Breakups suck. That’s a fact you realize when you’re sitting on your couch, replaying moments from your relationships – good moments that make you cry, horrible moments that make you angry – and you cycle through the stages of grief until you feel better.
A relationship ends, and now there’s a void in your heart and life. You slide into a depression, food doesn’t taste good, and all you want to do is sit around, staring at the wall, remembering your relationship.
But herein lies a guide – a list of horror movies and television shows you can watch to get through the days. It’s for those first days when you’re sitting on your couch in your sweatpants and for those weeks that follow when the sadness has subsided and anger, hurt, and regret flood your mind and you remember those moments you ignored while in the relationship. Lastly, the list ends with a couple of scary gems that will make you hopeful for love while still getting your horror kicks.
I’ve compiled this list from personal experience so I’m with you, my downtrodden ones, and these movies and TV shows have helped pull me from the relationship-ending bell jar.
For my own purposes, I’ve included some mysteries and thrillers because they have horror elements while layering on interpersonal terror to remind you why, sometimes, it’s better to be single.
Let’s begin, brokenhearted horror-philes:
This is the show to binge when you’re on the couch in your sweatpants. Trust me, you’ll get lost in this horror/mystery/thriller hybrid YA show (all 5 seasons are on Netflix!) about 4 friends whose lives are rattled when one of their best friends is murdered. Since it is a teen show, there are plenty of soapy elements to snare in your inner teenager, cute boys (who are all pretty cool, so it helps with your initial disrespect of men immediately following a breakup.) And the best part is watching these 4 friends become de-facto private investigators as they try to solve the mystery of Alison’s murder, all the while avoiding a mysterious figure (named “A”) and the horrifying occurrences that seem to threaten their lives with every turn! As a bonus, there are a TON of Hitchcock references. Have fun finding the Hitchcock Easter eggs, horror fans! Ignore those texts from your ex, binge watch, and enjoy.
Ah, Rosemary’s Baby. A horror classic and the best movie to watch when you’re in your sweatpants phase. You’re sad. You want to text or call them or Facebook stalk them, but instead of doing any of those toxic things, consult Netflix and search for Rosemary’s Baby. The film follows Rosemary, a nice, beautiful, dutiful wife played by Mia Farrow. All Rosemary wants is to have a baby with her ineffectual husband, Guy, but she can’t seem to get pregnant. Guy’s a struggling actor who soon discovers their neighbors are Satanists and they said they can give him success. There’s just one hitch: He needs to pimp out his wife to the devil so she can bear the devil’s spawn….yes, you read that right. Whenever you want to call your ex that did you wrong, pop on Rosemary’s Baby and you’ll remember why, sometimes, it’s way better to be single than in bad company.
Here’s one of the mystery/thriller hybrids that I think works for this list. Clarice Starling is a student at the FBI academy and she gets called for a big case, one being supervised by her teacher (and she’s harboring a serious crush on him). Clarice goes out on the case to find a serial killer named Buffalo Bill before he murders a prominent senator’s daughter. Along the way, Clarice thwarts the sexual advances of many men who objectify her and try to take her power. Instead of being diminished by it, Clarice stands tall and bests them; she proves she’s better, smarter, quicker, even if she’s still a student and (usually) the only woman in the room, surrounded by powerful men. What better to watch when you’re low? So, when you’re crying, feeling powerless, watch Clarice win the day and come back to life.
A slasher film, classic horror and one of my personal favorites. I could watch it any day, but after a breakup, it’s especially helpful. Sydney Prescott, a 17-year-old girl plagued with the trauma from her mother’s murder a year earlier, is thrown into a masked killer’s horrifying game. He murders her friends one by one, and she discovers (SPOILER ALERT) she can’t trust her boyfriend. Feel like going back to him? Maybe you’re remembering some shady moments where you felt like you couldn’t trust him? Watch this slasher classic and you’ll trust your gut and put down the phone before texting him.
Another TV show and a mystery/thriller/horror hybrid on the list. The first season follows the effects a young boy’s murder has on a small coastal town in the UK. An amazing work of writing, direction, cinematography, acting – all around a great show. The show highlights the inherent shadiness of everyday people and will validate those emotions of no longer trusting someone. You know that one guy you got a shady vibe off of? Yeah, trust your gut; stay home and watch “Broadchurch” instead.
A man becomes a monster. Need I say more? Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis meet and hit it off! She’s a promising reporter; he’s a promising scientist. Romance wins? Well, when insecure Jeff Goldblum thinks Geena Davis is getting back with her ex, he inadvertently commences his transformation into a fly. Afterwards he treats Geena with disdain, and thus begins their relationship from hell! He begins his descent into madness as he mutates into a fly, and she becomes his number one victim. This movie will make you grateful that you are single. Your ex isn’t a tortured genius. He’s just a guy turning into a fly… metaphorically, of course. 😉
The slasher movie to watch when you’re remembering all those family trips you made with the ex. A young girl visits her boyfriend’s family, whom she’s meeting for the first time. That’s nerve-wracking on its own. But when a family dinner transforms into a bloodbath, the visit quickly becomes a fight for her life, while family members are picked off one by one. Meanwhile, our lead utilizes her own abilities to survive. But she’ll learn not all is as it seems… especially when it comes to her boyfriend. Again, it will make you grateful you’re single and don’t have to endure horrific visits to your in-laws.
This movie, a horror classic and arguably the first slasher film, follows Marion Crane, a woman who “goes a little mad” one day and steals money to help her illicit lover have enough cash to leave his wife and live with her. Sigh, a woman trying to save a man. Sadly, tragedy befalls her and she becomes a casualty of mommy-issue-having Norman Bates. Want to rescue that emotionally unavailable, no ambition having ex? This movie will give you a nice reminder that you made the right decision. Psycho gets a second shout-out for all the people who have had to deal with exes with mommy issues… it’s nice not having to deal with that anymore, isn’t it?
This begins the last part of my list – the part dedicated to the hope for romance and love. Watch these when you’re over the breakup and dreaming of the next relationship. The Ring follows Naomi Watts, a single mother who seems more focused on her career than her child. But it serves her when she discovers a videotape that can kill you when you watch it. She shows it to her erstwhile man, who is her on and off lover and the absentee father of her son. As the film progresses, we watch her baby daddy become more emotionally available, and we can even see the promise of a rekindling of their relationship and a happily ever after. But alas, it’s a horror movie, and tragedy wins. But if you have that person whom you hope becomes more on than off, this film is a good inspiration to have hope. Sometimes people change and there’s no need for tragedy in real life and romance… if you are very, very lucky.
The last movie on the list and it’s a great one: zombie-romance movie Planet Terror. The film follows a zombie outbreak and the romance that is rekindled by the apocalypse. Ray and Cherry are our leads (Freddie Rodriguez and Rose McGowan). They used to be lovers, but it didn’t work out for an unexplained reason. But with the zombie invasion, they come back together, they fight bad guys, both living and dead, and Ray will go to the ends of the earth for Cherry – and she saves him many times as well. If you love horror and believe in true love, you will love Planet Terror. This movie is perfect for when you’re ready for love again.
This list is meant to help you horror fans that are lonely, sad, and wanting to find something that will help forget your sadness. Watch these movies and TV shows, and it can help bring you back to life. They will remind you: You deserve better. You deserve to be happy. If you didn’t trust your ex, there’s a reason. If you felt like you were being mistreated, then you were. Trust your gut. And there’s true love still out there, especially for horror fans.