Can romance and horror exist in the same film? The array of relationship betrayals in horror films like Rosemary’s Baby, Get Out, and Hulu’s viral 2022 hit Fresh frequently suggests otherwise. To push against the norm, we scoured streaming services for ones you could appropriately share with a horror-loving partner this October, and while not all guarantee a happy ending, all feature the uplifting, heartrending power of romantic yearning and the nastiness of pure horror. We present to you: romantic horror.
Bones and All
This most recent entry from the list comes from Italian director Luca Guadagnino, whose name we will forever remember from his back-to-back features in the late 2010s: romance film Call Me By Your Name and horror remake Suspiria. Perhaps seeing his style’s potential to blend the genres, he adapted the cannibal love story Bones and All for the big screen in 2022. Despite being a box office flop, this unusual story brings the chills and love in equally moving measures.
Bones and All is streaming now on Prime Video.
The Love Witch
Director/writer/producer Anna Biller’s feminist explorations of the female gaze in film have never been more fun than in The Love Witch. The campy comedic horror film is about a beautiful witch pursuing a man to love her amid spellcasting and potion-brewing. The Love Witch displays an instantly classic vision, drawing from the look of ’70s films but distinctly modern in its feminine perspective of the desperation of romance.
The Love Witch is streaming now on Peacock.
Crimson Peak
Crimson Peak is admittedly about deceptions and darkness by the end, but for the opening, pre-horror section, it’s a classical story of period courting and yearning for a forbidden love. The rest of the film is a wild ride of Guillermo del Toro’s signature creepy insanity, but the romance set-up feels genuine between Tom Hiddleston and Mia Wasikowska. Crimson Peak ends up where you expect it to go in the second and third acts, but some horrifying reveals keep the haunted house vibes from feeling too familiar.
Crimson Peak is streaming now on Netflix.
Warm Bodies
The feel-good romantic comedy entry on this list is Warm Bodies, a maligned, fluffy take on zombie-on-person fan fiction. Not nearly as gross as it could be, Warm Bodies is a charming story of unexpected, genuine romance, with people of two seemingly exclusive worlds finding each other amid the apocalypse. With enough of a thrilling story to match the overarching romantic comedy trappings, do not overlook Warm Bodies just because it is the most inconsequential film on this list to watch.
Warm Bodies is streaming now on Max.