Swoon in Fear for the Best Couples in Horror

This article covers the best romances in horror movies and horror TV.

---

An uneasy feeling grows in the pit of your stomach, You can’t eat, you can’t sleep. All of your attention is focused in one direction and time seems to stop. Is it fear? No, it’s love!

Among all the murder and mayhem, romance rises up in all its beating-heart glory. Sometimes the horror is committed in the name of love, other times in spite of it. Recently, we’ve seen horror films that feature modern dating, like Companion or Flesh, or couples going through unbelievable terror, such as The Conjuring or Together. But true love has a knack for sticking to the bitter, bloody end — one way or another. Here’s our list:

• The Phantom of the Opera
• Candyman
• Bride of Chucky
• Scream
• The Crow
• The Mummy Returns
• The Shape of Water
• Interview with the Vampire
• Your Monster
• The Addams Family

With that, be warned. If you’re searching for sweet romance you better look elsewhere. While these horror couples are all deserving of their spots, most of them couldn’t truly be categorized as a happy ending. But who wants that?

---

The Phantom & Christine Daaé

• Movie: The Phantom of the Opera
• Year: 1925

Cue the organ! Eric, AKA The Phantom, gives understudy all new meaning in The Phantom of the Opera. Lon Chaney’s face of ghastly surprise when Christine Daaé unmasks him is iconic. Yet before that, their tender interactions betray a love that could have flourished under different circumstances. The lore of Gaston Leroux’s novel is further amplified with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical, which gave legendary music to an already beloved monster.

---

Candyman & Helen

• Movie: Candyman
• Year: 1992

Sometimes love just really stings. Over the course of the film, Helen and the Candyman engage in a tense back-and-forth of murders, with Candyman following Helen at an arm’s length while she unravels the pain of his past. By the film’s fiery end, it becomes clear that Helen and Candyman share a deep connection. Even in the treacherous catacombs of horror, destiny can still taste sweet.

---

Chucky & Tiffany

• Movie: Bride of Chucky
• Year: 1998

Whereas Frankenstein’s Monster and the Bride of Frankenstein never quite hit it off, these two little monsters certainly share a few common hobbies. Chucky and Tiffany Valentine love to play dangerous games. At the end of the day, you just need somebody to match your freak. And if there’s one thing these two killer dolls are gonna do, it’s be murderous freaks. Mischief makes the heart grow fonder!

---

Billy & Stu

• Movie: Scream
• Year: 1996

Hold the phone … did you think this would be Sidney and Billy? No way. Don’t deny it — these two crazed killers belong together. Maybe because Sidney deserves better but also mainly because the chemistry between Billy & Stu is literally dripping in red, red blood. Watch them during that climactic reveal and tell me you aren’t feeling a little woozy.

---

Eric Draven & Shelley Webster

• Movie: The Crow
• Year: 1994

Everything about The Crow screams gothic romance. From the heavy makeup to the all-leather getup, Eric Draven is any goth romantic’s dream. Plus, the heavily stylized film adaption of the comic book plays into the dark and dreary aspects of love and all the tragedy it brings. Eventually Eric and Shelley find peace after death, but the road getting there is paved with gruesome violence.

---

Imhotep & Anck-su-namun

• Movie: The Mummy Returns
• Year: 2001

An illicit affair between Imhotep, the Pharaoh’s priest, and Anck-su-namun, the Pharaoh’s wife, sets a curse in motion that lasts thousands of years. The love between these two is passionate and all-consuming yet, ultimately, a curse upon themselves. When Anck-su-namun abandons Imhotep to a pit of hellish demons, he whispers her name in disbelief and the heartbreak in his voice will certainly live on for a thousand years more.

---

The Amphibian Man & Elisa

• Movie: The Shape of Water
• Year: 2017

There’s plenty of fish in the sea but only one Amphibian Man. Horror fans have been entranced by this concept since Creature from the Black Lagoon but Guillermo del Toro plunged audiences into a full-on fishy love story with The Shape of Water. A certain air of melancholy is to be expected but it’s more than refreshing to see two outsiders find happiness in each other, despite the odds stacked against them.

---

Louis & Lestat

• Series: Interview with the Vampire
• Year: 2022

Even immortal vampires are allowed to be toxic. And in the case of these two eternally bound lovers, their relationship is absolutely spilling out of the coffin with toxicity. It’s fascinating to watch but Louis de Pointe du Lac and Lestat de Lioncourt really do put each other through the wringer. Admittedly they have a lot to deal with aside from navigating love so it’s never a dull moment with these two. From flaming French Quarter flats to blood-soaked Parisian theatres, Louis and Lestat leave destruction wherever they go … including into each other’s beds.

---

Laura & Monster

• Movie: Your Monster
• Year: 2024

Your Monster is that special type of film that blends multiple references and influences while still managing to emerge with something altogether unique. A messy breakup for aspiring actor Laura brings forth a not-so-cute meet with Monster. This beastly creature is living in her house and as they learn to cohabitate, an unlikely romance begins to bloom. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you might even be shocked at who gives in to their inner monster.

---

Gomez & Morticia

The Addams Family

• Movie: The Addams Family
• Year: 1991

Cara mia … Mon cher … Pardon their French! All other horror romances pale in comparison to Gomez and Morticia Addams. All it takes is a sweeping tango, a sultry stare, and kisses along Tish’s arm, and these two are setting the example for dark devotion. On the surface they may appear macabre, and their definition of a good time is certainly spooky, but the love between these two is absolutely killer. Every version of this couple has its charm, but the films of the 1990s certainly have that … je ne sais quoi.

---

Romance isn’t dead! Who are your favorite couples in horror movies and television?

Join the conversation with other horror fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!