The point of horror is not merely to terrify, but also to elaborate on the various aspects of the human condition — from alternative psychology and social commentary to the power of hope. In many ways, this genre can be considered to be close to the heart, quite like romance, although both of them affect viewers in very different ways.
Still, this relationship cannot be discarded simply because they have the opposite impact. It can be argued that it's possible to reexamine them as versions of each other, given their focus on character development, mood, and emotion. Which horror movies are the most likely candidates to be visualized as romance, though?
8 The Shining (1980)
Jack Torrance is an abusive man, both towards his wife and little boy. This much is clear from their interactions together, but when locked up in a desolate hotel with no human around for miles, his mind begins to fray at the edges, leading to one of Kubrick's arguably best works.
Instead, could the pair have spent their time alone trying to mend what's left of their marriage? Sure, Jack's writing career needs the front burner, but that doesn't mean he necessarily has to devolve into a maniac. He and Wendy could potentially rebuild the fiery love they once shared for each other.
7 It Follows (2014)
Jay is horrified to discover that she has been cursed with a demon hellbent on taking her life because her beau transfers it to her after they have sex for the first time. Her journey is riddled with people who don't acknowledge her fears until they are consumed by the supernatural presence.
It Follows can also be envisioned as the tale of a young woman who experiences the joys of physical pleasure in a sex-positive manner. No judgment, no questions, only someone who prefers casual flings to long-term relationships. In fact, the antagonist in the romantic version of the film could easily be society and its conventions.
6 Pet Sematary (1989)
Pet Sematary is an excellent example of Stephen King's horror style: it incorporates everything from family dysfunction to First Nations mythology to zombie children. The poor Creeds endure hardship after hardship, the deaths starting with their beloved cat and moving further and further into their family.
One interesting way to romanticize the script would be to make both adults single, and with one child each, finally meeting each other in the sleepy town of Ludlow, where they start a new family, Brady Bunch-style, and learn a pleasant lesson or two about true undying love. It's quite helpful that the children are young enough to not require screentime that is better reserved for the adults in love.
5 Under The Skin (2013)
Scarlett Johansson plays the role of a curious alien "invader", touring across Scotland in her plain van, looking for men to meet. What she does with them is far from clear, except that they are led into a strange watery dimension from which there is no escape.
Retaining her alien identity, but changing her motivations from inscrutable to romantic would make this a rather fascinating movie to watch. In other words, a love affair between a human and an extra-terrestrial learning the meaning of real human love together.
4 The Others (2001)
The Others is already rife with romantic overtones: it is Grace Stewart's longing for the return of her husband from the war that makes the movie so emotionally rich.
The fact that she and her children are the actual ghosts is irrelevant because Charles is one too; the only problem is that he desires to return to "the front", rather than remaining behind with his family. Perhaps this implies that he wants to move on, but he could have theoretically remained behind with the woman he once loved so much. A bitter–but ultimately satisfying–romantic twist.
3 The Witch (2015)
The Witch is an eerie story about a family who gets exiled into the wood for sacrilege, where they are exposed to the terrors of the landscape and their own religious piety.
Revising the narrative as a period piece, set in the 17th century, can show how an adoring couple raises their children in an unforgiving society. The romance in The Witch can be derived from the simple pleasure of Early Modern domesticity in the New World.
2 Train To Busan (2016)
As zombie movies go, Train to Busan is one of the better ones: the plot takes the audience on a high-speed adventure while remaining steeped in the sentimental. Seok-woo crosses several hurdles to save his daughter, Su-an, from an invasion of the dead, and finally succeeds, but loses his life in the process.
Parent/child dynamics have done very well in romantic movies throughout the years and a more romantically focussed version of Train to Busan could play like a much more high-octane Sleepless in Seattle or even a Definitely, Maybe situation, telling various stories from across the vast zombie apocalypse wasteland.
1 A Quiet Place (2018)
A Quiet Place is frightening not because of the monsters, but because it implies that the whole world has come to a permanent end. Within this setting, a small family thrives, until their youngest son gets killed, and after a long and terrifying fight, the father follows suit. It's up to the mother and two older kids now, and they somehow manage to weaponize sound in order to defeat the creatures attacking them.
Given the woodsy ambiance of the movie (and maybe increasing the characters' ages), A Quiet Place can turn out to be a decent On Golden Pond (1981), sans the children, of course. If Katharine Hepburn and Henry Fonda could do it, John Krasinsky and Emily Blunt wouldn't find it very difficult. Besides, they already have that romantic silent dance scene working in their favor.
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