Valentine's Day has become a sickly sweet Hallmark holiday. But, as with so many modern holidays, the roots of Valentine's Day are much darker than how we celebrate today. In honor of it's brutal history, here are the best horror movies to watch on Valentine's Day.
My Bloody Valentine (1981) Just as the name suggests this film is perfect if you want your Valentine’s Day to be bloody. This is a classic 80s slasher full of cheesy dialogue, poor choices made by teenagers, and an iconic mask worn by the murderer, known as The Miner. The Miner may hate Valentine’s Day, but I’m sure he’d make an exception if you celebrated by watching this entertaining blood bath.Â
Valentine (2001) This film is the epitome of a 2000s slasher flick. A main cast of hot mean girls being hunted by a vindictive killer. It seems like a lot of this film's plot is taken up by weird relationship problems, as they try to tie it back into Valentine’s Day, but there are some great kill scenes.This film, for the most part, is like any other bad slasher movie from its time, but it's pretty pink hearts decor, intricate murderous Valentine’s Day cards, and gory revenge scenes make it a fun film to add to your horror Valentine’s Day rotation.
The Love Witch (2016) While this film is not explicitly Valentine’s Day themed it does perfectly match this holiday’s aesthetic. The Love Witch is a contemporary movie that is filmed to look like a 1960s technicolor dream. This movie closely follows a young witch as she navigates herself through the hardships of love. And by navigates, I mean she kills the men who vie for her attention. This film explores love through an exaggerated perspective of a woman who is looking for Mr. Right, but every man she meets falls short. This is a great horror film for you if you enjoy more subtle morbidity, rather than over the top gore.
Jennifer’s Body (2009) Jennifer’s Body shows horror through the eyes of a teenage girl; colorful, feminine, and of course murderous. The general upbeat 2000s aesthetic of this film allow the real horror scenes to stand out so much more.This movie is perfect if you are sick of the typical lovey dovey rom-coms or coming of age stories and are looking for a gold old fashioned, ultra feminine, killing spree (with some dark humor to lighten the mood). Prepare for your Valentine’s day to be as pink and poofy as ever, just with some added blood stains.
Lisa Frankenstein (2024) I assume if you’re watching horror on Valentine’s Day you’re looking for a little bit of love gone violent, if this is the case this is the perfect movie for you. Similar to Jennifer’s Body (both written by Diablo Cody, my idol) this film shows horror through a lens of bright feminine energy. Along with the saturated colors, the characters are not your typical horror movie personalities. The murderers/monsters are bright and bubbly all the way through as they fall in love amid the carnage they cause. A perfect film if you still want some true love, no matter how morbid, in your Valentine’s Day horror marathon.
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) A different vibe for the gentle lovers. Picnic at Hanging Rock is based on an Australian historical fiction novel by Joan Lindsay. It’s an Australian film famous for its soft and dreamy visuals. Picnic at Hanging Rock tells the story of a group of school girls from the Victorian Era who are taken on a picnic by the headmistress of their private school. It sounds like a lovely day until something upsetting happens….
Death Becomes Her (1992) Death Becomes Her is a campy masterpiece and is perfect to watch on Valentine’s Day if you wanna laugh at the absurdity of love and jealousy. This film starts like any other romance movie, before revealing its morbid humor and descending into madness. Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn play romantic rivals who’s competition with each other takes a violent turn. This film has it all; elaborate outfits, pastel colors, disturbing body horror, and beautiful production design. If the other films on this list are a bit too bloody for your taste, Death Becomes Her allows you to enjoy all the violence you want with little to no blood or gore.
Raising Cain (1992) I’m a mega-fan of Brian De Palma films, especially his films like this. Raising Cain explores the extreme side of love and possession. De Palma wrote and directed Raising Cain, which stars John Lithgow (always a treat). Raising Cain is for the extreme and unstable lovers out there.
For more, listen to episode 152 of the Lunatics Radio Hour podcast.