Horror movies aren't all about ghosts or supernatural slashers. A lot of horror movies focus on more grounded interpersonal conflicts and derive horror from real situations. Even some horror movies that do venture into fantasy or science fiction territory still put a heavy emphasis on human relationships.
It's common to see the main characters of a horror film involved in a romantic relationship, and some horror films focus largely on unhealthy relationships. Toxic couples in horror films are a good way for audiences to explore the dangers of bad romantic relationships from a safe distance.
This article contains several mentions of abusive relationships in horror films. Please proceed with caution.
10 Billy Gaslights Sidney For Most Of Scream
Scream is equal parts slasher film and whodunit mystery. At the climax of the film, it is revealed that Billy Loomis, the boyfriend of the main character Sidney Prescott, is the masked Ghostface killer. Not only does Billy try to kill Sidney and pin the murders on her, but he also spends the entire movie gaslighting Sidney.
Gaslighting is a common manipulation tactic that abusive partners use to make their significant other doubt themselves. With the help of his partner Stu, Billy manipulates Sidney into trusting him after her initial suspicion that he was the killer. Billy continues to act like a caring partner and even sleeps with Sidney, all while killing their classmates and planning to kill her.
9 Rose From Get Out Lures Chris Into A Trap
At the beginning of Get Out, Rose might seem like a caring and supportive girlfriend to Chris. When Chris gets pulled over by a police officer for no reason, Rose even uses her inherent privilege to stand up to the officer in a way that Chris didn't feel safe doing. It is later revealed that this seemingly supportive nature is actually just a cover for an insidious form of bigotry.
Through Rose, Get Out exposes audiences to a more subtle form of racism than is typically displayed in movies. Rose and her family tout progressive values, all while fetishizing and commodifying black people's bodies. Rose is only dating Chris to lure him back to her family and give his body to one of their acquaintances. Her true feelings about interracial relationships are clearly symbolized by her eating colorful serial separate from her white milk.
8 Crispian Endangers Erin In You're Next
In You're Next, Erin accompanies her boyfriend, Crispian, on his family reunion at a vacation home. While there, the family is attacked by a group of masked killers. It is later revealed that the killers were hired by Crispian and his younger brother Felix in an attempt to gain their inheritance early.
Not only was Crispian willing to kill his family for money, a blood-red flag if ever there was one, but he also tries to manipulate Erin. His plan is for her not to be targeted by the killers, leaving her alive as a witness who can back up his and Felix's story. After she learns the truth, Crispian attempts to bribe her to stay quiet about everything.
7 Alex Keeps A Big Secret From Grace In Ready Or Not
The audience learns pretty early into Ready or Not that Alex is not the best husband. Just after their marriage, Grace learns that Alex's family always plays a game, chosen at random, with new in-laws on the night of the wedding. This doesn't seem like a huge deal until it is revealed that the chosen game is a deadly version of hide-and-seek, where the family will try to ritualistically sacrifice Grace to the devil.
Keeping big secrets from one's significant other until after getting married is a pretty dishonest thing to do, and the secret Alex keeps almost costs Grace her life. Even when presented with a moment to redeem himself and help Grace escape, he helps his family catch her instead because he knows she won't stay with him after.
6 Jack Torrance From The Shining Blows His Second Chance
When audiences first meet Wendy Torrence, she is in an unfortunate spot in her life. Her husband, Jack, has physically abused their son, Danny, but he is also the main provider for her and her son. She gives Jack a second chance to clean up his act, a second chance that he ruins in the worst way possible.
Audiences know from the start that Jack is a toxic partner, but after taking a job as a caretaker at a remote hotel, Jack's bad habits get even worse. He starts drinking again, and frequently loses his temper with his family. Eventually, Jack tries to kill both Wendy and Danny, chasing them around the hotel with an axe.
5 The Invisible Man Is An Abuser
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The Invisible Man was always one of the more villainous Universal monsters. The 2020 re-imagining of the character, now named Adrian, may no longer be bent on world domination, but he does still exercise his will over others in a very toxic way. Adrian's main target in the movie is his ex-girlfriend, Cecilia, who drugged him in order to escape his home.
After Cecilia escapes, Adrian fakes his own death and leaves Cecilia a large sum of money. He then begins to stalk and terrorize Cecilia through the use of his invisibility suit. Adrian's brother Tom, who is in on the ruse, also intentionally gaslights Cecilia when she tries to explain what has been happening.
4 Beverly Marsh's Husband In Stephen King's It Is Suspicious And Violent
Stephen King knows that horror can come from people just as much as monsters, and his stories are often filled with horrible bullies and abusers. In It, Bev Marsh grows up to marry a man named Tom Rogan, who is one of the least subtly abusive characters in horror fiction.
Tom hears Bev talking on the phone with a childhood friend, and he immediately gets suspicious when he hears her call him Mike. Tom immediately questions Beverly about the call, and despite her honest explanation that she is not having an affair, Tom doesn't trust her. He begins to physically abuse Bev, forcing her to fight back in order to safely flee her own home.
3 Julia From Hellraiser Takes An Affair Too Far
In Hellraiser, Julia is clearly bored with her husband Larry. She flirts with one of the movers she and Larry hired, and is consistently fantasizing about Larry's brother Frank who she had an affair with. Instead of doing the healthy thing and talking to Larry about her feelings, Julia decides to rekindle her romance with Frank in secret.
Julia's affair is far from ordinary, as Frank has become a ghoulish monster living in the attic who needs to feed on other people to restore his original body. Julia agrees to help Frank by seducing strange men, luring them to the attic, and killing them for him to eat. In the end, Julia even lets Frank kill Larry and wear his face to fool Larry's daughter.
2 Richie And Amber Repeat History In In Scream
The fifth Scream movie, also titled Scream, largely follows Sam, who returns home to Woodsboro after her sister, Tara, is attacked by Ghostface. She is accompanied by her boyfriend Richie, who the audience is primed to trust; one because he was with Sam at the time of Tara's attack, and two because he is played by the lovable Jack Quaid.
Much like the original Scream, it turns out audiences were wrong to trust Richie, who is not only secretly the killer but is dating Tara's underage friend Amber, the other killer. Couples should support each other, but when they're supporting each other's killing sprees, it is a lot less healthy.
1 Dani Exacts Cruel Revenge On Christian In Midsommar
Dani and Christian are clearly in a bad place at the beginning of Midsommar. Christian had been planning to break up with Dani before she experienced a family tragedy. Instead of being honest about how he felt, Christian continues to string Dani along and invites her on a trip where things only get worse.
While observing a midsummer celebration in rural Sweden, Christian is propositioned to impregnate one of the tribe's young members, which he eventually does. Dani, who witnesses this infidelity, chooses Christian to be the tribe's living sacrifice for that year's festival. While Christian was wrong to cheat, sentencing him to death for it may be a bit extreme.