10 Dark Romance Thrillers That Will Make You Rethink Dating

Thriller

movies are exciting experiences that many different kinds of viewers can enjoy. These psychological explorations of the psyche carry deeper meanings around the way we treat one another and how we view our own humanity. It is no wonder why many of them feature dark movie romances that play significant if not central roles in their respective plots. Even the happiest of romances can quickly turn sour in these thrillers, reminding audiences to exercise caution and discernment when it comes to matters of the heart.

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For example, this can be seen clearly in the 1996 film, Fear, when a once loving and devoted boyfriend in a teen romance soon becomes possessive and dangerous with a mysterious past. On the other hand, doomed romances can lead to tragedy within films like Guillermo Del Toro’s gothic hit, 2015‘s Crimson Peak, when a fairytale romance reveals secrets that threaten the happiness of its leading couple. In the end, dark romance thrillers are always captivating, full of twists and turns that many cinema lovers will appreciate.

10

Fear (1996)

Directed By James Foley

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Fear

R

Thriller

Release Date

April 12, 1996

Runtime

97 minutes

Cast

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• 

  Mark Wahlberg

  David McCall

• 

  Reese Witherspoon

  Nicole Walker

• 

  William Petersen

  Steve Walker

• 

  Alyssa Milano

  Margo Masse

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This ’90s flick is an obvious example of the horror romance genre, but that doesn’t mean its twist is easy to anticipate. Fear starts out as a sweet teenage romance between innocent Nicole (Reese Witherspoon) and her too-good-to-be-true boyfriend, David (Mark Wahlberg in his star-making role). However, the romance turns dark when Nicole’s dad suspects David may be lying about his identity.

Fear explores the basic fear of what occurs when being deceived by a partner that one does not truly know fully. In this case, the events play out dramatically as David resorts to stalking, aggression, and crime to continue seeing Nicole. However, Fear‘s genius is in its initial ability to make David a likable character to the audience, who hope the devoted love interest is true in his affection for his girlfriend. In this way, viewers are swept up by his charm just as Nicole is in the film.

9

Taking Lives (2004)

Directed By D.J. Caruso

Another case of false identity is explored in the 2004 horror and crime film, Taking Lives. This story follows Angelina Jolie as Illeana, a skilled FBI agent who is called to Montreal to investigate a string of murders and capture the suspected culprit, Martin Asher, a longtime conman and serial killer. Along the way, she begins an affair with an art dealer who is helping her.

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Taking Lives may appear a simple crime thriller at first, but D.J. Caruso’s thriller is more than meets the eye. This is made clear when Illeana uncovers the terrible truth that James (Ethan Hawke), the dealer who claimed to be helping her with the case and whom she has fallen for, is the real murderer, Martin Asher. This shocking twist is hard for audiences to predict, having rooted for the new couple whose romance blossomed amidst danger and chaos. Ultimately, Illeana uses their connection to capture and kill Martin once and for all.

8

Cruel Intentions (1999)

Directed By Roger Kumble

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Cruel Intentions

R

Drama

Documentary

Romance

Thriller

8/10

16

8.3/10

Release Date

March 5, 1999

Runtime

97 minutes

Cast

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• 

  Sarah Michelle Gellar

• 

  Ryan Phillippe

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Cruel Intentions is another ’90s cult classic thriller that involves deception and falsehood in a romantic relationship. Roger Kumble’s film centers around two entitled step-siblings who use games to mess with their fellow students at their Manhattan prep school. However, when Sebastian (Ryan Phillipe) actually falls for his next target and the headmaster’s innocent daughter, Annette (Reese Witherspoon), he begins to question his former behavior.

Though the main ruse in Cruel Intentions begins as a prank on Annette, involving seduction and manipulation on behalf of the siblings, the love between the romantic leads soon becomes true and real. As a result, Sebastian’s heart changes for the better, but true to a dark romantic thriller, their bond ends in tragedy when Sebastian dies. This unexpected turn of events is jarring, if one expects true love to end in salvation, not misfortune due to the challenging circumstances.

7

Crimson Peak (2015)

Directed By Guillermo del Toro

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Crimson Peak

R

Horror

Documentary

Fantasy

Mystery

Romance

Thriller

5/10

6.6/10

Release Date

October 13, 2015

Runtime

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119 minutes

Cast

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• 

  Charlie Hunnam

• 

  Jessica Chastain

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Once again, appearances are deceiving in the 2015 gothic horror and romance movie from Guillermo del Toro, Crimson Peak. After the tragic death of her rich father, an eccentric author and heiress, Edith (Mia Wasikowska) decides to marry the mysterious inventor and estate owner, Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston). However, their whirlwind romance becomes a nightmare when strange happenings begin at their new home in Crimson Peak.

Throughout Crimson Peak, a sense of tragedy and horror follows, trailing behind its lead, Edith. Besides the presence of haunting supernatural elements, Edith’s marriage to Thomas is by far the most terrifying twist in the film, when it is revealed that he lured her into marriage for money and that he is involved in an incestual relationship with his murderous sister, Lucille (Jessica Chastain). In the end, however, love prevails as it is revealed Thomas and Edith’s affections for one another were genuine, and he dies protecting her to make up for the deceit.

6

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

Directed By Jim Jarmusch

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Only Lovers Left Alive

r

Romance

Horror

10/10

Release Date

December 25, 2013

Runtime

123minutes

Cast

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• 

  Tom Hiddleston

• 

  Tilda Swinton

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Supernatural elements also play a role in Jim Jarmusch’s indie horror and thriller, Only Lovers Left Alive. In this story, lovers and centuries-old vampires, Adam (Tom Hiddleston) and Ava (Tilda Swinton), reunite when Adam becomes depressed and unmotivated. Just as their love for one another seems to revitalize him, the entrance of Ava’s younger vampire sibling endangers their secret.

Only Lovers Left Alive is both dreary and, at the same time, hopeful. Adam and Ava’s peculiar courtship is heartwarming to watch, reminding viewers that love and companionship can pull one out of the darkest of places if it is healthy. However, the circumstances of their condition endanger the couple, who run out of drinkable and healthy blood by the end of the film. Despite their ages-old relationship and friendships with other vampires, the two become victims of a modern and ever-changing world that is not friendly to their kind.

5

Rebecca (1940)

Directed By Alfred Hitchcock

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Rebecca

PG-13

Drama

Mystery

Romance

Release Date

March 23, 1940

Runtime

121 minutes

Cast

See All

• 

  Laurence Olivier

• 

  Joan Fontaine

• 

  George Sanders

• 

  Judith Anderson

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Suspicion, deceit, secrets, and the supernatural are all key elements of one of Alfred Hitchcock’s best mystery films and adaptation of the famous thriller novel, Rebecca. In this 1940 screen adaptation, a young woman (Joan Fontaine) faces challenges as the new wife of a rich and impressive aristocrat, Maxim De Winter (Laurence Olivier). Their newlywed experience becomes complicated when the presence of his late wife, Rebecca, seems to follow the new Mrs. De Winter.

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In true Hitchcock fashion, Rebecca carries a sense of tension and mystery throughout the story with stylized shots and a moody soundtrack. What starts as a classic romance between two lovers traipsing across Europe becomes terrifying for Mrs. De Winter, who begins to suspect foul play in the death of Rebecca. Though Maxim’s name is cleared, and the lovers end up together, their home burns down, leaving them in a state of shock and disbelief.

4

Vertigo (1958)

Directed By Alfred Hitchcock

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Vertigo

PG

Romance

Mystery

Thriller

10/10

8/10

Release Date

May 9, 1958

Runtime

128 minutes

Cast

See All

• 

  Tom Helmore

• 

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  Barbara Bel Geddes

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Alfred Hitchcock’s relationship with the dark romantic thriller continues in his 1958 film and mystery classic, Vertigo. The film follows a former police detective, Scottie Ferguson (James Stewart), who finds himself obsessed with the woman he is paid to watch over, Madeleine Ester (Kim Novak). However, Madeleine’s troubled nature begins to send Scottie into his own downward spiral in Vertigo.

Eventually, their short-lived love affair is ended by her suicide, but this isn’t where tragedy stops for Scottie. Haunted by her death, he meets a young woman who looks like Madeleine, Judith Barton. They, too, begin a romantic relationship when she reveals she is actually Madeleine, and was hired to play her in an elaborate murder scheme. With all the complications and confusion, it’s no surprise the lovers are ultimately separated by circumstances at the end of Vertigo.

3

Blue Velvet (1986)

Directed By David Lynch

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Blue Velvet

R

Crime

Documentary

Drama

Mystery

Thriller

Release Date

January 1, 1986

Runtime

120 minutes

Cast

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• 

  Isabella Rossellini

• 

  Kyle MacLachlan

• 

  Dennis Hopper

• 

  Laura Dern

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One of the most intense examples of a dark romance is depicted in David Lynch’s Blue Velvet. Here, Lynch’s hero, Jeffrey (Kyle MacLachlan) begins an investigation into the owner of a severed ear he finds. Along the way, he is led to a mysterious nightclub singer who has been kidnapped by a group of gangsters. This Lynch classic may be a story of crime, danger, and mystery, but the heart of Blue Velvet is about human relationships.

A love triangle begins between Jeffrey and Sandy (Laura Dern), the innocent and bright-eyed high schooler who helps him on the case, and Dorothy Vallens (Isabella Rossellini), the nightclub singer who enters a passionate affair with him. Both women teach Jeffrey about love and intimacy, but it is Dorothy’s voyeurism into pain and pleasure that brings out a darkness in both. In the end, Dorothy is freed and reunited with her son, but all the characters are forever changed by the violence and aggression they have witnessed.

2

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Directed By Tom Ford

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Nocturnal Animals

R

Thriller

Drama

6/10

8/10

Release Date

November 18, 2016

Runtime

116minutes

Cast

See All

• 

  Aaron Taylor-Johnson

• 

  Ellie Bamber

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The feature film Nocturnal Animals is another great psychological thriller with romance involved in the main story. In the film, Amy Adams gives one of her best performances as Laura, a wealthy gallery owner who reminisces on her past relationship with ex-husband and author, Edward (Jake Gyllenhaal). Prompted by a message she thinks he has left for her in his latest novel, Laura confronts the betrayal that led to their divorce.

Edward’s novel follows Tony and his wife and child, Laura and India. In the novel, both women are killed by a dangerous local gang. This story within the film is meant to symbolize the emotional fallout Edward experienced when Laura left him.

Nocturnal Animals is woven with elements of crime and mystery throughout, which casts a shadow on the love story between Laura and Edward. For example, Edward’s tale of a family that is attacked and murdered seems to be an almost romantic tribute to his failed relationship with Laura. Despite pressures from her new partner, mother, and the weight of her past, Laura’s story ends with her attempt to reunite with Edward, only to be jilted. In this way, the film is about what happens after heartbreak: revenge, retaliation, and bitterness.

1

Vanilla Sky (2001)

Directed By Cameron Crowe

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Vanilla Sky

Thriller

Sci-Fi

3/10

Release Date

December 14, 2001

Runtime

136 Minutes

Cast

See All

• 

  Tom Cruise

• 

  Penelope Cruz

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Vanilla Sky is a psychological thriller, crime drama, and a love story wrapped into one. Cameron Crowe’s ’90s sci-fi film tells the story of a wealthy playboy, David Aames (Tom Cruise), who finds love with a mysterious woman named Sofia (Penélope Cruz). Although the two seem to have found happiness, his life is forever changed when he is involved in an accident with his ex-lover, Julie (Cameron Diaz).

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Vanilla Sky is unique because of its tonal shifts — what appears as a story about finding true love and changing for the better, soon becomes a psychological thriller about murder, crime, and deceit. Because of this, the love plot with Sofia is soured. David’s recklessness results in the deaths of Julie and even Sofia. Unable to cope with the effects of his poor choices, David chooses to enter into a state of crypto-sleep, and the film’s sci-fi elements take over from this point on in the narrative.

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