These 6 Horror Couples Are Proof That True Love Never Dies
Ever since I heard the rumor that Frankenstein author Mary Shelley kept the charred remains of her husband Percy Bysshe Shelley’s heart in a drawer, I knew my idea of romance was never going to be normal. So it’s no surprise then that I’m looking forward to Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride! this spring. Another Frankenstein story? Starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale? And they’re playing Bonnie and Clyde in 1930s Chicago? This movie was meant for me.
The Bride! doesn’t premiere until March 6, 2026, but I can be patient—horror is full of love stories to hold me over until then. And with Valentine’s Day coming up as well, there’s no better time to celebrate the six horror couples I may or may not have on my vision board when it comes to romance. I have a feeling I’ll be adding Gyllenhaal’s version of the Bride of Frankenstein and Frankenstein’s Monster to this list in the future….
6. Laura and John Baxter, Don’t Look Now
There’s no way to talk about Don’t Look Now without mentioning the controversial sex scene between Laura (Julie Christie) and John Baxter (Donald Sutherland), the couple at the center of this tragic horror masterpiece.
Still grieving the loss of their daughter, the couple arrive in Venice, where John has accepted a commission to restore a church. Laura’s mood lifts noticeably. The encounter seems to reawaken something between them, and the couple has sex in their hotel room. The three-minute scene is one of the most controversial and erotic sex scenes in cinema, and I don’t think Don’t Look Now would be as effective if it wasn’t in the film.
I’m obsessed with Laura and John, I’m obsessed with this sex scene, I’m obsessed with all the cuts in between of them getting dressed together, how comfortable they are, how loving they are, and I’m going to say it because no one else will—Donald Sutherland is hot. Obviously, Julie Christie is gorgeous, but we need to be honest with ourselves– Sutherland has a certain je nais se quois that just works for me. That man is a husband and a father!
5. Red and Mandy, Mandy
Speaking of men with a certain je nais se quois, it’s hard not to fall in love with Nicolas Cage as Red Miller in Mandy. Red is a lumberjack who lives in the woods with his free-spirited artist girlfriend, Mandy (Andrea Riseborough). Their love for each other is so beautiful—every scene of them together in their cabin reminds me of the best parts of being in love. When Mandy tells Red about the starlings, you can tell he is actively listening to her and feeling her pain. He cuddles her close and comforts her after she finishes telling him her story, and you can’t help but melt.
But as they say, nothing gold can stay, and when the Children of the New Dawn kidnap and kill her, Red stops at nothing to seek revenge, which is sexy, but, ugh. They could have been so happy in their cabin forever if they were in another movie. Oh, well.
4. Thomas and Ellen Hutter, Nosferatu (2024)
Yes, Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) is hot, rotting flesh and all, but I’m less interested in his relationship with Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp) and more interested in her relationship with her delicate husband, Thomas (Nicholas Hoult). From the moment we meet the couple, we know that they have a very healthy sex life. So healthy, in fact, that Ellen begs him to skip work and come back to bed. Who needs money when you’re in love?
But what makes them such a hot couple is that Thomas loves that Ellen is a freak. This man 1.) listened to his wife accuse him of not thinking of her while he was trapped in Count Orlok’s castle, 2.) didn’t question her when she said that Orlok communicates with her, 3.) watched her seize, spit, rip her bodice, and fall into a fit of demonic possession, and 4.) when she crawled up to him, telling him that he could never please her the way Orlok did, he immediately has sex with her, which means he was turned on the entire time. These two are insane! I love them!
3. Sang-hyun and Tae-ju, Thirst
Speaking of freaks, Sang-hyun and Tae-ju are something else. Just look at the poster for this film.
Thirst is a funny, sexy, deranged story about a Roman Catholic priest named Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho) who volunteers as a subject for an experimental procedure that may lead to a cure for a deadly virus. He dies but is quickly resurrected as a vampire after receiving a blood transfusion. He begins slurping all the blood he can find in the hospital, but his hunger doesn’t end there. The once chaste priest is now interested in Tae-Joo (Kim Ok-vin), the beautiful young wife of his childhood friend.
These two chase each other and yearn for each other throughout most of the film, and it’s the will-he-won’t-he (turn her into a vampire) that makes the first half so exciting. Once he does, it’s fun to watch them deepen their relationship as they navigate the power and complications that come with vampirism.
2. Smoke and Annie, Sinners
In the words of Lana Del Rey, when it comes to Smoke (Michael B. Jordan) and Annie (Wunmi Mosaku) in Sinners, my thoughts are, “I’ve always loved the way they loved.” Even though they have been separated since their child’s death, Smoke and Annie can’t let each other go completely. Their relationship is rooted in mutual respect, protection, and devotion. Even after all this time apart, she still has a chokehold on him (when she tells him that his body hasn’t forgotten about her, I nearly fell out of my seat).
In an interview with Vogue, Mosaku said, “I feel like [Ryan Coogler] wrote the greatest love story for Smoke and Annie, and their romance wasn’t even the central plot.” It’s so easy to root for them, and it’s interesting watching how Annie’s spirituality and Smoke’s stern pragmatism work together when the vampires begin attacking the Juke Joint. And of course, their love for each other makes the ending that much more impactful.
1. Marcus and Terry, Weapons
One of the brightest spots in Weapons is Marcus (Benedict Wong) and Terry (Clayton Farris), a happily married couple enjoying the weekend together in their matching Mickey and Minnie Mouse t-shirts. They’ve got seven hot dogs, a bowl of ranch dressing, cookies, carrots, and a TV show about insects to enjoy. Usually, I’m not into domesticity (if anything, this list proves that I’m into things that are a little more intense), but Marcus and Terry make me believe that I can change. Maybe one day I’ll settle down with someone who is willing to eat a bunch of junk food with me. Maybe I’ll willingly wear matching t-shirts with someone. Who knows?!
I love how Terry brings out Marcus’s goofier side and has created the perfect environment where he can relax and unwind after yet another week working at this godforsaken elementary school. In a film as bonkers as Weapons, this brief glimpse into a stable, loving couple’s life is such a relief, which makes everything that happens after they answer the door that much more tragic.
Categorized: Editorials