5 Best Horror Movies To Watch On A Date
Horror flicks make great date movies.
instagram Horror movies may well be the perfect date movies. They're an excellent excuse to sit close together in the dark, and grabbing his hand during the scary parts is totally acceptable.
There are no cheesy rom-com clichés to deal with, and studies have shown that scary situations promote intimacy. Here are the best horror movies to watch on a date, guaranteed to freak you out.
1. The Descent
What happens: A group of women go spelunking and end up navigating far more than stalactites.
Good for: Feminists who want to be truly terrified. This isn't the kind of movie that builds up suspense that ends with a gotcha! scene where you find out the monster is just a cat. The tension here doesn't abate until the very end of the movie. The fact that all its heroines are women makes it even better.
Grab his hand when: You get your first, quick glimpse of the monster.
2. REC
What happens: A single-camera indie horror movie (similar to The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity) from Spain, in which a TV-documentary film crew follows a group of fire-fighters into a building and gets more than anyone bargained for.
Good for: Indie and foreign film buffs who are no longer impressed with Japanese horror flicks.
Grab his hand when: The first, bloody firefighter falls down the stairs.
3. American Psycho
What happens: A seemingly normal, wealthy finance guy is actually a serial killer who murders women for kicks.
Good for: People who prefer the kind of monsters that actually exist. Beware, though — if you don't know your date that well this film could hit a bit close to home, especially if he likes cocaine, is really into 80s music, or uses a lot of grooming products.
Grab his hand when: The prostitute's blood slowly penetrates the white sheet.
4. 28 Days Later
What happens: A man wakes up in the hospital in London and finds out that a virus has turned people into flesh-eating monsters. He has to find other survivors and get to safety.
Good for: Intelligent horror lovers. 28 Days Later isn't your usual screamer flick — it's got a gritty, realistic feel and excellent acting. If it weren't for the zombies (technically, the virus is called "the rage" — the characters never actually use the word zombie), it would be an apocalypse movie par excellence. The flesh eaters make it that much better.
Grab his hand when: You see the now-common child zombie.
5. The Shining
What happens: A man and his family become caretakers of an isolated resort over the winter and are visited by the hotel's murderous spirit.
Good for: Anyone. Seriously, if you haven't seen this movie, get thee to your Netflix queue right now. The Shining is a classic that's guaranteed to scare your pants off (at least figuratively, perhaps literally).
Grab his hand when: The river of blood fills the hallway.
Sarah Harrison has worked for both Nerve Media and Babble, where she worked on editorial and advertising projects.