[Editorial] 8 Romance Horror Shorts To Watch

Horror and romance make for perfect bedfellows. The quickening pulse from fear or passion, affection tipping into obsession – the lines between the two emotions can get pretty blurred. Love can encompass a lifelong relationship or a brief fling; just as a horrific encounter can be drawn-out dread or a short sharp shock. These shorts are my favourite bite-sized examples of when romance meets horror – a match made in heaven (or hell).

I Love Your Guts (2020)

Kristina has a huge crush on Jacqui, but her friend remains oblivious. During their quiet night shift working at a burger joint, the pair come under attack and have to defend each other against a violent intruder whilst simultaneously working through some really awkward emotions. A sweet horror-comedy, I Love Your Guts shows the value of being true to your emotions, and also having a  friend who can make you laugh - even after you’ve been properly stabbed in the butt cheek.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9toHYGNqdY&t=23s

Normal (2021)

In Normal, a young woman is attacked by a vampire while out on a date. She tries to carry on her life as usual, but finds that dating has much the same drama for undead as for the living – just with a few supernatural twists thrown in. This “romantic comedy with bite” skilfully blends dry humour and horror for a wry look at the modern dating scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps53dj8DS3I

Cherry (2018)

Cherry focuses for almost its entire runtime on a close-up of actor Jaleelah Galbraith’s mouth as she narrates a tale of a sensual encounter. but as her story develops and the camera gradually pulls back, the more sinister nature of her enthusiasm is revealed. A stylish monologue, Cherry uses its staging to draw the audience into its protagonist’s twisted desires.

https://vimeo.com/294531001

When We Dance (2019)

On the day of his wife’s funeral, a widower chances upon a record that brings back memories of the first time he met his late wife. The music transports him back in time and her to the present, as both a haunting and a memory. When We Dance is a powerful story about the way objects can become imbued with meaning  - and about grief, memory, music, and being haunted by love.

https://vimeo.com/543666601

FRAGILE.COM (2019)

Mara is an aspiring actress looking for both love and her break into the industry. After disappointment, she seems to find both in Duco, who persuades her to make videos for his website. FRAGILE.COM is a place where women show vulnerability and men show sympathy; but Mara soon begins to question the authenticity behind the site and its users, and her own participation. FRAGILE.COM is a fascinating look into the use of vulnerability for gratification, and how it can be weaponised and turned back around onto vulnerable people.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAjLsdIgpcg&t=374s

MINE (2018)

When demons are summoned in horror films, it’s usually the humans that rue their actions. In MINE, the demon itself seems to regret the effect it has had on the human that it’s made a connection with. MINE is a melancholy look at the lengths that a person will go to be with the object of their affections, and the lengths that the object will go to spare that person their obsession.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iurxn6_GlSk  

Burn (2020)

Burn is a horror-inflected look at love through an abstract lens of dance and physical movement. The reliability of what we’re seeing is unclear – is it real or our protagonist’s imagination? At the heart of every love story (or every horror story) is the idea that this is a unique and noteworthy event – the narrator here skewers that by asking: “What’s so special about being struck by lightning?”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Kya4sqs9Ps

I Love You So Much It’s Killing Them (2018)

Horror cinema is littered with killers who have pretty spurious motives for their carnage. From Leatherface’s mowing-down of Texas tourists to Patrick Bateman’s empty capitalist carnage, horror villains have needed only the flimsiest of motives to get the blood flowing. In I Love You So Much It’s Killing Them, Vivian is a killer with just two obsessions: murder and maths. Then she meets the true object of her affection - her new co-worker Alex, and her obsession with this average man threatens to disrupt both their lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63TOWnRU3-4

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