Horror couples - crazy in love

Horror is an expansive genre that can include fantastic examples of romance. Sometimes it's a destructive romance that proves to be a net bad for the world; other times it's more complicated than you can imagine. From power couples to toxic pairings- here is your guide to horror couples.

Who comes to mind when you think of power couples in horror? If its not Ed and Lorraine Warren from The Conjuring series, I'd say you're crazy. Ed and Lorraine's sweet and wholesome love for each other is a staple of The Conjuring, The Conjuring 2, and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. Lorraine's gift/curse is a powerful one that she uses to help those around her, while Ed does what he can to aid her in the righteous fight against demons. At the end of the day, they always end up in each other's arms.

Gomez and Morticia Addams prove to be another famous power couple of the horror genre. While the husband and wife pairing has been around since the '30s, I think their best portrayal is in The Addams Family (1991) and Addams Family Values (1993). The 90's classics are fantastic movies, and this version of Gomez and Morticia are sexy and obsessed with each other.

Now for a couple who do not begin their film as an item: Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in The Mummy (1999). Rick is a handsome and daring American while Evelyn is a beautiful and brave intellectual. They make the perfect couple in their journey throughout The Mummy, with heavy sexual tension and playful banter throughout.

Let's get into the couples that start cute and turn corrupted. With tragic ends, at least we can look back at the love that once was in An American Werewolf in London (1981). David Kessler finds a perfect companion in Nurse Alex Price while in the hospital after his attack. Unfortunately, David's fate is already set in stone and his lover can only watch as the inevitable plays out.

There is a similar story within The Fly (1986), starting with a sweet romance between scientist Seth Brundle and Journalist Ronnie. Seth falls victim to his own creation and is slowly mutated into a monstrous fly throughout the movie. While Ronnie tries to support him during the painful process, in the end, their love cannot stand.

Here's everyone's favorite, the toxic couples! Though these couples are certainly made for each other, it cannot be denied that these characters are, putting it mildly, extremely toxic. Up first is the infamous Chucky and Tiffany in Bride of Chucky (1998). Chucky and Tiff are both murderers, while Tiffany does have somewhat of a moral code, and at times it seems that they really loathe each other - a healthy relationship at its finest.

Now here's one you may not have thought of- Hellraiser (1987) and the relationship between Julia and Frank. Frank is a terribly cruel man before and after he comes back from the dimension of cenobites while Julia continuously cheats on her husband with Frank and kills multiple people for him. They're both evil in different ways, and hey, they get what they deserve.

Now for a more recent toxic couple from one of my favorite newer horror movies: X (2022) and the relationship between Pearl and Howard. The two oldies do some pretty terrible things to the porno production group staying on their property. As seen in Pearl (2022), Pearl has always been an absolute delusional psychopath and Howard has apparently come to terms with it. They've been married for around 60 years, so you wonder what other atrocities they've committed in the past. Howard is an enabler of Pearl who is, as correctly stated by Maxine in X, "a kidnapping, murdering sex fiend!"

Now let's get into some complicated couples from movies that have romantic undertones but make you feel extremely conflicted about it. I've always felt this way about Hannibal (2001) and the dynamic between Hannibal Lecter and Clarice. It is a continuation of Silence of the Lambs (1991), which also displays a palpable chemistry between the characters. In Hannibal though, it's a much larger part of the story. Dr. Lecter is infatuated with Clarice and it seems she is scared to come to terms with her feelings with him. The two even share a kiss in a powerful scene that highlights the complexity of each character and the situation as a whole.

Another complicatedly romantic almost-couple is portrayed in Candyman (1992). This movie has beautiful tones of dark romance between Tony Todd's Candyman and Virginia Madsen's Helen Lyle. The romance is harbored in Candyman's tragic backstory as a slave in the late 1800s who fell in love with a white woman and was then horrifically murdered by a group of blood-thirsty racists. Although it is not explicitly stated, Helen seems to be the reincarnation of Candyman's former lover. Scenes with the two of them are magnetic, and his carried-on love for her is interesting to explore. "It was always you, Helen."

To end this dive into horror couples, I'd like to add some honorable mentions that you should consider watching with your significant other. A great Valentine's Day flick that is universally easy to watch and thematically on point would be Ready or Not (2019). If you're not worried that you'll scare off your partner, here are some horror movies that share the theme "I am a crazy person and I am obsessed with you" - High Tension (2003), Creep (2014), Misery (1990), Fresh (2022), The Invisible Man (2020), and Berlin Syndrome (2017). I'll also mention My Bloody Valentine (1981) because although it's obvious, it certainly fits into the festivities of the season. Happy watching and happy love day!