10 Great Horror Romance Movies For The Loved And Lost
Shaun of The Dead is the best rom-zom-com around!
If there are two genres that don't seem to go together, it's horror and romance. Yet, somehow when done right, the two together can make for a truly remarkable combination.
When compared to other sub-genres of horror such as found footage, what makes this one in particular difficult to pull off is the fact it is two polar opposite sides of the film spectrum being pressed together in one. Unlike sci-fi or folk horror, there is nothing much inherently frightening about the romantic genre.
Take movies like Event Horizon or The Wicker Man for example. You could remove the major horror elements from them and still be left with stories that illicit a sense of dread because of their setting and tone. With romance though, the genre itself is almost always more upbeat and hopeful, making it hard to find anything scary to draw from.
It takes a delicate touch to craft this balance well. That's why the rare few that do it well are so remarkable. They're like pearls in a sea of sludge.
With this in mind, it's time to take a dive into ten horror romances for the loved and the lost.
10. Christine
We're going to start this off with a bit of an unconventional entry.
John Carpenter's adaption of the classic Stephen King novel follows social outcast Arnie, who gains newfound confidence after buying a killer car. Literally.
A running theme on this list is the complexities of romance. The word itself may seem to have a purely positive connotation to it, but in reality, the concept is extremely complicated.
In this study of love and obsession, we see through Arnie's character what can happen when you cross the line from one to the other. He loses his entire identity as he falls deeper under the spell of his beloved. His entire life becomes tied to Christine, jeopardizing his relationships with his family, friends, and even himself.
Christine represents an abusive partner, taking advantage of Arnie's emotional state for the sake of pursuing its own desires with no regard to his well-being. It wants something from him, and will go to any lengths to get it.
Talk about a bad romance.