Ah, Valentine’s Day. A time to shower your significant other with praise, presents, and…petrifying pictures?
Sure, horror movies might not be the most conventional way to celebrate Valentine’s Day – but is there anything more romantic than being snuggled under a blanket feeling your loved one snuggle a little closer into your shoulder as a variety of vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and zombies crowd the screen? Not for my money!
So read on, for a Talking Terror exclusive – every horror film with the word ‘Love’ in the title ever made. Among these are a few bonafide Valentine’s Day horror gems – others have nothing to do with it. The only note – for inclusion in this list, the film’s title had to be a horror, and contain the word ‘love’/’lover’ alone, rather than as part of another word. (So any flick containing “Lovecraft”, or those belonging to the Cloverfield franchise, have been omitted – sorry to all fans of giant aliens/eldritch horrors.)
Believe it or not, such a list has never been made before, which is…kinda fun, I guess? Anyways, enjoy these horror movies for Valentine’s Day!
Chloe, Love is Calling You (1934)
A low-budget drama from the American south about a woman determined to avenge her father’s lynching, and in the process ends up finding out more about her personal history than she’d ever bargained for.
Mad Love (1935)
Adapted from Maurice Renard’s novel The Hands of Orlac, this 90-year-old chiller – about a man’s attempts to restore his hands, after they’re destroyed in a train accident – is considered one of the first body horror films ever made.
Scream of the Demon Lover (1970)
This Italian/Spanish co-production follows a woman who falls in love with her employer, the baron of a remote estate, but soon realises her new boss harbours a deadly secret.
The Vampire Lovers (1970)
A Hammer Horror picture renowned for being ahead of its time in shining a light on lesbian themes, Ingrid Pitt and Peter Cushing star in this lusty adaptation of Joseph Sheridan le Fanu’s 1872 novella Carmilla.
Necromania: A Tale of Weird Love! (1971)
A porno-horror about a married couple who visit a necromancer to seek help for their problems in the sack.
Love Me Deadly (1972)
A coven of satan-worshipping necrophiles (yes, you read that right) move to LA and set up shop in a funeral home.
Count Dracula’s Great Love (1974)
A Spanish vampire yarn starring Paul Naschy as the titular sanguine-sipper.
Death at Love House (1976)
Also known as The Shrine of Lorna Love (which also has the word ‘love’ in it!), it’s a made-for-TV movie about a journalist couple attempting to finish writing a book on an infamous actress named Lorna Love.
The Demon Lover (1977)
While hanging out near a graveyard, a gang of youths end up getting involved with a satanic priest, who summons a demon from hell.
Dream Lover (1986)
A woman begins experimenting with sleep deprivation therapy after being attacked.
Psychos in Love (1987)
A comedic horror about a pair of serial murderers finding love in each other’s arms.
Lovers Lane (1999)
Also known as I’m Still Waiting for You, it’s a turgid, turn-of-the-century slasher that retells the age-old urban campfire legend of The Hook.
Faust: Love of the Damned (2000)
Directed by Society’s Brian Yuzna, it’s a bloody adaptation of the comic book of the same name.
Love Bites (2001)
Asia Argento stars as a femme fatale navigating the underworld of Paris’s nightlife.
Love Object (2003)
Desmond Harrington (of Showtime’s Dexter fame) plays an awkward bloke who falls in love with a particularly realistic sex doll. Still prescient over two decades later.
First Love (2004)
Perhaps more drama than horror, this Italian film – Primo Amore – nevertheless tackles the very real horrors of anorexia.
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)
A cookie-cutter slasher starring Amber Heard as the titular object of male desire.
Grimm Love (2006)
Based on the real-life crimes of Armin Meiwes, Keri Russel and Thomas Kretschmann star as an American student and a German cannibal killer.
To Sir, with Love (2006)
Also known as Bloody Reunion, this South Korean chiller tells the story of a class reunion that descends into a bloody massacre.
Murder Loves Killers Too (2008)
Silly slasher about a perverted killer stalking a group of young women in the woods.
Love Blade (2009)
A film about a woman struggling to lose her virginity due to the fact that she kills someone every time she’s aroused.
The Loved Ones (2009)
Aussie horror that follows a teenage boy who ends up at the twisted mercy of a girl he refused to attend the school dance with.
Must Love Death (2009)
Disappointed in his search for love, a suicidal man attends a support meeting of killers – all of whom are looking for their next willing victim.
Lovely Molly (2012)
Eduardo Sanchez – one half of the brain behind The Blair Witch Project directs a supernatural horror in which a recently married couple are stalked by an evil presence in their new home.
Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)
Directed by Jim Jarmusch and with an ensemble cast including Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddlestone, it’s about the romance between two centuries-old vampires.
Bag Boy Lover Boy (2014)
A horror-comedy in which a hotdog seller is manipulated into becoming the muse of a local photographer, with increasingly sinister results.
The Love Witch (2016)
Pretty much what it says on the tin: about a witch who goes around casting spells to get men to fall in love with her.
Camp Love (2021)
Tells the tale of an adult destination summer retreat gone hideously awry.
Lovely, Dark, and Deep (2023)
A back-country ranger grapples with the demons of her past out in the dangerous wilderness.
Enjoy Your Valentine's Day Horror Movies!
That’s it! Your guide to Valentine’s Day horror – albeit a less typical one – summed up with all 31 horror films to contain the word ‘love’ in them. I’ll be back with more of these lists (which I’m unashamed to call “Talking Terror Exclusives”; we’re all about originality here!) soon. Until then, take care of yourself and your loved ones this February – and stay spooky!
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