It’s All Hallows’ Eve. That time of year where the boundaries between the seen and the unseen, the natural and the supernatural, the living and the dead, are blurred. Anthropologists would call it traditionally a liminal time, a period betwixt and between the ordinariness of every day. In this time – outside of the parameters and confines of normality, mundanity, and ordinariness – the extraordinary is possible. The inexplicable occurs. The numinous is encountered, and the supernatural felt and experienced.
So, in celebration of this liminal time of year, I’ve decided to compile a list of 31 haunting love stories. These are all haunting love stories of romance where the numinous plays a role, where the extraordinary and the apparently inexplicable converge. This supernaturality is what haunts our often star-crossed lovers.
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Photo: Universal Pictures
Here are haunting loves stories of time travel and alternate dimensions, of magic and curses, of reincarnation and fallen angels. There are ghosts, zombies, vampires, aliens, dead wives whose influence never fades, and dead husbands who can’t let go. There are pasts that are hard to escape, science experiments went awry, secrets, many secrets, and mind games, lots of psychological manipulation. Here are mistaken identities, incurable illnesses, inexplicability and mysterious occurrences. Yes, hauntings, many, many hauntings.
So, here it is, my list of 31 haunting love stories for Halloween.
Enjoy and Happy Halloween!
31 Haunting Love Stories for Halloween
(In alphabetical order)
1. The Age of Adaline (2015)
One day, after an accident, she simply ceased to age.
The Age of Adaline is a romantic fantasy, following the rather long life of 29-year-old Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively), who has been 29 for nearly eight decades now. Her daughter, Flemming (Ellen Burstyn), is an old woman, nearing the end of her life, and still, Adaline remains forever 29. She shuns love and romantic entanglements, seeing no future, and switches from one identity to another through the years.
But what happens when love comes a-knockin’ once again? Can she let down her guard and let in the handsome and tender and kind Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman)? Will she allow herself to love, or will she run away and hide as she has done for decades? And can love kickstart the aging process?
The Age of Adaline is a gem of a movie, hauntingly full of magic and old-fashioned romance. Harrison Ford is powerfully unforgettable in a supporting role here.
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for minor swearing and some suggestive content.
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2. Always (1989)
Always is Stephen Spielberg’s remake of the 1943 supernatural romantic war drama A Guy Named Joe. In Spielberg’s updated version, Pete Sandich (Richard Dreyfuss) is an aerial firefighter, not averse to taking undue risks in his work. His best friend and fellow firefighter, Al (John Goodman), and his girlfriend, Dorinda (Holly Hunter), both worry about him and the risks he takes. Convinced to take it a bit easier, Pete decides to take a job training pilots, but he takes just one last fateful run, from which he never returns.
Pete dies and finds himself wandering through a forest, where he meets Hap (Audrey Hepburn in her final role), who informs him that he now has a new purpose. He must return to earth and be a guiding spirit to others, to inspire and put thoughts in their heads and the like. Pete is charged with helping his replacement at the base, Ted Baker (Brad Johnson), a hunk of a man who is making googly eyes at the grieving Dorinda. Can Pete keep his jealousy in check? Can he let Dorinda go? Will he help Ted? Will he help Dorinda?
Content Note: Rated PG for some minor swearing and a few intense scenes.
3. Beautiful Creatures (2013)
Ethan Wate (Alden Ehrenreich) is taken aback when the girl of his dreams stands before him. Her name is Lena Duchannes (Alice Englert), the new girl in school, and she bears a striking resemblance to the girl who has been haunting his dreams for months. Ethan seeks her out, but Lena is mysterious and discouraging of his advances. Affability personified, Ethan persists and even Lena cannot deny their seemingly inherent bond.
But Lena is destined for otherworldly powers, deadly to mere mortals like Ethan. Lena is a caster, coming from a long line of casters – magical beings of great power, who can “cast” for goodness and light or darkness and evil. Lena feels the struggle within – the darkness calls her. Will she give in? Will she let Ethan in? Is love, true love, its own powerful magic?
Based on a young adult novel of the same name, Beautiful Creatures boasts a stellar cast, including Emma Thompson and Jeremy Irons, and Alden Ehrenreich is a charming revelation in this role.
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for violence, scary images, minor swearing and some sexual material.
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4. Brigadoon (1954)
On a hunting trip to Scotland, two American friends, Tommy Albright (Gene Kelly) and Jeff Douglas (Van Johnson), find themselves lost in the woods. In their meandering, they stumble upon the mysterious village of Brigadoon, a place seemingly untouched by time and untainted by modernity. Our two travelers are welcomed by the villagers, and Tommy is quickly smitten with a beautiful village lass, Fiona (Cyd Charisse). But there is something amiss in Brigadoon – a miracle and a curse – that put some rather strict conditions on Fiona and Tommy’s burgeoning love. Will Tommy forsake his life to start one together with Fiona in the mystical Brigadoon?
Based on a hit musical, Brigadoon is full of beautifully painted backdrops, choreographed romance, heartfelt melodies and more than a little mystique.
Content Note: Rated G.
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5. Casper (1995)
Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman), a paranormal specialist and ghost therapist, and his teen daughter Kat (Christina Ricci) arrive at the haunted Whipstaff Manor to exorcise its spirits. Dr. Harvey has been hired by the manor’s spoiled, selfish heiress Carrigan Crittenden (Cathy Moriarty) to deal with the ghosts, so she can finally get her hands on the manor’s supposed hidden treasure.
There are indeed spirits in the old manor house – Casper and his three uncles haunt the place. Casper is a friendly spirit; his uncles more mischievous. Casper and Kat become friends. Dr. Harvey’s ghost obsession reveals itself to be rooted in his desire to contact his dead wife, Amelia. Kat digs into Casper’s mortal past. A supposed Lazarus pit, hidden in the manor, can potentially bring the dead to life. Carrigan Crittenden is up to no go. Dr. Harvey is depressed and obsessed with death. And love is blossoming between Casper and Kat. How does it all play out?
See this sweet, family-friendly fantasy/rom-com and find out.
Content Note: Rated PG for mild language and thematic elements.
6. Chances Are (1989)
Corinne Jeffries (Cybill Shepherd) loses her husband, Louie, in a car accident in 1964. Twenty-three years later, a young man, Alex Finch (Robert Downey Jr.), visits her home as a guest of the long-time family friend Philip (Ryan O’Neal). Philip is in love with Corinne, who has never truly gotten over the loss of Louie. Alex is attracted to Corinne and Louie’s daughter Miranda (Mary Stuart Masterson). But it all gets crazy from there.
Memories of this house, this woman, this place are flooding Alex’s mind, and he soon realizes that he is the reincarnated Louie. And a father can’t hit on his daughter, but he can try to hook up with his wife. Many comedic hijinks ensue. Can Louie’s memories be erased from Alex’s mind? Can Corinne finally move on from Louie and accept the love of the ever-supporting Philip?
Chances Are is a zany rom-com with some great comedic moments.
Content Note: Rated PG.
7. City of Angels (1998)
What happens when an angel falls for a mortal being? Seth (Nicholas Cage) is a heavenly being, whose job it is to comfort the dying and escort the dead to the afterlife. Hanging around hospitals all day, he notices the compassionate and capable surgeon Maggie Rice (Meg Ryan) and is drawn to her. He reveals himself to her, and a friendship and an attraction develop. But he remains a heavenly being and she a mortal.
So, Seth falls – quite literally – falls from heaven to gain a mortal existence in order to be with Maggie. After recovering from his physical injuries from the fall, Seth seeks out Maggie. But will Maggie accept a fallen angel? Can Seth cope with being human and the physical and emotional elation and pain that goes with it? And does the grand scheme of life have other plans for our loving couple than a happily ever after?
Loosely based on the German film, Wings of Desire, City of Angels requires a good supply of tissues before watching.
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for sexuality, including language and some nudity. There is a rather sensuous sex scene, but the skin shots are kept to the shoulders and up.
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8. Forever Young (1992)
With an original screenplay by J.J. Abrams, Forever Young is sci-fi romantic drama, starring Mel Gibson, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Elijah Wood.
Grieving the apparent loss of his girlfriend Helen (Isabel Glasser), who is in a coma and on life support and not expected to live, army test pilot Daniel McCormack (Mel Gibson) decides to allow himself to be a guinea pig in a scientific experiment. The year is 1939, and Daniel is to be cryogenically frozen for a year.
Playing in an abandoned warehouse, Nat Cooper (Elijah Wood) and some friends stumble upon what they think to be an old submarine. They play with dials and buttons and something moves inside. Daniel awakens, but it soon becomes apparent that more than a year has passed. Fifty-three years have passed to be exact. Daniel is lost, struggling to understand this world, missing his network, his friends, his family, not knowing what has happened. Nat and his mother Claire (Jamie Lee Curtis) end up taking him in and helping him out. Government agents are after him. His body is being ravaged by aging fits, where he suddenly rapidly ages.
Can Daniel uncover what happened in the past? Can he find out what happened to his dear Helen before it’s too late?
Content Note: Rated PG for some language and domestic conflict.
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9. Gaslight (1944)
Gaslight is a classic mystery thriller starring Ingrid Bergman, who won an Academy Award for Best Actress for this role, as well as Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotten and a young Angela Lansbury.
After a whirlwind romance and marriage, Paula (Bergman) finds herself back in London, living in the townhouse of her deceased aunt, a renowned and rich opera star. Her new husband, Gregory (Boyer), at first so attentive, begins to become rather volatile and controlling. And then strange things begin happening – lights flickering, items missing, footsteps in an otherwise empty house. Gregory experiences none of these strange happenings and tells the distraught Paula that it’s just her overactive imagination. Paula descends into isolation, confusion, and self-doubt.
Is she going insane? Or is someone messing with her mind? Is there more to this man Paula has married than he is letting on? Is love blind, blinding and binding?
The psychological term “gaslighting” stems from this film – hint, hint.
Content Note: Rated PG for mature subject matter.
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10. Ghost (1990)
The banker Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) is murdered in an apparently senseless mugging, while his horrified girlfriend Molly (Demi Moore) looks on. Sam rejects the beckoning light to remain with the grieving Molly.
But when the very mugger who killed him shows up in Molly’s apartment, Sam realizes that his death was no senseless act. Someone was out to get him, and now that someone is a threat to Molly as well. So, the ghostly Sam starts sleuthing, tracking down a killer and learning what it is to be a ghost, all the while trying to protect Molly. Sam enlists the aid of psychic Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), who is the only one who can hear him and act as his surrogate voice and body. Can Sam track down a killer before he strikes again? Can he save Molly? And can he say goodbye and enter the light?
They don’t get much bigger than this blockbuster romantic fantasy thriller. Ghost was nominated for a slew of awards and landed Whoopi Goldberg an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for some sensuality, violence and strong language.
11. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)
The young widow, Lucy Muir (Gene Tierney), moves to a cottage at the seaside with her young daughter. On her very first night in this new place, the ghostly apparition of the cottage’s former owner, the roguishly charming sea captain Daniel Gregg (Rex Harrison), appears. He wants her gone, but she stays, and they warm to one another’s presence.
When money troubles strike and Mrs. Muir might be forced to give up the cottage, the good captain decides to write his memoirs, with Lucy as the scribe and author. Working together, they find themselves increasingly falling hopelessly in love. Is there hope for such a hopeless love? Or is it time to find love amongst the living for our dear Mrs. Muir?
This romantic fantasy is a tear-jerking classic.
Content Note: Rated G.
12. It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
What if you never lived?
Frank Capra’s Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life explores just that question. Suicidal George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart), a terribly desperate yet good, good man, gets a glimpse of life without himself when his guardian angel Clarence (Henry Travers) intervenes. After reviewing George’s many acts of kindness and goodness, his self-sacrificing dedication to others’ welfare throughout his life, Clarence gives George a taste of reality without him. The woman who doesn’t know him or love him. The children that never are. The lives that were never spared or saved. The mother who doesn’t know him. The man who never was.
Oh, it doesn’t get much more joyous than this celebration of life, love, humanity and human decency. It’s a Wonderful Life can and should be watched any time of the year, even and especially on All Hallows’ Eve.
Content Note: Rated PG for thematic elements, smoking, and some violence.
13. Just Like Heaven (2005)
The young widower David Abbott’s (Mark Ruffalo) new apartment is haunted by the spirit of a young, beautiful woman, Elizabeth (Reece Witherspoon). Elizabeth refuses to acknowledge her apparent death but has trouble recollecting aspects of her life. Only David can see her, leading many to think him unstable. Sharing the apartment, David and Elizabeth also begin to share confidences and intimacies; they begin to care deeply for one another. But is Elizabeth even real or a figment of David’s grieving mind? Is Elizabeth really dead, or a spirit inexplicably removed from her body? Can love reconnect a soul to its body?
Just Like Heaven is a fantasy rom-com, full of leaps of logic. Saccharine and soppy and silly at times, it will keep you smiling and sighing.
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for some sexual content and swearing.
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14. The Lake House (2006)
How do you hold on to someone you’ve never met?
That was the tagline for this romantic drama starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. A remake of a Korean drama Il Mare, The Lake House is a haunting tale of a magical postbox that allows – inexplicably – two people to communicate even though they are two years out of synch.
Dr. Kate Foster (Sandra Bullock) lives at a beautiful lake house in 2006. Architect Alex Wyler (Keanu Reeves) lives at the same lake house in 2004. Their postbox allows them to mysteriously correspond. And correspond, they do. They share of themselves and their lives, and they eventually fall in love. But can they ever be in synch? Or has something occurred in the past to render their future meeting impossible? Can it be rectified before it’s too late? Can their timelines ever coincide and meet?
Content Note: Rated PG for some language and a disturbing image (a car accident involving a pedestrian).
15. Meet Joe Black (1998)
Loosely based on the 1934 film Death Takes a Holiday (which was based on an Italian play that later became a Broadway play), Meet Joe Black is a romantic fantasy exploring the repercussions of Death taking human form and finding love.
Death (Brad Pitt) is introduced to the Parrish family as Joe Black. Billionaire media mogul Bill Parrish (Anthony Hopkins) knows that he is Death and that he comes for him. Death promises to grant Bill more time, as long as Bill guides Death in his human form. But what happens when Death begins to fall for Bill’s beautiful daughter Susan (Claire Forlani) and she for him? But can Death even love? Is there any future in loving Death? Or is the greatest love letting go?
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for an accident scene, some sexuality, and brief strong language.
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16. Message in a Bottle (1999)
Theresa (Robin Wright) finds a letter in a bottle, addressed to a mysterious Catherine, and is moved by its beauty and longing. A former reporter and now researcher for the Chicago Tribune, she sets out to track down the writer of this letter. She eventually finds him in North Carolina. His name is Garret Blake (Kevin Costner), and he writes letters to his dead wife Catherine. He loves her still, always will. But sparks of attraction ignite between Theresa and Garret. Can he move on, allowing himself to heal and to love again? Can Theresa and Garret bridge the very literal distance between them? Or does life have other plans?
Based on a Nicholas Sparks bestseller, Message in a Bottle is a cryfest, so be prepared. And just enjoy Paul Newman, who plays Garret’s dad Dodge. He steals every scene he’s in.
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for a scene of sexuality.
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17. Midnight in Paris (2011)
Woody Allen’s fantasy rom-com, Midnight in Paris, won him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. The film is a magical cocktail of time travel and nostalgia.
Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) is a vacationing in Paris with his fiancée Inez (Rachel McAdams). Their relationship is increasingly rocky. He’s a successful screenwriter in Hollywood but is unfulfilled and dissatisfied with the course his life is taking. Inez loves California and loves shopping, loves the money that Gil’s success has secured them.
One night, inexplicably, Gil finds himself transported back to the Paris of the roaring 20s – the Années Folles – and ends up in the hotbed for artistic and intellectual collaborations. He meets and has discussions with Jon Cocteau, Cole Porter, Scott Fitzgerald, Josephine Baker, Gertrude Stein, Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and on it goes. He falls in love with Adriana (Marion Cotillard), who longs for the glory of the Belle Époque. But is love to be found in the past? Is glory only in hindsight? Or is there something to be said for embracing your own here and now, creating the life you want to live?
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for some sexual references and smoking.
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18. P.S. I Love You (2007)
A deceased husband sends his wife on something of a post-death treasure hunt in this romantic drama of letting go and rediscovery.
Gerry (Gerald Butler) dies of a brain tumor, leaving his beloved wife Holly (Hilary Swank) in the depths of despair. He is gone, and Holly is not coping well, until quite unexpectedly, on her 30th birthday, a cake is delivered with a message from Gerry. Prior to his death, Gerry devised a number of messages and adventures for his grieving wife, hoping to push her into starting to live life again.
On one of the adventures, she is sent to Gerry’s homeland of Ireland, where she meets her in-laws, and even has a romantic dalliance with a local musician (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), much to her later panic. Can Holly stop wallowing in the past and begin to embrace the here and now and the future? Can she let Gerry go? Will she choose to allow herself to live and love again? Is happiness to be found with an Irish musician?
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for sexual references and brief nudity.
19. Phenomenon (1996)
A swirling orb of light knocks George Malley (John Travolta) unconscious outside of the local bar. When he comes to, he is different. Formerly a simple small-town mechanic, George suddenly finds himself with inexplicable powers of the mind, including an ever-expanding understanding and intelligence, as well telekinesis. He tries to use his newfound gifts for good, but the townsfolk become increasingly wary. The Feds get interested in him.
And despite his genius, matters of the heart seem to remain ever-elusive to the shy George, who loves the single mom, Lace (Kyra Sedgwick), but cannot seem to form the words or find the courage to tell her. As his mental powers increase, his physical ones wane. Can he survive this transformation? Can he finally freely express his love for Lace? Will she reciprocate?
There’s a scene in Phenomenon where a shave and a haircut have never been more sensual or romantic.
Content Note: Rated PG for language and mild sensuality.
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20. Portrait of Jennie (1948)
A struggling New York artist, Eben Adams (Joseph Cotten), begins having sudden and inexplicable encounters with a mysterious young woman, Jennie Appleton (Jennifer Jones). Jennie intrigues him and inspires him; his art improves. With each subsequent encounter, Jennie has grown, rapidly maturing from a young girl to a young woman to an entrancing woman. “I’m hurrying,” she tells Eben again and again. She speaks of the past as if it’s the present and dresses from long ago.
Love is blossoming, but is Jennie even real? Can Eben track down Jennie’s past in hopes of plotting a future course? Can the past and the future meet? Will this temporal divide be bridged?
The critics didn’t enjoy Portrait of Jennie back in the day, but today it is often considered a classic of the fantasy romance genre.
Content Note: Rated G.
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21. Rebecca (1940)
Alfred Hitchcock’s first American film project, Rebecca is a gripping psychological drama based on Daphne du Maurier’s bestseller. The film won two Academy Awards – Best Picture and Cinematography – and is now considered a classic of the psychological thriller genre.
After a whirlwind romance with the charming aristocratic widower Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier), an unnamed young woman (Joan Fontaine) finds herself the new Mrs. de Winter, living in the lap of luxury in the country estate of Manderley. But the presence of Maxim’s first wife, Rebecca, pervades the place. The servants remain loyal to their first lady. And the new Mrs. de Winter finds herself increasingly unsure of herself and her husband and her marriage, always ending up the insignificant second fiddle to the omnipresent remnants of the exquisite Rebecca. There are mind games and mysteries aplenty. Just how did Rebecca meet her end? And is Maxim not the man he appears to be?
Rebecca is dark, gothic romance at its finest.
Content Note: Rated PG for thematic material and sensuality.
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22. Safe Haven (2013)
Katie (Julianne Hough) is on the run, fleeing from a dark and bloody past. She arrives on the bus in Southport, North Carolina, and what was to be a quick pit stop at the local store turns into a longer sojourn. Katie decides to stay and start making a life for herself in this sleepy, little, seaside town. Her appearance is duly noticed by the kindly young widower, Alex (Josh Duhamel), who owns and operates said local store. Alex’s two kids take a shine to Katie and he to her and she to him. But can the secretive, skittish Katie learn to trust? And is she herself worthy of trust? And what happens when a dark past comes barreling into the idyllic present?
Safe Haven is an adaptation of a best-selling Nicholas Sparks’ novel. There’s mystery, romance, danger, high-stakes drama, and don’t exclude the possibility of the supernatural.
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for violence and sexuality.
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23. Sliding Doors (1998)
What if life is just a series of happenstances, coincidences, choices, accidents, divergences, convergences – a myriad of infinitesimal variations of what might have been, if you had just looked up or not, if you had just turned right instead of left, if you had just reached the train on time or just missed it by a hair? What if, what if, what if?
Sliding Doors is a fantasy romantic dramedy following the parallel lives of Helen Quilley (Gwyneth Paltrow): the Helen who made the train, and the Helen who missed the train. There are divergent and life-altering repercussions for Helen for catching that train and for missing that train. Consistent with both dimensions is the deadbeat, cheating boyfriend, Gerry (John Lynch), who needs to get the boot. In the reality where Helen drops Gerry sooner rather than later, a gentle love affair develops with the witty, affable, delightful James (John Hannah). Can true love make its mark across both realities?
You’ll be crying, sighing, laughing and just loving and rooting for John Hannah in this transdimensional romance.
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for sexuality, minor swearing, and scenes of heavy drinking.
24. Somewhere in Time (1980)
Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) finds himself inexplicably drawn to an old portrait of a former actress, Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour), hanging in the hotel where he is staying. Digging into Elise’s life, Richard realizes that she – as an old, dying woman – once contacted him, some eight years prior, with the mysterious message, “Come back to me.” So, Richard seeks to finally do just that, come back to her, hypnotizing himself and traveling to the past to do so. He is successful in his quest, meets and falls in love with the lovely Elise, and she with him. But can a future man transported into the past have a future? What are the temporal repercussions of displacing time? And can true love transcend such temporal bonds?
Initially panned by the critics, Somewhere in Time is now considered a classic of the sci-fi/fantasy romance genre. Just remember to have your tissues handy when you watch it.
Content Note: Rated PG for a moment of language and brief sexuality.
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25. Sommersby (1993)
A Confederate soldier, Jack Sommersby (Richard Gere), returns miraculously from the Civil War. He’s been missing for six long years, presumed dead, and suddenly he stands before his wife Laurel (Jodie Foster) once again. This throws a spanner into the plans of Laurel’s would-be suitor Orrin Meecham (Bill Pullman), who quickly turns resentful and suspicious. Because the war has apparently changed Jack markedly. His memories are hit and miss. His previous brutality has mellowed, his hate subsided and his shoes smaller. He is a transformed man – for the better. But has he changed too much? Is he even the real Jack Sommersby, or is he an imposter? And does it even matter when love has blossomed between a man and a woman?
Sommersby is an American adaptation of the French play and later film The Return of Martin Guerre. Romance, drama, mystery, two charismatic leads with great chemistry, Sommersby does indeed tell a haunting tale of love, loss, and redemption.
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for minor swearing and violence, as well as scenes of sensuality.
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26. Stairway to Heaven (A Matter of Life and Death) (1946)
R.A.F. Squadron Leader Peter Carter (David Niven) should be dead. He was supposed to die on an ill-fated mission on the 2nd of May 1945, but his angelic escort to the other world, Conductor 71 (Marius Goring), missed him the fog. So, Peter lives and washes ashore in England near to the base, where he last had radio contact with a radio operator, June (Kim Hunter), before bailing into the brink of the Channel. He then puts a face to a name, meeting June, and it is love at first sight.
But Conductor 71 is out to fix his mistake, to take Peter to the afterlife. Peter demands an appeal, arguing that he is duty-bound to his love for June to remain. The other world grants an appeal, and a celestial trial is held to determine Peter’s fate. Is this otherworldly stuff even real, or just a figment of Peter’s head injury? Will he die? Will he live? Is his choice to live and love defensible? What will the court decide? Will love trump fated death?
A Matter of Life and Death is a British classic, considered by many as one of the best British movies ever made.
Content Note: Rated PG for thematic elements.
27. Starman (1984)
What happens when an alien life force clones itself into the humanoid form of your dead husband? Well, Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen) learns – much to her horror – that life gets pretty darn complicated. The “Starman” (Jeff Bridges) has crashed in Wisconsin, stolen Scott Hayden’s physical form and needs to get to Arizona for a rendezvous with another ship in three days’ time.
Thus, begins a road trip and a journey of discovery for both Jenny and the Starman. The Starman learns about the limitations of his humanoid form, what it is to be human, what it is to love. Jenny – initially terrified and defiant – begins finally to make peace with her husband’s passing and to live and love again. Government agents are after them. The Starman’s miraculous silver spheres are running low. Can they make it to the rendezvous in time and intact? And then what? How do you reconcile an intergalactic, interspecies love?
Jeff Bridges was nominated for an Academy Award for his role in this intense sci-fi romance, which says something about the caliber of this film, despite the slightly cheesy 80s’ special effects.
Content Note: Rated PG for minor profanity, brief nudity (Jeff Bridges’ backside), smoking.
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28. Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990)
An oft-overlooked gem of a fantasy romantic dramedy by Anthony Minghella, Truly, Madly, Deeply follows the relationship between the grieving Nina (Juliet Stevenson) and the dearly departed love of her life, Jamie (Alan Rickman).
Nina is sinking into despair in her grief, so Jamie returns to her in his bodiless form to alleviate her pain. Nina is initially elated with Jamie’s presence, but the perfect Jamie of her memories begins to collide with the rather irritatingly obtuse ghostly Jamie of the present. This Jamie fiddles with the furniture, plays with the radiators, watches loud movies with his spirit friends, and on it goes.
A film about letting go and moving on, Truly, Madly, Deeply ends with a tear-and-smile-inducing bittersweet romantic revelation, which I won’t spoil here. See it. Alan Rickman is lovely.
Content Note: Rated PG for mild language.
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29. Twilight (2008)
What happens when a predator falls in love with its prey?
Based on the bestselling series by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight and its sequels chronicle the unlikely romance between the undead vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and the very much alive and very much human Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). It is an interspecies attraction and love that has life-altering repercussions for our couple. With alluring blood coursing through her veins, Bella is always an attraction to the damned, vampiric undead, a potential meal. Can Edward control his own blood thirst? Can he protect her from others, himself and herself? Do the damned have a soul? And do you damn another to a soulless, bloodthirsty existence for love? Yes, how can our star-crossed lovers ever mediate this great divide?!
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for some violence and a scene of sensuality.
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30. Warm Bodies (2013)
A post-apocalyptic take on Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet, Warm Bodies follows the unnatural relationship between the zombie R (Nicholas Hoult) and the human zombie-slayer Julie Grigio (Teresa Palmer).
Upon seeing Julie and subsequently consuming Julie’s boyfriend’s brains, something in R begins to wake up and thaw. Memories, thoughts, desires, cognizance begin to form in that undead brain. A heart begins to pump. R saves Julie from the other zombies, and the more time they spend together, the more he remembers the human words to communicate, the more the emotions awake. Challenging everything that she heretofore understood about the undead, Julie finds herself increasingly drawn to and protective of this zombie lad. Other zombies also begin to show signs of awakening. But there is a war between zombies and humans. How is the bloodshed to stop? How do they heal and forgive? Is it even possible?
Warm Bodies is a delightfully dark, fantasy/sci-fi romantic comedy, well worth a watch.
Content Note: Rated PG-13 for zombie violence and some language.
RELATED: 7 Reasons to Watch the Romantic Film Warm Bodies
31. Your Name (2016)
The recent, record-breaking, international anime hit by Makoto Shinkai, Your Name is a paranormal romance involving body swapping.
Two teenagers, a girl, Mitsuha, from rural Japan, and a boy, Taki, from Tokyo, inexplicably begin switching bodies. Through the switching, they begin to irritate one another, sabotage one another, know one another, understand one another, appreciate one another, even love one another. But can they ever meet in person? Or is there more separating our couple than just physical space? A comet is on an intercept course with the earth, Mitsuha’s life is in jeopardy. Can Taki save her despite the spatial and temporal distance?
Content Note: Rated PG for thematic elements, suggestive content, brief language, and smoking.
What are some of your favorite haunting love stories? Share in the comments.
Great list. I love so many of these, including Somewhere in Time and Meet Joe Black. I was NOT a fan of Stairway to Heaven at all. And I do enjoy David Niven. That film seemed to meander too much and the fantasy scenes in Heaven I just found very odd.
Thanks, Brittaney. I saw “Stairway to Heaven” only once as a late show on TV one night last year. I remember finding it rather surrealistically interesting. And yes, it does meander, but I didn’t hate it. I did fall in love with Roger Livesey, who stole the film for me! He’s also great in “I Know Where I’m Going” with Wendy Hiller, which I also saw as a late show and definitely need to see again sometime. That, I really enjoyed.
Sliding doors is such an underrated romance. I adore the film. Great list!
Thanks, Naazneen. I love Sliding Doors! But then I do have a thing for John Hannah — that accent and that dry wit gets me every time…
I saw the original of Sommersby in college many years ago. And Starman, I used to watch the TV series that came from that. Also, I remember a TV-movie I once saw as a kid, with a woman time-traveling using a portrait of herself, I believe it was, then she gets shot in the past….I remember she was in love with someone in the past but I think he was married and that’s how she ended up shot. For years I’ve wondered what that movie was.
Okay, now I’m really trying to think what that movie could be. Sounds intriguing. And I totally forgot about the Starman TV series — I have some very vague memories of seeing it back in the day. As for Sommersby — I had a dear friend who LOVED this movie, so it was seen many times during my own college days (-:
Actually, I think she time-traveled using a dress from the turn of the century, but her lover painted a portrait of her in it….It’s been 30-some years since I saw it. 🙂
Can’t believe you didn’t list my favorite romantic holiday Xmas movie supernatural like City of Angels Theme…..
THE BISHOP’S WIFE with CARY GRANT!! & Larry Niven.
I’ve actually never seen The Bishop’s Wife, but it definitely sounds like it could be on this list. I will have to check it out sometime. Thanks for the recommendation.