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5 genuinely scary, and surprisingly romantic, horror movies that are perfect for date night

For when you want to tear up between jump scares.

horror movies, romantic movies, filmmaking, date night, romantic horror

These five horror movies are surprisingly romantic.

Photo credit: Canva, EricVega (from Getty Images Signature) (left) / inhauscreative (from Getty Images Signature) (right)
Ryan Reed
By Ryan ReedJul 31, 2025
Ryan Reed
Ryan Reed is a contributing writer for GOOD residing in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has contributed to Rolling Stone, Relix, Revolver, SPIN and The New York Times.
See Full Bio

On paper, the notion of a "romantic horror" movie seems absurd, like pairing caviar and Captain Crunch. How much space is there for love amid hauntings and zombies? But when you think about it, the combination is more like bacon and a fruit smoothie—sweet and savory, dark and light. If pursued with a style that’s original and not gimmicky, it’s a satisfying tonal balance to strike. The trouble is finding a creepy, unsettling film you can watch during a date.

But they do exist. If you spend some time searching around Reddit, you’ll see numerous threads devoted to this topic, with hundreds of film buffs suggesting everything from tongue-in-cheek vampire flicks to art-house slashers. In some shape or form, this niche format has existed for decades—directors have been expanding the boundaries of the horror from the very beginning. But it feels like we hit a "romantic horror" renaissance starting in the 2000s, as genre boundaries have blurred to thrilling extremes. Below, we’ve compiled five distinct examples—ones that (probably) wouldn’t ruin the vibe during a cuddly night on the couch. (That said, if you’re not a horror fan whatsoever, you might have better luck with the rom-coms.)

Let the Right One In (2008)

Directed by Tomas Alfredson, this Swedish classic follows a constantly bullied 12-year-old boy who makes friends with a very unusual kid in the same apartment complex. We’ll try to avoid spoilers, but let’s just say the vibe is part Spielbergian pre-teen love story, part atmospheric horror. Crucially, it somehow all hangs together. "Let the Right One In is romantic in a f*cked-up kinda way," wrote one Redditor. Another added, "Yep. I always feel a little spoony at the end of this one!"

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

It was touted in its press release as "the first Iranian vampire western," and that description gives you a solid outline. Director Ana Lily Amirpour creates a stylish, darkly romantic ambiance that carries through most of the film's 101 minutes. "It's one of my favorites," noted one Redditor. "Not really for the horror element (it's not actually very scary at all), but for the atmosphere, the way it's shot, and the romance."

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

Spring (2014)

Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead love to tinker on the fringes of the genre, weaving in science fiction and even comedy elements, depending on the film. Here, they lean into their romantic side, fusing body-horror with a world-traveling love story. "It’s a romantic drama that also happens to be a horror movie," one fan wrote. Another added, "It’s not scary, but Spring is technically a horror film, but the main draw is the romance."

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

Mandy (2018)

OK, we might be taking some creative liberties with this one, but it’s always good to think outside the box—just like director Panos Cosmatos, whose surrealist-action-horror masterpiece erupts on the screen like a pack of Crayola splattered against a black wall. It’s hard to slap the "romantic" label on any film where (SPOILER ALERT) a lumberjack played by Nicolas Cage embarks on a cosmic journey in hopes of annihilating a cult. But there’s an awful lot of heart in both the bonkers script and Cage’s wild-eyed performance. "Primarily a bizarro revenge horror," one Redditor assessed, "but it is love that drives Red to go on his quest to wipe out the Children."

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

Bones and All (2022)

Adapting a 2015 YA novel, director Luca Guadagnino explores the blooming road-trip romance between a pair of young cannibals. The end result, as many Redditors concur, is the subgenre’s textbook definition. "Bones and All is amazing," one fan wrote. "Me and my wife saw it in theaters and it made me cry my eyes out lol, I'm a sucker for young romance. Lots of gross stuff in there too, though, for horror fans."

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

date nighthorror moviesromanticscaryfilmsromantic horrorfilmmakingmovie buffromantic moviesmovies

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