Summary

• Romantic horror movies blend genres and explore the vulnerability and intensity of both romance and horror.
• The best movies in this genre combine romance with terrifying horror elements, adding deeper meaning to the story.
• These movies often feature unique romances, twisted relationships, or offbeat characters finding love while facing gore and scares.

The best romantic horror movies allow genre-crossing and blurring the boundaries of what the genre can explore. Whether it is because of the vulnerability or the intensity, there is something about romance and horror that complement each other. While there are horror films that may just throw in a relationship as a plot device, there are others that truly combine romantic drama with the terrifying world of horror movies. It is these rare movies that allow the terrifying horror aspects of the story to have greater meaning. It isn't just about staying alive, it is also about surviving as a couple and protecting their love.

There are some lighter romantic horror movies where a couple in love is trying to survive a zombie outbreak, vampire, or slasher horror, all while maintaining a sense of humor. However, some of the best are usually darker. Romances in horror films often contain twisted relationships of fatal attraction like that of Sang-hyun and Tae-ju in Thirst. Others see tales of offbeat and kindred spirits finding one another like Lee and Maren in Bones and All or the Girl and Arash in A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. Either way, the best romantic horror movies contain a unique blend of romance, gore, and scares.

15 Underworld (2003)

The Vampire Selene Falls In Love With A Hybrid Named Michael Corvin

Underworld is an action-heavy franchise with horror elements focuses on a long-running war between vampires and lycans. The vampires often live in large castles and have an almost caste and military system they live under, while the werewolves live underground, anxious to break their shackles. There are major gun fights and action scenes, but at the end of the day, it is a monster mash, with vampires fighting werewolves. At its center, though, this is a love story between the vampire Selene (Kate Beckinsale) and the human-turned-hybrid Michael Corvin (Scott Speedman).

Michael is a doctor who gets caught in the middle of a fight between the vampires and lycans, only to learn the lycans targeted him as a descendant of the Corvinus bloodline, and someone whose blood could help create a vampire-werewolf hybrid. When the lycan Lucian bites him, Michael begins to change and when Selene bites him, he becomes a powerful hybrid who could turn the tide of the war. The movie is a guilty pleasure but was successful and spawned three sequels and a prequel. The love story was so integral that when Michael died in later movies, the franchise couldn't maintain its popularity and ended.

14 Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

A Vampire Love Story About The Perils Of Immortality

Jim Jarmusch's Only Lovers Left Alive is one of the strangest vampire love stories ever told in a movie. The story follows two ancient vampires named Adam and Eve, played respectively by Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton. They have been married for centuries but live far apart when the movie begins. However, when Eve realizes that Adam might be considering taking his own life and ending things for good, she goes to him to show him there is still something worth living for.

The romantic horror movie is an interesting mix of philosophical debates and scenes of almost hypnotic meditation. In addition to a unique romance focusing on a centuries-long relationship, Only Lovers Left Alive explores the deeper meaning behind immortality and what living forever does to a soul. The 2013 movie received mostly positive reviews and went on to win an award at Cannes for its score.

13 The Shape Of Water (2017)

A Forbidden Romance With A Subterranean Soulmate

Guillermo del Toro makes no secret of his love for both fairy tales and classic horror movies. It is with the love of both of those things that he made The Shape of Water in 2017. This is a movie that brings the closest thing to the Gill-man from The Creature from the Black Lagoon back to the big screen in many years. In this movie, the sea creature was considered a god to the people living by the South American river where he was captured by the U.S. government's military forces and brought to the country to study.

The horror part of the romantic horror movie involves the vicious killing The Shape of Water's creature does, as well as the all-too-real human monster in Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon). However, the love story is what carries the movie, as a custodian (Sally Hawkins) at the facility holding the Amphibian Man sees him and slowly falls in love with the creature, finally fighting to help him escape from captivity. The Shape of Water picked up 13 Oscar nominations, winning for Best Picture and giving del Toro an Oscar for Best Director.

12 Warm Bodies (2013)

Romeo And Juliet With Zombies

Warm Bodies is a romantic comedy horror movie about a zombie who falls in love with a still-living woman that's a direct reimagining of Romeo and Juliet. Based on the novel by Isaac Marion, R (Nicholas Hoult) is a zombie who mostly lumbers around an airport. He still thinks like a human though, and narrates the movie through inner monologues as he goes about his days as a member of the undead. However, that changes when he sees Julie (Teresa Palmer) and suddenly wants to get to know her. The problem is that her father is a zombie hunter whose only goal is to exterminate all zombies.

The love story develops here, with Julie believing there might be a cure that could revert R into a living human again, but she has to find it before her dad kills the zombie she loves. Warm Bodies is an interesting movie because it takes viewers into the head of a zombie and presents one of the undead as a sympathetic individual who deserves to find happiness. This movie also lets loose with horror, as there are also zombies who are deadly dangerous as well as humans who will shoot first and ask questions later.

Warm Bodies is available to stream on Max.

11 Spontaneous (2020)

An Explosive Romantic Horror Movie

Spontaneous is a movie that straddles the line between a teenage comedy-drama and a horror movie romance. 2020's Spontaneous is about a school where the students start spontaneously combusting. They explode without warning, leaving blood and guts all over the room and anyone unfortunate enough to be close to them. The drama sees Mara (Katherine Langford), trying to figure out her place in the world while she is always in danger of exploding at any minute.

The spontaneous human combustion in Spontaneous is a metaphor for the experiences and feelings of teenagers attending high school, and the explosions symbolize the bottled anxiety they feel trying to fit the expectations of society, family, and their peers. Charlie Plummer is also in top form as Dylan, Mara's love interest in the movie and the one person who seems to really understand her. Spontaneous also delivered an unexpected ending, and the movie received almost universal acclaim, with a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.

10 Beast (2017)

Serial Killers And Paranoia Make For A Strained Horror Movie Romance

Beast revolves around 27-year-old Moll Huntford (Jessie Buckley) following a series of murders on the island of Jersey, targeting women of her age. The entire community is on edge when Moll meets Pascal (Johnny Flynn). As Moll and Pascal’s relationship blossoms, her family remains entirely unsupportive. The worst part, however, is that many consider Pascal to be a suspect in the murders that have shaken the island community.

Moll and Pascal must navigate their relationship while staying safe from the many external threats to themselves and their relationship. Beast won a British Academy Film award for Michael Pearce and Lauren Dark's directorial debuts and was nominated for Best British Film.

9 Sun Don't Shine (2012)

Deep Exploration Into The Lengths Lovers Will Go To

The 2012 movie Sun Don’t Shine follows an intense road trip between a couple, Crystal (Kate Lyn Sheil) and Leo (Kentucker Audley), and it's among the more sinister romantic horror movies. The atmosphere of this trip starts out tense and uneasy and becomes increasingly ominous, as the couple progress on their journey toward their new future together.

The events that have led Crystal and Leo to this moment are slowly revealed as the couple drive on, and audiences slowly learn the reason for their trip. The film explores a complex relationship and the lengths that one individual will go to help another. Sun Don't Shine won the Chicken & Egg Emergent Narrative Woman Director Award at South by Southwest and was also nominated for two Gotham Independent Film awards.

8 A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014)

Noir Vampire Romance In Iran

Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is set in an Iranian ghost town called Bad City, and follows the Girl (Sheila Vand). The Girl is a lonely young vampire who roams the streets alone at night in search of prey, and one night meets the equally lonely Arash (Arash Marandi). The bond between the Girl and Arash grows, and they soon team up to escape their lives together.

The Girl is both an isolated teenager and a ruthless predator, who moves between being the villain and the heroine in a horror film that is more focused on the complexities of the individual than it is on good and evil. Ana Lily Amirpour's movie was also turned into a six-part graphic novel series that explores the Girl's backstory and has overall been praised for its haunting aesthetics and feminist themes. The movie is almost universally acclaimed on Rotten Tomatoes with a 96% rating.

7 Spring (2014)

Disturbing Romantic Horror With A Millenia-Wide Age Gap

Spring follows Evan (Lou Taylor Pucci), a young American who, after a bereavement, decides he needs a change in his environment and finds himself traveling to Italy. In the south of Italy, Evan meets the elusive Louise (Nadia Hilker) and becomes determined to get to know her, leading to one of the more disturbing romantic horror movies. As Evan wins Louise over, the terrible secret underpinning their relationship is slowly uncovered.

Spring is the story of two young people from different parts of the world who happen to find each other and fall in love, as well as a monster horror film that questions whether love can overcome even the most terrifying obstacles. Spring won Lou Taylor Pucci a Best Actor award at the Austin Fantastic Fest and a Directors to Watch For award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Spring is available to stream on Shudder.

6 Bones And All (2022)

Award-Winning Romance With Cannibals

Timothee Chalamet and Taylor Russell star in one of the most widely known modern romantic horror movies, Bones and All. Based on Camille DeAngelis' eponymous novel, a young cannibal named Maren is abandoned by her father, and so she decides to go to Minnesota to find her estranged mother. Along the way, she meets Lee, who shares in her proclivities — specifically her taste for human flesh.

Bones and All chronicles the pair's road trip across the country as they fall in love and engage in their twisted indulgences, leading to Bones and All's twist ending that has to be seen to be believed. There's family drama and plenty of gore to go around, as the film isn't solely about cannibalism. Luca Guadagnino's film won two awards at the Venice Film Festival and one at the Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards, as well as being nominated for a slew of other accolades.

Bones and All is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.

5 The Fly (1986)

A Transformative Experience Destroys Jeff Goldblum's Relationship

The Fly is certainly one of the most famous cult classic films, and despite its infamy for its many gross-out scenes, it's also a well-put-together love story and one of the best romantic horror movies. David Cronenberg's sci-fi horror remake sees scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) and journalist Ronnie Quaife (Geena Davis) strike up a relationship after the former asks the latter to document his newest invention. However, one of his experiments goes horribly wrong.

In the midst of their budding relationship, Ronnie is forced to watch Seth's horrific transformation into giant man/fly hybrid. Their tragic love story is a central part of Cronenberg's horror masterpiece, and the movie was so popular it spawned both a sequel and a comic book series. The Fly won an Oscar for Best Makeup, as well as three Saturn awards for Best Actor (Goldblum), Best Makeup, and Best Horror Film.

The Fly is available to stream on Max.

4 Thirst (2009)

Award Winning Korean Romantic Horror Featuring Unwanted Vampirism

The 2009 Korean horror movie Thirst introduces Sang-Hyun (Song Kang-ho) a respected and devoted Roman-Catholic priest who, through no fault of his own, becomes a vampire — and the ensuing story makes Thirst an engaging romantic horror movie as well as a solid yet unconventional vampire movie too. Sang-Hyun then meets and falls in love with Tae-Ju, as he tries to navigate his newfound existence.

The relationship between Tae-Ju and Sang-Hyun exposes how they are fundamentally different in their morals and their approach to their new life. What follows is the study of a relationship between two entirely different individuals who find themselves facing the same fate together. Thirst won a staggering 11 awards, including accolades at the Cannes Film Festival, the Chunsa Film Art Awards, and the Blue Dragon Film Awards.

3 Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Adaptation Of The Iconic Gothic Romantic Horror Novel

Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel stays true to the co-existing romance and horror of the source text and is one of the best romantic horror movies as a result — pulling what made the original story so timeless and translating it seamlessly to the screen. Having never recovered from the death of his beloved wife Elisabeta, Dracula (Gary Oldman) sets out to track down Mina Murray (Winona Ryder), whom he believes to be the reincarnation of his late wife.

In one of the most iconic vampire tales, the formidable Dracula will stop at nothing to regain his lost love. Alongside Dracula’s ruthlessness and manipulation, the movie presents the tale of an everlasting love that transcends lifetimes. Bram Stoker's Dracula won three Oscars for Best Costume Design, Best Sound Editing, and Best Makeup. It also did an awards sweep at the Saturn Awards, scoring nine accolades.

2 Thelma (2017)

Critically Acclaimed Norwegian Horror About Romance And Self Discovery

The 2017 Norwegian supernatural horror Thelma follows the title character (Eili Harboe) who moves to Oslo to attend university, and it's one of the best romantic horror movies of all time. She begins to escape her sheltered life as she gets to know fellow student, Anja (Kaya Wilkins). As Thelma discovers a growing attraction to Anja, a number of inexplicable catastrophic events start to happen around her.

Thelma is thrown into unfamiliar territory both in her overwhelming desire for Anja and in the sudden powers that she cannot control. Thelma simultaneously begins to discover herself and a world of dangerous supernatural powers. Thelma is critically acclaimed and has 13 awards to its name, winning accolades at the Amanda Awards, the Norwegian International Film Festival, the San Diego Film Critics Society, and more.

1 Let The Right One In (2008)

Complex Coming-Of-Age Romance Between A Boy And A Vampire

The Swedish horror Let The Right One In is a tender romantic teen drama about two outcast 12-year-olds who find solace in each other, and it's definitively one of the very best romantic horror movies. The film follows Oskar as he meets his new next-door neighbor, Eli, and the two gradually become friends. The connection between Oskar and Eli takes center stage throughout, with the horror elements interwoven in such a way that they enhance the coming-of-age and young romance aspects of the story.

Despite the fact that Eli feeds on human blood and Oskar fantasizes about murder, the two teenagers form a tender and innocent relationship that gives them both a sense of belonging. Let Me In, the American adaptation of the movie was released in 2010, starring Chloe Grace Moretz. The original Swedish horror has won over 30 accolades at various ceremonies and festivals, including the Saturn Awards, the Tribeca Film Festival, the Empire Awards, and many more.

Let The Right One In is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.