazon Prime’sTotally Killerfollows Kiernan Shipka’s Jamie as she travels back in time to 1987 on a mission to save her mother from the Sweet 16 killer. The younger version of Jamie’s mother is played byHeart Eyes’ Olivia Holt, with a slight twist on genre classics such asBack to the Futurein thatHolt’s character is revealed to have been completely unlikable as a teenager.
Sequel To Horror-Comedy With 87% RT Score Gets Intriguing Response From Co-Writer: “There’s Definitely Ripe Territory”
Exclusive: Co-writer Jen D’Angelo offers an intriguing response to the chances of a sequel to her acclaimed horror-comedy Totally Killer.
This establishes the strongest similarity betweenTotally KillerandHeart Eyes, in thatboth horror comedies use their format to lampoon a completely different genre at the same time. WhileHeart Eyesspends about half of its time sending up rom-coms,Totally Killerembraces the general campness of time travel comedies.Totally Killer’s endingalso involves a multiple killer twist, albeit one with a rather different explanation than those given byHeart EyesorScream.
Happy Death Day
Happy Death Day is a horror-comedy film directed by Christopher Landon. Released in 2017, it follows college student Tree Gelbman, played by Jessica Rothe, who is forced to relive the day of her murder repeatedly until she can identify her killer and stop her death. The film blends elements of slasher horror with dark humor, creating a unique entry in the genre.
The director ofHappy Death Dayshared screenwriting duties onHeart Eyes, and his influence is definitely felt in the tone of the film. Both films feature protagonists who at times seem more exhausted by their circumstances than legitimately afraid of them, andeach film addresses its subgenre in an extremely tongue-in-cheek fashion.Tree’s many deaths inHappy Death Dayresult in her approaching the time loop with growing irreverence, adding immensely to the film’s comedic beats.
How Happy Death Day Exists In Several Different Genres (All At Once)
Happy Death Day, the sci-fi/horror slasher film from Blumhouse Productions, managed to tread a fine line, creating its own niche beyond genre.
Both films could also be said to take horror-themed approaches to completely different movies. WhileHeart Eyes’ essentially mimics every romantic comedy with a protagonist whose given up on love,Happy Death Dayis often described as a slasher version ofGroundhog Day. It’s a genre blend that doesn’t immediately sound as if it should work, but Landon decidedly proves otherwise by balancing the film’s horror and comedy with near-surgical precision.
Scare Me
Scare Me, released in early 2020, focuses on two strangers, Fred and Fanny, who engage in telling scary stories during a power outage in a Catskills cabin. As their narratives intensify, the boundary between story and reality blurs, leading Fred to face his deepest insecurity: Fanny’s superior storytelling prowess.
WhileHeart Eyesis director Josh Ruben’s third time blending horror with comedy, his first such feature was 2020’sScare Me. Starring Ruben himself in the lead role,Scare Mefocuses on two professional writers sharing spooky fireside stories with their pizza delivery guy.The film has an extremely small cast and almost non-existent body count, but Ruben gets most of his horror beats from the sheer tension between the two main characters.
Heart Eyes: Josh Ruben’s Horror Movies, Ranked Worst To Best
Heart Eyes is the third critically acclaimed horror/comedy from director Josh Ruben, and it can be hard to decide on which one is the best.
BecauseScare Mecan’t rely on the creative killings of a slasher film likeHeart Eyes, Ruben instead fills the runtime with sheer directorial style.Scare Meemploys a number of artfully chosen shot selections and inexpensive visual effects, allowing Ruben to really play with his creative identity as a director. Almost any viewer who appreciates what he’s done withHeart Eyesshould immensely enjoy seeing where the director got his start.
Werewolves Within
Forest ranger Finn Wheeler arrives in Beaverfield, a town divided over a proposed pipeline. Amidst colorful locals like mail carrier Cecily and couple Trisha and Pete, a blizzard strikes, plunging the town into chaos. When mysterious deaths occur, tensions escalate, and suspicions rise. As the situation spirals out of control, Finn uncovers hidden agendas and a deadly secret lurking within Beaverfield. With danger lurking around every corner, Finn must navigate the treacherous landscape to uncover the truth before it’s too late.
One year after releasingScare Me, Ruben directed an adaptation of the 2016 gameWerewolves Within. With itsFargo-like humor style, the film follows a group of Vermont residents as they attempt to uncover which of them is the werewolf attacking the local community. Much likeScare Me,the film’s horror aspects largely revolve around tension and paranoia, reminiscent ofThe Thingor the classicTwilight Zoneepisode “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.” There is, however, one key difference.
Director Josh Ruben Interview: Werewolves Within
Josh Ruben, director of the horror/comedy Werewolves Within, talks to Screen Rant about his work on the adaptation of the popular Ubisoft video game.
Thanks to the presence of werewolf attacks,Werewolves Withinis a decidedly bloodier experience. Considering Ruben’s next film would be an all-out slasher,Werewolves Withinmakes for a perfect transition piece fromScare MetoHeart Eyes. Ruben’s also clearly grown as a director in a very short amount of time, as the runtime forWerewolves Withinfeels less unnecessarily bloated than that of Ruben’s last project before it. Seeing the director evolve so much in such a short time only makesHeart Eyesthat much easier to appreciate.
Lisa Frankenstein
Lisa Frankenstein is a comedic fantasy-horror film by first-time director Zelda Williams and is a twist on the classic Frankenstein formula. Set in 1989, a high school outcast named Lisa accidentally revives a handsome corpse from the Victorian era and resolves to rebuild him into the perfect man.
Although the concept of a young woman falling in love with a reanimated corpse might makeLisa Frankensteinsound relatively similar toWarm Bodies, there’s actually a pretty wide ocean between the two movies.Lisa Frankensteinfeatures multiple murders and chopped-off body parts, setting it more directly in the horror camp thanWarm Bodieswas ever trying to be. It’s also notable thatLisa Frankenstein’s endingis pretty much the exact opposite of the ending fromWarm Bodies, despite both movies featuring couples who transform to match each other.
How Robin Williams’ Daughter Used Her 2024 Directorial Debut To Brilliantly Pay Tribute To Her Dad
Zelda Williams’ Lisa Frankenstein has countless references to 1980s American pop culture, including a major tribute to her father, Robin Williams.
But even ifLisa Frankensteinmore closely resemblesHeart Eyesdue to a stronger slasher influence, one particular difference is worth noting. WhileHeart Eyessends up slasher films and romantic comedies,Lisa Frankensteinis geared more toward paying homage to 1980s horror comedies. Despite this difference, the film beautifully matches wits withHeart Eyeswhen it comes to the absolute skill with whichLisa Frankensteinevokes its sources of inspiration while still crafting its own unique narrative.
It’s a Wonderful Knife
It’s a Wonderful Knife is a Christmas-centric comedy/horror film by director Tyler MacIntyre, released in theaters and on Shudder in 2023. A spin on the holiday classicIt’s a Wonderful Life, the film follows Winnie Carruthers, a woman who saved her hometown from a serial killer one year prior. However, her life spirals downward, leading her to wonder how the world would be without her - and that wish coming true. Now trapped in a world where she didn’t exist, the killer runs rampant, and she must find her way back while saving the town once again.
Another holiday-related horror comedy,It’s a Wonderful Knifefocuses on Christmas rather than Valentine’s Day. As implied by the title, the film followsYellowjackets’ Jane Widdop as Winnie Carruthers, whose wish that she was never born places her in a timeline in which a serial killer stalks her town.The film’s visual aesthetic mimics that of a typical Hallmark Christmas movie, with Joel McHale and Justin Long giving performances that feel very much in line with Hallmark’s style despite the more gruesome tone of the story.
It’s A Wonderful Knife Interview: Joel McHale Talks More Dramatic Role & The Community Movie
It’s a Wonderful Knife star Joel McHale talks the horror-comedy, taking on more dramatic roles, and an update on the long-awaited Community movie.
While the story itself bears little resemblance toHeart Eyes, screenwriter Michael Kennedy’s involvement in both movies blessesIt’s a Wonderful Knifewith a certain air of familiarity. And similar toTotally Killer, the movie manages to implement the same twist reveal asHeart EyesandScreamwhile providing a somewhat fresher justification for the presence of multiple murderers.The film doesn’t quite blend its disparate genres as well asHeart Eyes, but it’s nonetheless an intriguing watch for those who like to celebrate their holidays with a little bit of bloodshed.
Freaky
Freaky is a film directed by Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day 2U) and centers around a young girl in high school that swaps bodies with a deranged serial killer. When four teenagers are found dead, the Blissfield Butcher’s re-emergence has made the town somewhat on alert. While waiting for her ride home at the end of a football game, Millie Kessler is attacked by the butcher with a mysterious dagger called La Dola, which then swaps the two into one another’s bodies in a Freaky Friday-like fashion. Millie discovers that to get back to her original body, she needs to get her friends and family to believe that their bodies have swapped - and she needs to reverse the ritual in twenty-four hours, or the switch will remain permanent.
With a script by both Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy,Freakyshares the strongest creative connection toHeart Eyes. Despite taking the premise ofFreaky Fridayand turning it on its head,the movie also pays tribute to numerous slasher icons from the 1980s and beyond. But what really setsFreakyandHeart Eyeson the same level is that the mash-up of comedy and horror never feels unbalanced. Up until theending ofFreaky, in which the body swap reverts, Vince Vaughn convincingly plays the film’s final girl while Kathryn Newton delivers a chilling performance as the movie’s slasher.
How Happy Death Day & Freaky’s Shared Universe Can Create A Crossover Movie
Happy Death Day and Freaky are apart of the same universe. Here’s how their shared universe opens up the potential for an incredible crossover movie.
What best aligns the films is that their romance subplots never destroy suspension of disbelief as much as they seemingly should. Vince Vaughn crushing on a high school boy feels like it would land as clumsily as something out ofRob Schneider’sThe Hot Chick, but it’s played straight. This echoes the best aspect ofHeart Eyes, which manages to convincingly build attraction between characters who should really be focused on other things. Crossing over genres while maintaining a believable story thread isn’t easy, but Landon and Kennedy have proven twice now that they’re among the best-suited for the job.
Heart Eyes
In Heart Eyes, two co-workers working late on Valentine’s Day are mistaken for a couple by the infamous Heart Eyes Killer. Directed by Josh Ruben and written by Michael Kennedy and Christopher Landon, the film stars Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt.
