Seven Heart-Wrenching Paranormal Romance Movies
Horror and Romance don’t mix…or do they?
Love probably isn’t one of the first elements that come to mind when most people think about horror. But the genre has had its share of memorable romances. Typically, these involve a relationship between a “normal” person and a supernatural entity.
Most major types of horror movie monsters have been featured in this subgenre at one time or another. Well, except for a couple of the famous Universal characters. I suppose it would be difficult for someone to fall in love with The Mummy or The Creature From The Black Lagoon.
But whether it’s a vampire, zombie, werewolf, killer robot, etc, the old “lovers that come from different worlds” Shakespearean trope never becomes passe.
Of course, most of these relationships end in tragedy. This is the horror genre, after all! Here are seven heart-wrenching paranormal romance movies.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, a rare Iranian horror movie, stars Sheila Vand, as the titular girl. Vand, who also played a major role in The Rental, which appeared in last week’s list post, is a seductive and sultry vampire who stalks a small town. When she’s not frightening children or drinking blood, she enjoys dancing to British punk rock music alone in her apartment.
The Girl encounters Arash (Arish Marandi), an aimless local man. He is entranced by her, even when she admits to have done evil things. Ultimate, Arash cannot resist his attraction to The Girl, even when he realizes that she’s a monster.
A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night is an evocative mixture of the horror, noir, and western genres. The fiery chemistry between Marandi and Vand make the movie unforgettable.
Watch A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night on Amazon Prime
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Admittedly, calling this a romance is a bit of a stretch. After all, Frankenstein’s monster doesn’t meet his bride until the final scene of the film. Still, this is an iconic pairing that has influenced countless movies over the past several decades, including Bride of Chucky and The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
The Monster (played again by Boris Karloff) is again having a rough time after his travails in the original Frankenstein (1931). After another murder spree, and a disastrous attempt to make friends with a blind dude, Frankenstein is eager to meet his new bride (played by an uncredited Elsa Lanchester). For him, it’s love at first sight Sadly, he becomes heartbroken when he realizes that she is terrified of him.
Despite her lack of screentime in this movie, the Bride has become a pop culture icon. She has appeared in numerous movies, shows, and comic books. She’s a great contrast to the original Frankenstein’s monster. They are so similar, yet so different as well.
Watch Bride of Frankenstein on Peacock
Deadly Friend (1986)
Wes Craven’s Deadly Friend is about Paul (Matthew Laborteaux), a teenage science nerd who uses his knowledge of robotics to bring his brain-dead crush, Samantha (Kristy Swanson), back to life. Unfortunately, she turns into a murderous cyborg who obliterates anyone whom she considers a threat. But Paul is still head over heels for Samantha, and he’s determined to be with her no matter what.
Despite Craven’s direction and an adorable Swanson as the love interest, Deadly Friend is an incoherent mess. The movie was ruined by massive production issues and studio interference, which destroyed Craven’s original vision for the film. The heartbreaking part about this movie is that it had so much potential. What a waste.
Today, however, the movie works as a hilarious ’80s cheesefest. A scene where Samantha obliterates her neighbor’s head with a basketball has become an internet meme. But nothing beats the conclusion. Deadly Friend caps off 91 minutes of senseless insanity with one of the most ridiculous and unintentionally hilarious twist endings you’ll ever see.
Watch Deadly Friend on Apple TV
Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
Eccentric teenager Lisa (Kathryn Newton) falls for The Creature (Cole Sprouse), a reanimated zombie-like monster from Victorian England, in this rambunctious romcom spoof. The film appears to be influenced by director John Hughes’s famous ’80s comedies (although Hughes never directed a horror film) and also obviously by the Frankenstein franchise.
Kathryn Newton is always fun to watch. She has appeared in a ton of horror movies over the past several years, but this is definitely her weirdest role yet.
Lisa Frankenstein is a straightforward retro romance. It didn’t receive a whole lot of attention when it came out earlier this year, probably because it feels like it belongs to a bygone era. It’s an 80s throwback with little depth but plenty of entertainment value.
Watch Lisa Frankenstein on YouTube
Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993)
Return of the Living Dead 3 is set in the same universe as the previous installments, but features none of the characters from ROTLD 1 and 2. The U.S. military is conducting secret experiments on zombies. They’re using poison zombie gas to turn the undead into super soldiers.
After his gorgeous girlfriend Julie (Mindy Clarke ) is killed in a motorcycle accident, military brat Curt (J. Trevor Edmond) sneaks her corpse into his dad’s military base and uses the experimental gas to revive her. Julie is reanimated as a zombie and somehow becomes even hotter.
After escaping from the base, the couple fights a gang, encounters a sympathetic transient, and survives a harrowing chase through the local sewer system. Eventually, they make it back to the military base for a conclusion that’s explosive in more ways than one.
Return of the Living Dead 3 is a silly movie, but it has a surprisingly heartfelt love story at its center. Edmond and Clarke take their roles seriously and never try to play down to the material, which makes their characters’ relationship work.
Watch Return of The Living Dead 3 on Tubi
Thelma (2017)
This is definitely one of the most offbeat horror romance movies in recent memory. Hailing from Norway, Thelma is about, well, Thelma (Eli Harboe), a sheltered Christian college freshman who is living away from her parents for the first time. Thelma has never been in love before, but she falls hard for her pretty classmate, Anja (Kaya Wilkins).
Unbeknownst to Thelma, her parents have repressed her memories of her childhood supernatural abilities. A flashback reveals that young Thelma accidentally killed her baby brother by trapping him under an icy lake.
Thelma has the power make people disappear and reappear. She can also subconsciously manipulate others to do her bidding. Once Thelma realizes the extent of her abilities, a horrifying question emerges: does Anja really love her back, or is Thelma forcing her to be in the relationship?
Thelma is obsessed with Anja and is willing to use her powers against anyone who wants to keep them apart. This movie does a nice job with character development. Thelma starts off meek and naive and then believably transforms into a dangerous malevolent force.
Warm Bodies (2013)
Last but not least in the surprisingly common “zombie romance” subgenre is Warm Bodies. Reversing the gender roles of Return of the Living Dead 3, Warm Bodies is about a zombie, known only as “R” (he can’t remember his full human name) who fall in love with pretty blonde Julie (Teresa Palmer).
Unfortunately, R faces a couple of obstacles. Julie is 1. alive and 2. has a boyfriend. But you can’t keep a lovestruck zombie down! R attempts to woo Julie, who is at first horrified, but later intrigued, by her undead suitor.
Warm Bodies is maybe the only horror love story movie made from a zombie’s perspective. It’s an oddball take on the old Romeo and Juliet formula. Like Lisa Frankenstein, it is a surprisingly sweet mix of horror and romcom.
What Will They Think of Next?
What strikes me the most about these movies is their creativity. They all find a way to put a unique spin on paranormal romance movies, even if their ideas aren’t always executed to their full potential (looking at you, Deadly Friend). Hopefully filmmakers will continue to find new and innovative takes on horror love stories. Personally, I would like to see more horror romance movies depicted from the perspective of the monsters.
