Not every horror movie is the antithesis of love and light. In fact, some of the most romantic tales of all time have roots in horror. For every Jane Austen, there is a Brontë sister ready to find love in a haunted house.
While you can never go wrong with a Gothic Romance, like Wuthering Heights or The Phantom of the Opera, romantic horror films can manifest in many other ways. If horror sets out to investigate the things that frighten us, then love is will always be at the top of that list. We long for love, and we fear never finding it — or, what it means when we finally do.
If you are looking for love but want to stay in the Halloween spirit, consider watching a romantic horror film. There are more than you might think. Whether it’s a monster, ghost, cannibal, or zombie, love never stays dead for long.
Bones and All (2022)
Cannibalism and romance intersect in Luca Guadagnino‘s Bones and All. Maren (Taylor Russell) has spent her life repressing her hunger for human flesh, but after her appetite is revealed, she tries to hide in the fringes of society. There, she meets Sully (Mark Rylance), a potential mentor with evil intent, and Lee (Timothée Chalamet), a young drifter much like herself. As love blossoms between Maren and Lee, she must contend with inner conflict about where she belongs.
Honestly, Bones and All is probably the most genuinely romantic horror film to date. While it depicts horrific instances of violence and gore, there is also a genuine tenderness to its love story. Russell and Chalamet share an electric chemistry, which certainly helps us accept their strange relationship in a world not built for them. The characters may eat hearts, but they also have them, and the film’s conclusion is enough to rival any classic Shakespearean love story.
Bride of Chucky (1998)
Adding a romantic angle shocked the Child’s Play franchise back to life. The iconic killer doll, Chucky (Brad Dourif), is resurrected by his serial killer ex-girlfriend, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly). One thing leads to another, and soon Tiffany’s soul is transferred into a doll, causing them to search for the magical amulet that will restore them to human bodies.
I’m not sure I would say that Bride of Chucky is in any way a sincere love story, but it’s a love story nonetheless. This campy entry in the popular franchise finally presented Chucky with an equal, whether working together in harmony or at each other’s throats in a heated argument. These two are made for each other, and I would argue that Tiffany’s introduction to Child’s Play allowed the series to come into its own.
The Hunger (1983)
Vampires are irresistible to us mere humans, and this is especially true in The Hunger. Miriam (Catherine Deneuve), an immortal vampire, and her lover, John (David Bowie), live in hedonistic bliss. John believes that he will live forever alongside Miriam until he falls ill and begins to deteriorate in front of her eyes. Luckily, Miriam has eyes on Sarah (Susan Sarandon), a scientist who may help cure Joh’s illness or become Miriam’s next lover.
The romance at the heart of The Hunger is not reciprocal but runs deep. John’s devotion to Miriam is all-consuming, even if she emotionally strays from him at the sight of Sarah. Her intense courtship of Sarah also blurs the line between obsessive and romantic, and it’s easy to see why these three are stuck in such a complex love triangle.
Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
What if you could make your perfect boyfriend? Lisa (Kathryn Newton) has the opportunity to bring to life the corpse of a Victorian gentleman (Cole Sprouse) that she fantasizes about during her frequent trips to the cemetery. However, having a boyfriend isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, as Lisa and the Creature search for new body parts to replace his decaying ones.
Lisa Frankenstein is a such a good time. I suspect critics and audiences will reassess it more favorably in the future, just like they did for Diablo Cody’s other dark comedy, Jennifer’s Body. It’s a lot like the ‘80s romantic comedies that Lisa is obsessed with — quirky, slightly more violent than you would expect, but surprisingly earnest.
Nosferatu (2024)
Robert Eggers’s remake of the classic 1922 vampire film amps the sexual tension. Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) travels to Transylvania for a lucrative real estate deal with the reclusive Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), but he soon realizes he has made a grave mistake. Orlok is an ancient vampire with a strong psychic connection to Thomas’s wife, Mina (Lily Rose Depp), and his desire to reunite with her knows no bounds.
The new version of Nosferatu plays up Mina’s intense, obsessive relationship with Orlok while fleshing out her tender love for Thomas. There’s no doubt that Orlok’s hold on Mina is manipulative, but there is another reason why Mina cannot stop dreaming of him — he represents freedom. The most romantic moments of this otherwise brutal vampire film are rooted in Mina’s desire to be understood and accepted, even for her darkest impulses.
The Shape of Water (2017)
Guillermo del Toro reimagines The Creature From the Black Lagoon, and it’s surprisingly romantic. Elisa (Sally Hawkins) is a mute, lonely woman who works as a custodian in a top-secret government laboratory. Everything changes when she discovers that the lab is experimenting on an underwater creature (Doug Jones) unlike anything she has ever seen. The deep love between them is startling, but it’s also the one thing that makes sense in Elisa’s life.
The premise of The Shape of Water feels ridiculous on paper, but the vision is executed flawlessly. A large fish man should not be a viable romantic interest, but del Toro makes it work, highlighting incredible performances from Hawkins and Jones. It’s easy to get swept away in the longing and deep trust between Elisa and the Amphibian Man, mainly because we can all understand how valuable it is to find those who make us feel safe and accepted.