Another Valentine’s Day is upon us, and love is in the air. What better way to ring in the holiday dedicated to love than with horror movies that put romance at the center of the scares, monsters, and even a little gore? Innocent flirtations, lust, temptation, and enduring love drive the characters in these romantic horror movies, motivating them to fight through all obstacles, no matter how repulsive or lethal… even if it doesn’t always end well for the lovebirds. 

Whether you’re in the mood for light-hearted, gory rom-coms, grand-sweeping romances of the macabre variety, or horrific spins on star-crossed lovers, these ten romantic horror movies bring the feels for Valentine’s Day. Or any other day of the year! 

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The Abominable Dr. Phibes

Vincent Price plays the titular Dr. Phibes, a famous concert organist thought to have died in a car crash. He’d been racing home after learning his wife died during surgery. He survived the crash but was left horribly disfigured. He subsequently crafts an elaborate revenge plan upon his wife’s surgeons while keeping her embalmed body in a sarcophagus. A setup that sounds far more serious than it is; Dr. Phibes is a tongue-in-cheek horror-comedy. Heavily stylized but with gleefully elaborate deaths and Price scene-chewing like a pro. All in the name of love.

Cloverfield

When a going-away party for Rob (Michael Stahl-David) gets interrupted by the arrival of a giant monster rampaging across the city, Rob is determined to make his way through the devastation to answer a distress call by ex-girlfriend Beth (Odette Yustman) and save her. His friend records their perilous journey over previous footage of happier times between Rob and Beth. Rob’s ardent love for Beth is the beating heart of this exciting American kaiju feature, offering a very different, genre-specific take on romance.

Candyman

“It was always you, Helen.” A line that’s strangely alluring, seductive, and a little threatening. The chemistry between Candyman and Helen (Virginia Madsen) is electric; there is a razor-thin line between love and hate, life and death in this scenario. Tony Todd turns in a career-defining performance as the eponymous Candyman in this romantic horror classic; an urban legend made flesh for those that dare summon him. It’s scary, haunting, tragic, and oddly romantic, making it the perfect Valentine’s Day horror movie.

Thirst

Park Chan-wook, the director behind the delightfully twisted Vengeance Trilogy, has a unique brand of brutal pitch-black humor. So, it’s no surprise that he delivers exactly that with his unique take on the vampire mythos. Following a Catholic priest who volunteers for a medical experiment only to find himself stricken with vampirism, Thirst is nothing like any vampire film you’ve seen. It’s weird, tragic, and darkly funny as the Catholic priest grapples morally with his newfound thirst for blood and awakened sexuality. Park Chan-wook offers a fresh take on the lusty vampire, with a morally conflicted lead and plenty of blood-soaked violence.

After Midnight

After ten years together, Abby (Brea Grant) quietly leaves her boyfriend Hank (screenwriter/co-director Jeremy Gardner), with only a cryptic note indicating her disappearance. He expects her to return, but as the days turn into weeks, abandonment and depression take root. However, in Abby’s absence, Hank’s rural family home falls under siege of a strange monster. Gardner and co-director Christian Stella inject genre into the examination of a relationship, alternating between a happier past and a monstrous present. In other words, don’t go in expecting a straightforward creature feature; this one favors love. Do go in expecting an iconic Lisa Loeb song to get cast in an all-new, hilarious light.

Spring

Evan Russell (Lou Taylor Pucci) is on a significant tailspin after losing his mother to cancer. His friend recommends traveling to clear his head, so he flees to Italy. He meets the enigmatic Louise (Nadia Hilker), a guarded woman who eventually gives in to Evan’s feelings. Louise harbors a dark, monstrous secret that will irrevocably change both of their lives. Filmmakers Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead use sci-fi and horror to deliver a romantic, Lovecraftian reminder that change might be scary, but it can also be beautiful.

The Fly

David Cronenberg’s operatic and romantic horror masterpiece follows the journey between a quirky scientist and a tough reporter from its meet-cute until its gruesome, bitter end. It’s a doozy of a choice for Valentine’s Day horror. Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) meets Ronnie Quaife (Geena Davis) at a press event, where Brundle lures the curious reporter back to his loft to show off the teleportation device he’s inventing. They quickly fall in love, but the honeymoon phase gets cut short when Brundle’s DNA splices with a housefly’s, kickstarting a long, tortuous transformation into an inhuman fly creature. Ronnie is forced to watch, scared and helpless as the man she fell for slowly loses himself, like a slow decay from a grotesque disease. 

An American Werewolf in London

At the heart of this werewolf flick is a compelling romance between the eponymous American werewolf, David (David Naughton), and his nurse, Alex (Jenny Agutter). Their whirlwind love story simultaneously charms and increases the stakes as David comes to terms with the monstrous beast he’s becoming. The higher the body count rises, the more David is forced to confront the growing darkness within him. It results in tragedy for the star-crossed lovers; this horror-comedy still has serious bite.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula

“I have crossed oceans of time to find you.” It doesn’t get much more romantic than that swoon-worthy line by Dracula (Gary Oldman). Francis Ford Coppola’s sprawling horror epic transforms the iconic bloodsucker into the genre’s biggest romantic. After a 1462 prologue that presents how and why Vlad Dracula turned to the dark side (spoiler alert: it’s for love), Dracula shifts to 1897. He travels to England to woo the reincarnation of his beloved. If only her pesky fiancé didn’t get in the way. Impressive, lavish set pieces and production design, a star-studded cast, and a slew of memorable Gothic horror moments make this period horror movie a romantic all-timer and another perfect Valentine’s Day horror classic.

Dead Alive

At the center of Peter Jackson’s raucous gorefest is a love story between meek mama’s boy Lionel Cosgrove and hungry-for-love shopgirl Paquita Maria Sanchez. And the horde of the undead by way of Skull Island Sumatran Rat-Monkey stands between them, naturally. Lionel must fight his way through crowds of zombies and finally stand up to his overbearing mum if he wants his happily ever after. Without Peter Jackson’s romantic horror love story, we wouldn’t have Simon Pegg’s Shaun of the Dead, a zombie rom-com on which Dead Alive (Braindead in New Zealand) played a significant influence. Why not watch both this Valentine’s Day?

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