Love Bites – 10 Recent Romantic Horror Movies Ranked

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Horror for Lovers

If you are feeling a little bit left out by our lists on 10 Horror Movies With Murderous Couples and 10 Anti Valentine’s Day Horror Movies, this is the list for you.

All of these movies follow a shared theme – Love. Whether it’s the kind of love that follows into the afterlife, the kind that refuses to die or the kind that won’t give up on a relationship. All of these horror movies make for perfect Valentine’s Day viewing. If you are a big fan of February the 14th, fire a couple of these up with your significant other and have a great time.

I have reviewed a few of these but have watched all of them. Contrary to some of my other lists, all of these movies are easy recommends, so nothing here is objectively bad. I’ll probably get around to reviewing them at some point and will update the list when I do. Let’s take a look.

🍫 At a Glance: Top 5 Horror Romances

10. Lisa Frankenstein (2024) – It’s Alive (and in Love)!

The Love Story: Odd girl Lisa falls in love with a reanimated corpse and the pair begin a blood soaked journey to put his body back together again in this comedic ode to the 80’s. A lot of the movies on this list are focused on outsiders love and Lisa Frankenstein is just one of them.

Knockout Verdict: Teenage dream turned nightmare.

I am really happy to see that Paranormal Activity 4‘s Kathryn Newton is still acting as she was the only decent thing about that movie. She is the star of our first entry into this list and it is brand new this year, Lisa Frankenstein.

Lisa Frankenstein isn’t a great movie, let’s be honest. But it looks nice thanks to its almost pitch perfect 80’s veneer and is as quirky as a farting grandma so makes for a great option for some light Valentine’s Day horror viewing. Fun but don’t expect too much.

9. The Retreat (2021) – Fight for Your Love

The Love Story: The Retreat is a nice little cat and mouse style horror thriller that makes for a great option if you are looking for something a little more hi-octane. It manages to subvert expectation at a number of points and features a strong sense of “love overcoming the odds” that makes it a great option for some Valentine’s day viewing.

Knockout Verdict: Survival is the ultimate test.

We are kicking off this list at number 10 with The Retreat. Young couple Renee and Valerie are heading out to a cabin in the woods to spend a pre-wedding weekend getaway with their friends. When they arrive, however, their friends are nowhere to be found. Instead of spending time relaxing and having fun, the pair are forced into a fight for survival against a group of militant extremists.

This is by no means a bad movie. It’s actually really quite enjoyable, despite its flaws. It takes a bit of a slamming from viewers for being a bit too dark, with regards to lighting, not theme, which is fair enough but some of the criticism levied at this movie is completely unfair. It presents an alternative depiction of love conquering against the odds. We awarded The Retreat 3/5 in our review.

8. After Midnight (2019) – Heartbreak is a Monster

The Love Story: After Midnight, at its heart, is a romance movie disguised as a horror. This movie attempts to blur the line between reality and metaphor while telling a decent story about a relationship gone wrong and the grief that comes from that. It has just enough in the scare department to make it work.

Knockout Verdict: Love bites.

Hank’s girlfriend has left him with little more than a note to explain why. Ever since, he has been haunted by a monster that stalks his home every night. Hank’s friends refuse to believe him but Hank is determined to prove them wrong and get his life back together in the process.

Directed, written by, and starring Jeremy Gardner. A lot of people dislike After Midnight for one simple reason – it is a romance movie. It has horror themes, sure, but this is really a story about love.

Sure, it looks a little low budget in parts and Hank singing the entirety of Lisa Loeb’s “Stay, I Missed You” on a karaoke machine is just as abhorrent as it was in Homewrecker. But, overall, this is an enjoyable movie. We awarded After Midnight 3/5 in our review.

7. Nina Forever (2015) – Three’s a Crowd

The Love Story: It presents the idea of grief in a literal sense as Rob is haunted by his undead girlfriend. The movie deals with themes of love, death, baggage and moving on after a loss. Fiona O’Shaughnessy is tons of fun as Nina and the movie provokes genuine laughs on numerous occasions while always managing to stay sincere and heartfelt.

Knockout Verdict: Baggage has never been bloodier.

Nina Forever is a British horror comedy from 2015. It follows the story of Rob who recently lost his girlfriend in a car accident. After a failed suicide attempt, Rob decides it is time to get his life back on track and begins dating co-worker Holly. Little does he realise that Nina will soon be reappearing in his life and it just so happens to be at the most inconvenient times.

Nina Forever is very similar to the American horror comedy Life After Beth but, in my opinion, it is slightly better. It has its flaws and the pacing can feel massively off at times but Nina Forever is a great option for some Valentine’s Day horror laughs.

6. A Ghost Waits (2020) – Haunted Heart

The Love Story: At its heart, it is an enjoyable horror comedy that does a nice job of presenting haunting as a job, complete with the bureaucracy that goes along with it. Think Beetlejuice but much lower budget and far less fantastical. There’s a cute love story here with a satisfying ending.

Knockout Verdict: Love from the other side.

How about a weird little independent romantic horror movie for our next entry? Odd job man Jake is tasked with cleaning a house. The only thing is, the house turns out to be haunted. Initially sceptical, Jake begins to believe in the events he is experiencing. Little does he realise that he will soon fall in love with the spirit haunting the house.

Presented entirely in black and white, A Ghost Waits has a little bit of that indie feel that just so happens to come along with movies like Skinamarink and the like. It won’t appeal to everyone but fans of romantic horror should definitely check A Ghost Waits out.

5. Bones and All (2022) – Love You to Pieces

The Love Story: This is another coming of age romance horror movie that actually has a fair bit of gore. The story is a fairly simple tale about love between outsiders and lacks the typical structure of a horror movie. But it works pretty well and has enough of both elements to make it a decent Valentine’s day horror option.

Knockout Verdict: Love is a hunger.

Timothée Chalamet sure is in a lot of movies lately, isn’t he? In Bones and All, he stars alongside Taylor Russell as a pair of cannibals that embark on a cross country road trip together. After falling for each other, the pair leave a trail of blood behind them. Begging the question of whether their love can overcome how different the pair are from the rest of the world. And whether they can survive against the greatest of odds.

I think Bones and All may divide viewers a bit as it seems to be too close to a romance movie for horror fans and too gory for romance fans. For those who like a bit of both, this may scratch that itch perfectly.

4. Warm Bodies (2013) – Zombie Charming

The Love Story: This one is sort of like a zombie-horror version of Romeo and Juliet (surely hinted at with the main characters R and Julie) with two people from very different worlds falling in love against all odds. Warm Bodies is a sweet little movie that sometimes misses the mark a bit but always manages to reel you back in with just how charming it is.

Knockout Verdict: He’s dead serious about her.

We have a zombie movie with a difference next with Warm Bodies from 2013. This movie, weirdly enough, is told from the zombie’s point of view and follows undead man R as he wanders the earth. After saving a young woman from a group of his fellow zombies, R falls in love with the woman who, despite being suspicious, eventually grows fond of him. As the pair’s bond increases, R begins to return to life offering hope to humanity as a whole.

It’s not very scary but it has enough heart to make it a perfect option for Valentine’s Day. There certainly aren’t too many movies in the horror world remotely like it.

3. Spontaneous (2020) – Live Like You’re Dying

The Love Story: As the students explode around Mara and Dylan, they are forced to learn a way to carry on enjoying life without ever knowing if they could be next.

Knockout Verdict: Love is explosive.

Spontaneous stars Charlie Plummer, of The Clovehitch Killer fame, and follows the story of a pair of students attempting to survive in a world where all of their high school classmates are spontaneously exploding. There really isn’t too much to say about this one as it really is as simple as it sounds. It seems strange but actually really works. Spontaneous plays out as a coming of age horror that really emphasises the need to live every day as if it is your last.

It’s extremely heavy on the metaphors but the plot works perfectly to emphasise the reality of human life. Director Brian Duffield also manages to make you buy into the students and actually care for them which is quite impressive. It provokes genuine emotion in many viewers as the story bounces between the funny and the tragic. This is a legitimately underrated romantic-horror and a perfect option for Valentine’s Day viewing.

2. Spring (2014) – A Monstrous Love

The Love Story: The thing with Spring is that it is a full on romance movie. It just so happens to have enough horror to make it fit into the genre. It’s the quintessential romantic horror when it comes to indie arthouse films.

Knockout Verdict: Love evolves.

I think if you asked a lot of horror fans to name a romantic horror movie off the top of their heads, Spring would be one of the most common suggestions. Directed and written by Justin Benson, who also starred in and produced After Midnight as well as directing the brilliant Resolution. Spring follows the story of Evan, an American man who is experiencing a great deal of turmoil in life so flees to a small town in Italy. While there, he meets and falls in love with a woman who happens to be hiding a truly monstrous secret.

Full disclosure, my partner and I didn’t really like this movie but it just fits the theme so well. Taking my own personal preference away, this is a really popular title that a lot of people enjoy. The problem with Spring, in my opinion, is that it just tries to be so many different things to so many different types of viewers. It can feel a bit lost and the ending doesn’t really help that. Still, it is a perfect Valentine’s Day horror so give it a try.

1. Let The Right One In (2008) – Innocent Blood

The Love Story: The story here goes deep and to places you may not expect. Touching on themes of acceptance regardless of identity and love against the odds. The innocence displayed here between the relationships and the themes at play make Let The Right One In a truly touching love story that creeps up on you.

Knockout Verdict: Let love in.

One of my all time favourite horror movies. Let The Right One In could best be described as a coming of age, vampire, horror romance movie. Following the story of viciously bullied school boy Oskar and his relationship with Eli, a mysterious girl that moves in to his block of apartments. Let The Right One In weaves a tale of innocent outsider love between two people who simply don’t fit in to normal society.

It’s also a bloody great horror movie with a brilliant story and deserves massive praise for washing away the awful taste left by terrible romantic-horror vampire flicks such as Twilight. Awesome stuff and perfect Valentine’s Day horror viewing. We awarded Let The Right One In 4.5/5 in our review.

Till Death Do Us Part

There you have it, 10 movies that prove love really can survive anything… even a zombie apocalypse. Whether you are spending the day with a significant other, a reanimated corpse, or just a tub of popcorn, these films offer the perfect blend of romance and terror. Who needs roses when you have arterial spray?

If this was a little too mushy for you, don’t worry. We have the antidotes ready. Check out our 10 Anti-Valentine’s Day Horror Movies or our list of Murderous Couples for something a bit nastier. Thanks for reading Knockout Horror, enjoy your movie night! Why not stick around? You can always check out some horror reviews, some horror ending explained articles or some horror lists?

🌹 Quick Picks: The Best Romantic Horror Movies by Vibe

The “Date Night” Pick: Warm Bodies (2013)
For when you want something cute. It’s Romeo and Juliet with zombies. Funny, sweet, and surprisingly heartwarming.

The “Masterpiece” Pick: Let The Right One In (2008)
For when you want cinema. A stunning, snowy vampire tale about the bond between two lonely outsiders. It is beautiful and brutal.

The “Tearjerker” Pick: Spontaneous (2020)
For when you want to cry. It uses exploding teenagers as a metaphor for the fragility of life and love. Bring tissues.

The “Weird” Pick: Spring (2014)
For the adventurous couple. Think Before Sunrise meets H.P. Lovecraft. A cosmic romance set against a gorgeous Italian backdrop.

The “80s Camp” Pick: Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
For when you want vibes. Neon lights, crimped hair, and a reanimated corpse boyfriend. It’s style over substance, but a lot of fun.

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