What's more horrifying than being in love? Romance is a common theme in scary movies. Here are some horror films that explore all that is great & terrible about love.

First up - The Good:

The Signal

Sure, our couple is having an illicit affair, but we can all agree her husband is just awful. And that's before the strange signal starts to turn everyone into murderous psychopaths. Their love story forms the connective tissue of this anthology film.

Spring

How do you trick someone like me into watching a romantic movie about straight white people? Make one half of the couple a literal monster. Spring manages to hit all the same beats as a normal romance while somehow feeling fresh & inventive.

Let the Right One In

Two lonely kids find each other in the sweetest damn horror movie ever. I'm not crying, you're crying. SHUT UP.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night

Vampires are always being all sexy, but usually it doesn't do anything for me. Maybe this one works because our vampire is so un-vampirey. She's just a girl who dances to records in her bedroom & happens to find the boy of her dreams. Le sigh.

Dead Alive

Sure, it's super cheeseball, but Lionel & Pacquita are in love. His overbearing mum can't keep them apart, & neither can hoards of the undead. They're so in love they don't even mind that their triumphant kiss happens while they're both coated in blood & gore. Those crazy kids.

And now - the not so good:

May

Poor May's only friend is a porcelain doll. She desperately wants to have a connection with a real person, but she's just so damn weird. When she can't seem to find that perfect person to love, she decides it might be better to assemble one herself.

The Loved Ones

See that sweet looking little gal in the picture? That's Lola. You know how the song goes, right? If this little Lola decides she wants you, you're in very big trouble.

Calvaire

Suave crooner Marc is used to attention from the mature ladies in his audience, but when he's stranded in the middle of nowhere he attracts a whole lot of attention from the locals. Especially Mr. Bartel, who decides Marc is his missing wife, come back to make everything right. Sometimes it's not so fun to be the object of people's desire.

Bug

Sure, trust is essential in any relationship. But you've got to have limits, people! By all means listen sympathetically when your boyfriend complains about invisible bugs & shadowy army conspiracies. What you don't want to do is start thinking 'hey, this makes sense.' Because no.

High Tension

What to do when you discover your best friend has a crush on you? It's a tricky situation, for sure. Here's something you shouldn't do - don't invite her to your family's secluded country home & then leave the tool shed unlocked. Not if your best friend's alter ego is a murderous psychopath, anyway.