February isn't the most romantic month of the year for many people, especially those who have a hard time accepting the message of a singles awareness event.
It doesn't have to be a bad thing, though. For some, being single is the ideal lifestyle; or, for others, a respite after things go wrong. The horror film genre is nothing if not flooded with instances of what might go horribly wrong.
Spectral old flames, manipulative boyfriends, femme fatales, and a lover who transforms into a literal jungle cat when you get intimate are just a few of the concepts touched upon in the below list! Some of these stories are clear cut fables, but one important truth is always: Sometimes you have to thank God you're single! Here are a few movies you may enjoy.
What Is Beneath (2000)
There's a reason why What Lies Beneath is so effective as a chiller: You as the viewer simply cannot accept that Harrison Ford is a bad guy! Abusers can be charming, handsome, and can even resemble Indiana Jones in the right light. Just ask them about what they were doing with their missing graduate student the night she disappeared.
This Robert Zemeckis ghost story is interesting for several reasons: it was one of the most popular films of 2000 but has mostly gone forgotten; it was written by Agent Coulson, Clark Gregg; and it is a case that has been ignored by cable television and streaming programs in the last 20 years: the lying, gaslighting husband. This is why Norman's wife Claire (Michelle Pfeiffer) has chosen to ignore his probable lies.
What Lies Beneath is a tale of a spooky ghost that haunts the nice wife and the decent husband who strayed that one time. Sometimes it's better to have an empty house than one full of ghosts! – David Crow
Fresh (2022)
For the first time, watching Fresh uncovered a new fear in me, but at the same time made me realize how grateful I am to be single. Despite the film's emphasis on how lengthy and arduous dating can be until you find the right person, it also demonstrates how wonderful life can be when you realize that you have finally discovered them...
Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) meets Steve (Sebastian Stan) and begins to fall for him. He's not particularly interested in her as a person as she initially imagined, but rather in her body, which he will consume and sell to other cannibals!
Olivia Rodrigo, a wonderful actress, is truly brutal out here in the dating world. No longer do we have to worry about ghosting, catching feelings too early, or going on endless Tinder dates only to end up alone, but now, according to Fresh, we also have to worry about our date wanting to devour us. It’s just not worth it! – Brynna Arens
Midsommar (2019)
If you know how to put a bad guy in a bear and burn him, Midsommar makes the mistake quite plainly. The conclusion, while obviously imperfect at first glance, isn't the triumphant "good for her!" closer that it might have been if Florence Pugh hadn't dated Jack Reynor's selfish douchebag Christian.
Dani had just lost her sister and parents in a horrifying murder-suicide that was extremely unsettling for Christian; he instead accepts a trip to Sweden for a festival that takes place once every 90 years. She's paralyzed when she discovers him sleeping with a young commune member, but the little smile she gives at the end says everything. – Rosie Fletcher
(2015) Is It Followed?
Anyone who had gone through the horrors of abstinence-only sex education in their youth will be familiar with David Robert Mitchell's 2014 film It Follows (re: yours truly). It follows the dead who are followed until it captures and kills them.
Jamie "Jay" Height (Maika Monroe) is your everyday adolescent who loves to have sex with Hugh (Jake Weary). Sadly, Hugh informs her post-coitus that he has infected her with a curse that allows an entity to pursue her until it kills her. Just as much as it will make you wish you had a weird clamshell phone, it's also a fantastic horror film in its own right.
Ready or Not (2019)
Ready or Not is like if a lovely fairy tale ended its opening scene with a traditional "happily ever after," but was later expanded into a story that would have made the brothers Grimm proud. Grace (Samara Weaving), a former foster child, imagines she will finally get to experience a life she never dreamed of. Only after the ceremony, the family learns that they made a deal with "le Bail," the next generation must complete a puzzle game from Mr. le
Grace is forced to spend the rest of the evening hiding from the desperate, wealthy cretins as they attempt to deceive her with various weapons. This is one of the few films in which a nice lady will end up single, with their hopes in jeopardy, and you'll still say "good for her." – Kirsten Howard
Cat People (1942))
In Jacques Tourneur's Cat People, long-married men should remember what Irena Dubrovna (Simone Simon) advises her soon-to-be husband Oliver Reed (Kent Smith): "Anything that is in me is held in, kept harmless, when I'm happy." However, this isn't a good way to treat long-married men.
Even highly respected but ethically challenged psychiatric doctors should not be tested or mansplained, as Simone Simon is a "little kitten face, soft and cuddly, and seemingly not dangerous." When Oliver begins an inter-office affair with Alice (Jane Randolph), Irena's claws come out. There is no reason to settle for mere pleasure. – Tony Sokol
The Invisible Man (2020)
The Invisible Man, by Leigh Wannell, is a clever reimagining of the Universal Monster, which is a universal monster of a different kind every so often.
Cee, a woman who escapes her abusive, controlling, and wealthy tech-genius husband, is played by Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid's Tale,Mad Men). Weeks later, Cee discovers that Adrian committed suicide, but she still feels unsafe for him, and for good reason. Cee knows she's being stalked by an invisible stalker, but no one believes her.
After 124 minutes of shocks, frantic fights, Elisabeth Moss' gruesome face, an attic scare that will make you more wary of entering your storage space than Paranormal Activity, and an excruciating showdown, you'll wonder why anyone would ever dream of marrying a handsome, wealthy man. – Louisa Mellor
Get Out (2017)
After Jordan Peele's Get Out hit theaters, there was not a drop on the floor because Rose (Allison Williams) was the kind, protective, and understanding gal who was unaware of her white privilege while dating a Black man. She protects Chris from the "articulate" Black man's inappropriate questions.
It's sometimes difficult to remember where you came from. Indeed, Rose apparently has brought a string of Black boyfriends home to meet her "liberal" parents—and they believe guys like Chris are so cool that they'll literally appropriate their bodies. It's an invasion of the country club bodysnatchers! In the end, Chris learns the hard way that sometimes it's better to hang with your boys on the weekend than that crazy girl with a crazy family.
The Shining (1980)
When I was younger, I saw The Shining as a story of a mother and son trapped in a hotel with a madman. I see The Shining for what it really is: a story of a guy who refuses to meet his freakin' deadline. Jack Torrence (Jack Nicholson) is the most relatable character in horror movies. Who can fathom the technical difficulties of the writing process?
When I am chasing my wife or son or daughter through a hedge maze with an axe, I lose my temper more than once, walking around my office and engaging in repetitive activities. In The Shining, I see the worst version of myself, a man who loses sight of the people who give his life meaning, who disregards the support and love he receives from his family and trusts him instead of his worst impulses. – Joe George
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
It's easy to fantasize about "the good life," whatever the outcome may be. For some, it's eternity sitting on a beach in Maui or St. Thomas, drinking rum. For others, it's the center of the political universe in Washington, D.C., while her husband Guy (John Cassavettes) sees his acting career flourish on the New York stage. There she can also become a mother.
Don't settle for castles in the sky; you may discover that they are hidden in hell! Rosemary gets to know the building's laundry room as Guy and the other witches and occultists drug her there and offer her body to Lucifer to bed. So, whether you are single, coupled, or married, just be thankful your significant other hasn't sold your bodily choices to the Devil!