Happy impending Valentine’s Day! Despite the commercial holiday being a great time to sell chocolates and flowers, there’s room to make it creepy. Horror movies with themes of love or romantic ideas at their center aren’t uncommon. For this month of love, we’re highlighting the romantic horror subgenre to recommend seven Valentines Day horror movies to watch.
You might find Valentine’s horror movies if you’re looking for a movie to watch for a romantic evening (however that looks for you, solo or with a partner) this holiday. While some of these films aren’t set on Valentine’s Day, they fit the holiday because they embody romantic horror.
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Keep reading to see the recommendations for our best picks for Valentine’s Day horror movies, whether you’re in love, looking for it, or anything in between. Grab some red and pink candy, wrap yourself in a comfy blanket, and don’t run up the stairs if you’re being chased.
My Bloody Valentine
Director: George Mihalka
Writer: Stephen Miller and John Beaird
Synopsis: Years after a murder spree committed by a town’s now infamous killer, a group of teens find themselves being picked off on Valentine’s Day because of ignorance surrounding a local folktale.
Why to Watch: Harry Warden, your killer outfit is cool! My Bloody Valentine is a natural recommendation for a Valentine’s Day celebration. It’s a Canadian cult classic, and it makes the holiday quite hellish with all the blood, kills, and actual scenes filmed in a mine. As far as slashers go, it’s a fun one to throw on, and it’ll leave you wondering why there wasn’t a franchise built off this film. After all, a Valentine’s Day horror franchise would have been quite unique.
Where to watch: AMC+, Paramount+, and VOD.
Hellraiser
Director: Clive Barker
Writer: Clive Barker
Synopsis: A bored woman named Julia (Clare Higgins) aides her lover/brother-in-law in his mission to reconstruct his body after being torn apart in a hellish dimension.
Why to Watch: The concept of the original Hellraiser is all about pain, pleasure, and a twisted kind of love. Hellraiser is a queer horror classic that’s very steeped in eroticism with the visuals. It’s a gross (in the best way) and striking horror film, and it’s the perfect Valentine’s Day horror movie to watch. Julia’s love for Frank (played by multiple actors) is all-consuming, and she’s willing to bring men back to be murdered by Frank for their skin and blood. What’s a little murder with a box of chocolates?
Where to watch: Prime Video, AMC+, Shudder, and VOD.
Valentine
Director: Jamie Blanks
Writer: Tom Savage, Donna Powers, and Wayne Powers
Synopsis: A group of friends are stalked by a mysterious killer days before a Valentine’s Day party.
Why to Watch: Early 2000s slashers like Valentine are often a lot of fun to watch if you’re looking for fun. Valentine is one of the few horror films in which infuses Valentine Day’s into its plot. What should be a time of fun and romance turns bloody for a group of women, as well as anyone else in the killer’s way. The mask is unique, some of the kills are memorable, and it’s a relatively stacked cast. And while the killer reveal is peculiar at best, it’s still worth watching if you want a horror film to throw on for a Valentine’s slasher.
Where to watch: VOD
The Loved Ones
Director: Sean Byrne
Writer: Sean Byrne
Synopsis: A teen boy is kidnapped by a deranged girl and her father after he refuses to take her to prom.
Why to Watch: International horror often goes to certain places, and The Loved Ones is a delightfully deranged example of that. The film isn’t set anywhere near Valentine’s Day, but there are plenty of themes about obsession and a possessive type of desire. Princess (Robin McLeavy) tortures Brent (Xavier Samuel) because he doesn’t want her, and then later realizes what she actually wants. And it’ll leave your eyes widened to astronomical levels. It’s worth throwing on if you’re wanting to see a very unhinged desire to be loved.
Where to watch: Paramount+ and VOD.
My Bloody Valentine (2009)
Director: Patrick Lussier
Writer: Todd Farmer, Zane Smith, and John Beaird
Synopsis: Ten years after a spree of killings, a man returns to his hometown and is faced with accusations when murders start happening again.
Why to Watch: The horror remake boom of the 2000s was up and down in terms of the quality of the films. My Bloody Valentine manages to be a bloody good time, despite the 3D component of the film. It’s got gore, sex, drama, and a bonkers killer reveal that either works for viewers or doesn’t. Regardless, My Bloody Valentine certainly doesn’t fail at what it’s aiming to do. Therefore, if you’re wanting a gory Valentine’s Day set horror remake, look no further!
Where to watch: Prime Video, FuboTV, Plex, Freevee, and VOD.
What Keeps You Alive
Director: Colin Minihan
Writer: Colin Minihan
Synopsis: A queer married couple go on a cabin getaway and things take a sharp turn to the left.
Why to Watch: Twisty horror films like What Keeps You Alive are often quite a ride to watch. The film was initially going to follow a man and a woman, but shifted into a lesbian couple going on a hellish journey together. And therefore it’s a queer horror film about betrayal, what it means to fall in love with someone that isn’t all they seem, and the danger that can come with that. What Keeps You Alive is an anti love story because everything is not what it seems. It’s one of those films that’ll leave you wincing, and you might be inclined to cuddle up as a result.
Where to watch: AMC+, IFC Films, and VOD.
Bones & All
Director: Luca Guadagnino
Writer: David Kajganich and Camille DeAngelis
Synopsis: Two young cannibals fall in love and embark on a road trip that changes their lives forever.
Why to Watch: The concept of cannibalism is very taboo and Bones and All doesn’t shy away from that. Bones and All is a very meditative period piece and the love story between Maren (Taylor Russell) and Lee (Timothée Chalamet) is intense as it is tragic. The film falls under the romantic horror subgenre and the romance can be felt very thoroughly. But this is far from a horror film with a happy ending, so it might be somewhat of a tearjerker, depending on your emotional threshold. Thus making it a fantastic choice for a Valentine’s Day evening.
Where to watch: MGM+ and VOD.
Every holiday has the potential to be a creepy good time, and marathoning Valentine’s Day horror movies sounds like an ideal date.
