Warning: This article contains spoilers forHeart Eyes.Heart Eyeshas accomplished something for Mason Gooding that theScreamfranchise never could.Heart Eyesis an original slasher movie starring Mason Gooding and Olivia Holt as a duo falling in love while trying to escape the rampage of the couple-murdering Heart Eyes Killer on Valentine’s Day. The movie, which was directed by Josh Ruben and written by Michael Kennedy, Christopher Landon, and Phillip Murphy, also stars Gigi Zumbado, Michaela Watkins, Devon Sawa, and Jordana Brewster.
Heart Eyesis not the first time that Gooding has dipped his toe into the slasher genre. He originated the character of Chad Meeks-Martin - the nephew of the original trilogy’s Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) - in the 2022 legacy sequelScream. He reprised the role in 2023’sScream VIand is set to return opposite Jasmin Savoy Brown as his twin sister Mindy in theupcomingScream 7.Chad is one of the “Core Four” survivors of the Ghostface killer’s most recent rampagesalongside Mindy, Sam Carpenter (Melissa Barrera), and her younger sister Tara (Jenna Ortega).
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Scream Star Mason Gooding Finally Gets To Kill A Horror Villain In Heart Eyes
Jay Murders The Heart Eyes Killer In Two Key Scenes
With theHeart Eyesreleaselaunching in February 2025, sandwiched between the 2023 release ofScream VIand the impending 2026 debut ofScream 7, the juxtaposition between Gooding’s major slasher movie characters has been made even more glaring. This is becauseHeart Eyesoffers the starthe first opportunity that he has had to kill a slasher villain onscreen, even though there have been five Ghostface killers featured so far in theScreammovies in which he has starred.
With the exception ofScream 3, every movie in the franchise has featured more than one character taking on the Ghostface mantle.
In fact, Mason Gooding’s character Jay manages to dispatch two of the threeHeart Eyeskillers. Although Olivia Holt’s character Ally delivers the killing blow to the movie’s most prominent killer, the secretly villainous detective Jeanette Shaw (Jordan Brewster), Jay is instrumental in the death of the first killer, Eli (Vinnie Bennett).Jay also kills the evil IT technician David(Yoson An) completely on his own, using one of the killer’s mechanical arrows.
Jay’s Track Record Is Far Superior
Jay’s kill count inHeart Eyesblows Chad’s completely out of the water. Not only has Chad not managed to kill a single one of the five Ghostface killers in his twoScreammovies,he has nearly been killed himself both times. In this way, he takes after legacy character Dewey Riley (David Arquette), who was presumed dead for portions of both of the original two movies before miraculously surviving. It remains to be seen ifScream 7finally shows Chad taking out one of the killers, but Gooding’s new original slasher has beaten it to the punch.
