10 Horror Films Perfect For Valentine’s Day
Single? Taken? There’s a zom-com or apocalyptic breakup out there for everyone.
At first glance, horror and romance don’t seem to fit together very well, but you try telling that to to the all the zom-coms and sex allegories that litter the genre.
Horror is a great way to explore a variety of different themes, which is why it can be pushed in the direction of any calendar celebration and churn out a halfbreed monstrosity like only horror can. St Patrick’s Day? Try the Leprechaun films. Christmas? Practically its own disgustingly festive subcategory. New Year's Evil and April Fool's Day have a go at very specific celebrations as well. So it follows that horror would have a meaty stab at Valentine’s Day too.
With the genre being so versatile, we’ve included a wide variety of films to watch on Valentine’s Day, including cuteness, cheesiness, and cautionary tales surrounding relationships. Whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day with a partner, or want to remind yourself why you’re single, there’s a horror film for you to enjoy this February 14th.
10. My Bloody Valentine (1981 Or 2009)
A Valentine’s themed slasher with a love triangle central to its plot.
Both versions of the film deal with a mining uniform garbed killer who goes on a killing spree on the lead up to Valentine’s Day, and both are products of their time. The 1981 original sports campy acting and more of a focus on its February 14th theme, whereas the 2009 remake tries to add a little more plot, and packs its cast with unlikeable characters for us to cheer at their creative death scenes.
If 80s slasher cheese is your thing, the original is more suited. It fits the early slasher mold perfectly, with a cast of youths determined to hold a Valentine’s Day party, despite all that inconvenient death occurring around them. 80s slasher logic if ever we heard it.
Jensen Ackles stars in the 2009 remake, which narrows the Valentine’s Day focused theme of the 1981 film, and instead tries to delve a little deeper into the three psyches of the dreaded love triangle. It doesn’t exactly elevate the premise, but it does offer a bigger focus on relationships than the original.
The two films differ widely in their approach to their endings, so both can be watched in quick succession without feeling like you’re just watching the same film twice.