Welcome to today’s installment of 31 Days of Halloween! This is our chance to set the mood for the spookiest and scariest month of the year as we focus our attention on horror and Halloween fun. For the month of October we’ll be talking to creators working in horror and share and recommend various pieces of underappreciated scary media-books, comics, movies, and television-to help keep you terrified and entertained all the way up to Halloween.
What is the most romantic horror movie of all time? There are romantic comedies, period pieces, and plenty of dramas in which finding romance is at the center of the story. For whatever reason, this has escaped the horror genre. There are some exceptions but that does not change the fact that there are very few romantic horror movies.
Right off the bat, it is important to get one thing out of the way. Yes, pretty much every horror story sees a couple get together. Slashers of the 1980s were filled with a usually overlooked high school student getting together with another usually much more popular classmate. This usually involved a long time crush to give the inevitable coupling an all around cute feel to it.
As sweet as it may be, there was usually no romance involved. Don’t believe me? There is a quick way to see just how important couples are in horror. Make a list of your favorite ones of the genre. Chances are, you can name one. A real fan of scary movies will probably be able to think of two. The fact of the matter is, horror movies do not have their own Noah and Allie.
Of course, the argument can be made that there is no need for it. After all, there are few people begging for a romantic subplot in the next Friday the 13th reboot. Plus, let’s face it; not every movie needs to have some form of romance.
Still, a strong story about two people coming together can add so much to a movie. Dracula by Bram Stoker may be the most well-known horror story of all time. At its heart, it is a love story. This part of the tale provides backstory to the Count. It explains his motivations and even provides humanity to the character. Without this side of Dracula, the story becomes a lot less interesting.
Horror and lust go hand in glove. From the Italian giallos of the 70s to the horny teenagers of the 80s, there has always been a heavy layer of sex injected into horror movies. This makes perfect sense. Going back to the creature features of the 1950s, the joke about horror movies was you would take your date so when they got scared you would snuggle. The idea simply evolved with the times.
As much as terror and carnality go together, the same cannot be said for fear and love. Both are incredibly strong emotions that can lead to rash decisions. The two types of stories could be woven together seamlessly. The relationship between Oskar and Eli from Let the Right One In is a powerful example of this. Horror history has shown this fusion can potentially turn a great story into a timeless one.
Horror and romance go together like blood and wine. They both conjure similar feelings and can also enhance each other. The main purpose of scary movies is to prey on the emotions of the audience. Few things cloud a person’s judgement like love and fear.
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