Love and fear, fear and love. How can you separate them? Forget reality - even there the sentiment is remarkably accurate - and let’s talk about culture. Or more specifically: cinema, a medium where the connection between horror and romance is long-standing, natural, and often organic. And behold, even the gods of the calendar understood this, aligning Friday the 13th with Valentine’s Day this past weekend, arriving consecutively.
And why shouldn’t they connect? They go hand in hand, even though on the surface they seem like opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. Horror and romance share similar traits: both provoke intense emotional responses in body and mind. Both make hearts race, breathing slow down or intensify, and lead to inner tension that amplifies the experience. They are also capable of maintaining interactions: fear can become a bridge connecting lovers or characters, allowing extreme intimacy - turning it into a natural platform for romance that feels authentic, intense, and even a little dangerous. Just as it is in reality.
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The Shape of Water, Heart eyes, Interview With the Vampire
(photo: Courtesy of yes, screenshot)
And the seventh art has always understood this, of course. From the Gothic tales of the 18th century to early 20th-century vampire films (and honestly, much of vampire cinema in general, since they all draw from the same Gothic-romantic well), monsters, spirits, and killers often served as metaphors for forbidden feelings, desires, and passions that society was not always ready to accept. In other cases, as noted, natural and supernatural threats on the big screen helped connect two souls who found themselves in extreme circumstances. There’s nothing like surviving together harrowing journey of horrors to establish or strengthen an emotional bond.
This idea translates, of course, to the viewing experience: it’s almost a cliché, but horror films are an excellent choice for a first date, or any date. Beyond the chance that your partner will jump into your arms at the first jump scare, a frightening viewing experience can raise blood pressure so that the high adrenaline level translates to other aspects of the shared experience. In other words: you leave a horror movie together shaken and excited after a first date? Congratulations, perfect timing for another adrenaline-fueled experience: the first kiss. Mwah.
So in honor of this special occurrence, the international day of horror and the international day of lovers coinciding, we’ve selected some recommendations for a shared viewing experience, blending horror and romance, perfect for a first date. So let’s start with:
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Francis Ford Coppola’s film adapts Bram Stoker’s legendary novel with relative fidelity (even preserving, to some extent, the epistolary nature of the original, told through letters exchanged by its characters) - but does so with excessive, operatic flair, brimming with libido and blood, and above all, cinematic to the bone. Everything here is grand, rich and exaggerated; everything screams at you, teeth glaring, and it’s hard to describe how much fun it is. It’s a full Grand Guignol experience - a term from the small Parisian theatre of the late 19th and early 20th centuries known for extreme horror plays to the delight of a bloodthirsty audience. Yet despite the horrors, and unlike many adaptations of Dracula, what drives Coppola is the great, transcontinental, timeless love story at the heart of it.
Count Dracula, played wonderfully by Gary Oldman, has spent the past centuries as an undead creature, a terrifying old being isolated in a remote Transylvanian castle, feeding on the blood of terrified locals. When young solicitor Jonathan Harker (Keanu Reeves, not as wonderful) arrives to have him sign a real estate contract, Dracula notices a picture of Harker’s beloved, Mina (Winona Ryder, who was a driving force behind getting the film produced) - and everything changes. Why? Because Mina is a near-exact copy of Dracula’s love from 400 years ago, Elizabetha, whose tragic fate drove him mad, renouncing his god and becoming the murderous immortal he is. Now, the ancient Count’s obsession returns (with the help of the young solicitor’s blood), and he sets off for London to reunite with his old/new love, at any cost.
"I have crossed oceans of time to find you", says the Count to Mina upon their meeting - just one of the grand romantic moments in this rich, highly enjoyable film, boasting exaggerated, artificial design and exquisite, shadow-rich cinematography by Michael Ballhaus ("Goodfellas"). There's alsso a dream cast (including Anthony Hopkins, musician Tom Waits in a particularly disgusting role, Israeli model Michaela Bercu and Monica Bellucci as two of Dracula’s brides). If you haven’t treated yourself to this yet - now is the perfect time.
Let the Right One In (2008)
From a trashy horror operetta to a small, intimate, heartbreakingly romantic creation. Tomas Alfredson’s Swedish film follows Oskar, a lonely boy in an early 1980s Stockholm suburb, bullied at school, who befriends a girl his age who has just moved in next door. Except she’s not quite his age, nor entirely human. She may go out only at night, and the harried man she lives with must kill to provide her with blood. But like Oskar, she is also lonely, and their delicate relationship becomes one of the most charming and moving in the genre.
If you prefer an English-language film, check out Matt Reeves’ 2010 remake, Let Me In. It’s quite good, but the original surpasses it. Its subtlety and delicacy are assets, focusing on the characters and story rather than style, unlike Coppola’s maximalist, crazed flick. Highly recommended for anyone who thought they’d exhausted the vampire genre.
The Shape of Water (2017)
Although not strictly horror, Guillermo del Toro’s acclaimed 2017 film satisfies several general genre traits, earning a spot on this list. It’s a dark variation on The Little Mermaid, or Beauty and the Beast, or any of the story archetypes that inspired them. Remove the violence and sex (including an unforgettable underwater sex scene), and it could have come straight from Disney - a perfect candidate for their next live-action abomination.
The story is simple: Elisa (the incredible Sally Hawkins), a mute, introverted woman working in a secret government lab in the 1960s, meets a strange amphibious creature (suspiciously resembling Abe Sapien from del Toro’s Hellboy films, played by the same actor, Doug Jones). Elisa recognizes the loneliness and strangeness she herself feels, and gradually a bond develops - slowly becoming romantic.
Of course, this is an adult fairy tale: the violence is graphic, del Toro doesn’t shy away from grotesque imagery (the antagonist’s rotting hand saga, played by Michael Shannon, makes this clear), and the director’s beloved palette of sickly colors heightens the atmosphere even further (more than anything, recalling French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet). And yet: it’s a completely captivating love story, romantic in every sense, leaving you with a huge smile and renewed faith in the power of love to overcome any obstacle. And perhaps to grow gills, if needed.
The Fly (1986)
We mentioned "grotesque", so let’s turn to a film whose reputation rests significantly on shocking, grotesque imagery, crafted by master David Cronenberg. This masterpiece, which somehow became a box office hit and brought body horror into the mainstream, follows scientist Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), who merges with a wandering fly during a teleportation experiment gone wrong. From that point begins a horrifying physical transformation, thanks to the incredible makeup and effects by Chris Walas, winning an Oscar for his work here.
Where’s the romance, you ask? In this case, it's a romantic tragedy: before the failed experiment, Brundle begins a relationship with a lovely journalist, Veronica (Geena Davis), who watches in heartbreak as her beloved becomes a monster. It ends utterly tragically - and in retrospect, this sad story may not seem like it belongs on this list. But damn, it's a beast of a movie.
Interview with the Vampire (1994)
Yes, another vampire film. This sub-genre is dominant here for a reason. There’s no need to expand on the sexual symbolism that has been associated with vampires since time immemorial - repressed desires and seductive imagery. But this time, there’s a modern twist: not just eroticism, sexual symbolism, and innuendo, but with a wildly sexy LGBTQ vibe!
Even 32 years after Neil Jordan’s luscious period vampire drama, adapted from Anne Rice’s novel, it remains an excellent date movie. The story spans nearly 200 years in the lives of a vampire trio: the tormented Louis (Brad Pitt), the hedonistic Lestat (Tom Cruise, who initially turns Louis into a vampire), and young, mesmerizing Claudia (Kirsten Dunst), whom hesitant Louis turns into a vampire. Together, they form a kind of twisted family, and the shifting dynamics provide fascinating psychological undertones, raising questions of guilt, faith and morality. But the main focus, for us, is Louis’ repressed sexuality versus Lestat’s bold, exaggerated desires. Does he struggle only with his tragic fate as an unwilling immortal, or also with hidden sexual drives toward Lestat’s father/lover figure?
The sexuality oozes from this decadent, rich, entertaining work, which also benefits from outstanding performances - Pitt is fine, but Dunst is simply incredible, as is Cruise, who crafts a predatory, seductive figure entering the canon of great vampire portrayals. And above all: despite the torment, depression, and Louis’ somewhat exhausting existential crises (200 years in the closet, bro?), this is a highly erotic, juicy and alluring film, regardless of sexual orientation.
Heart Eyes (2025)
At first glance, this charming film might seem like just another slasher. And indeed, it is a slasher, but definitely not exclusively. In fact, Heart Eyes is first and foremost a romantic comedy, and this refreshing combination makes it something a bit different. Something refreshing.
The story unfolds against a backdrop of murders of couples in love, committed by a serial killer nicknamed Heart Eyes for the mask he wears. Ellie (Olivia Holt), working in marketing for a jewelry company, must meet advertiser Jay (Mason Gooding) to promote a new line after their bosses killed the initial pitch. She’s recently separated from her partner, cynical about romance, and initially not thrilled about collaborating with Jay. At first, there’s no extraordinary chemistry during their restaurant meeting. if anything, the opposite. But then something clicks, and they get closer - until Heart Eyes attacks. During this harrowing, twist-filled night, their blossoming romantic bond strengthens while facing some particularly bloody trials.
With a healthy dose of self-awareness (and never too smug about it; We're looking at you, Scream movies), Heart Eyes effectively and entertainingly blends the best of both worlds - slasher and romantic comedy. It’s full of humor and heart, while maintaining an impressive, creative level of the required graphic bloodletting. Film lovers, especially fans of both genres that birthed this hybrid, will enjoy spotting clever references to memorable works in the respective genres, and the clever way the film plays with clichés. In short: a great movie that slipped under the radar for many, nestled perfectly on the fine line explored in this here list. Bravo.