Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Heart Eyes (2025)
WhileHeart Eyeshas originality and ingenuity to spare, the slasher rom-com still includes two savvy nods to theScreammovies in its killer ending. Thetwist ending ofHeart Eyesis a doozy. While viewers might have potentially guessed that Jordana Brewster’s overly familiar Detective Jeanette Shaw was one of the killers, it was hard to work out that she was working with the barely-glimpsed background character David. Meanwhile, the revelation that the pair had a third accomplice in their twisted murderous “Throuple” made the ending impossible to predict.
Ever sinceHeart Eyesscreenwriter Christopher Landon’sHappy Death Day became a hit in 2017,killer identity reveals likeHeart Eyes’ endinghave become an increasingly common sight.Happy Death Day 2 U,There’s Someone Inside Your House,Thanksgiving,Totally Killer,It’s A Wonderful Knife, and Heart Eyesall end with the heroes unmasking and defeating the killers, as Landon’s blend of murder mystery and slasher tropes proved influential in the years afterHappy Death Day’s success. However, there is an earlier franchise that mixed slashers with murder mysteries, andHeart Eyesacknowledges its debt to the series twice.
Heart Eyes’ Ending Uses Guns Like The Scream Movies
The Scream Series Famously Feature Guns In Their Endings
TheScreammovies all mix classic slasher kills with a murder mystery setup, as the characters try to work out who the killer is while also attempting to avoid Ghostface’s blade. TheScreamfranchise is the most iconic example of a slasher series with no fixed antagonist as, unlike the killers from theHalloween,Nightmare On Elm Street,Child’s Play,Leprechaun, andCandymanfranchises, Ghostface’s identity changes with each movie. Fittingly,Heart Eyesborrows some recognizable motifs from theScreammoviesin its ending.
Heart Eyes’ Twist Ending Proves One Slasher Trend Is Taking Over The Genre
The twist ending of Heart Eyes proves one major trend in recent slasher movies is here to stay even though it hasn’t always been a genre staple.
While most ofdirector Josh Ruben’sHeart Eyessees the titular killer use a crossbow and bladed weapons to attack his victims, the climax ofHeart Eyesfinally sees the heroes and the villains alike using guns instead. Traditionally, theScreammovies took this approach too, with the killers and heroines using guns in the ending but not earlier in the story.Scream VI’s atypical bodega sequence aside, in earlier franchise outings, the approach resulted in a punchy immediacy missing from most slasher endings. The introduction of guns is also more realistic thanks to the non-supernatural villains of these movies.
Heart Eyes’ Multiple Killers Are Borrowed From The Scream Series
Heart Eyes Adds An Ingenious Twist To This Setup
The villains of theScreammovies are ordinary people, likethe cast of characters inHeart Eyes. As such, it seems unlikely that they would embark on a killing spree without carrying a gun for protection. This is why the use of guns in the climax of theScreammovies feels believable and terrifyingly tense, somethingHeart Eyesreplicates in its ending. Ironically,none of the killers inHeart Eyesare ultimately killed with these guns, as the slasher movie metes out much nastier, more elaborate deaths for them.
The more groundedScreammovies get around the impossible geography of slasher movies by revealing two or more killers working together.
Nonetheless, the end ofHeart Eyesacknowledges theScreamfranchise’s influence on the slasher sub-genre by conceding that its ending would feel outdated and unrealistic without guns. Meanwhile, the movie’s multiple killers also feel like a nod to theScreamseries. In traditional slasher franchises like theHalloweenmovies and theFriday the 13thseries, nigh-indestructible killers like Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers can seemingly teleport from one location to another off-screen between killing victims. The more groundedScreammovies get around the impossible geography of slasher movies by revealing two or more killers working together.
Heart Eyes’ Scream Nods Make Sense For The Horror-Comedy
Heart Eyes Writer Christopher Landon Was Originally Set To Direct Scream 7
TheScreammovies usually feature multiple killers likeHeart Eyes, although Ruben’s 2025 slasher offers a new spin on this trope. Instead of two killers working together, the killers inHeart Eyesare a throuple consisting of Jeanette, David, and their super fan. This nod to theScreamseries is particularly inventive, asScream VIwas the first movie in the series to feature three killers instead of two (or, in the case ofScream 3, one). It makes sense thatHeart Eyesfeatures so many nods to theScreammovies, thanks to its screenwriter’s recent screen CV.
Heart EyesscreenwriterChristopher Landon was lined up to directScream 7before its original stars Melissa Barrera and Jenna Ortega dropped out, and he was replaced by Kevin Williamson. Meanwhile,Heart Eyesstar Mason Gooding has major supporting roles inScream 2022andScream VI, with his character becoming Ortega’s love interest inScream VI. As such, it should come as no surprise thatHeart Eyesfeatured so many affectionate nods to theScreamseries with its multiple killers and the climax’s reliance on guns, otherwise a rarity in slasher cinema.
