Audiences who lovedTogetherhave plenty of other horror romance movies to sink their teeth into.Togetheris a darkly comedic and occasionally grotesque horror movie about Tim and Millie, a struggling couple who find themselves merging into a single body. The film mines the concept for plenty of great body horror and darkly comedic beats, but the film’s real draw is the wonderfully vulnerable performances byAlison Brie and Dave Franco, who find ways to make their characters sympathetic, frustrating, and hilarious all at the same time.
Togetherisn’t the first horror/romance film, but it may be one of the most critically acclaimed. Still, there are plenty of other great movies that use body horror to speak to existential fears or indulge in the conventions of typical scary movies to tell a more emotional story. If you are looking for another emotionally complex horror movie to watch afterTogether, these seven films might be exactly what you’re looking for.
7Your Monster
Your Monster Uses A Horror Transformation To Comment On Flawed Romances
Similar toTogether’s fusion of romance dramedy elements with a classic horror sub-genre,Your Monsteris an emotionally resonant exploration of a complex romanceby using scary movie tropes. The relationship between Laura and the Monster explores some of the themes of co-dependency that Millie and Tim’s relationship addresses inTogether.
If you enjoyed the anti-date nate vibes ofTogether, thenYour Monsteris a great (and occasionally gruesome) follow-up.
Both films also use their obvious inspirations (monstrous romances Beauty and the Beast or body horror like The Thing) to infuse their explorations of quietly toxic relationships with grisly visual touches. WhileYour Monsterultimately has a more pessimistic view on the central relationship of its narrative thanTogether,both movies use their horror elements to startling effect.
Both films also prove willing to take their narratives into some dark territory, calling to mind the kind of complicated feelings that any long-term relationship can naturally conjure up over time. If you enjoyed the anti-date nate vibes ofTogether, thenYour Monsteris a great (and occasionally gruesome) follow-up.
6Lisa Frakenstein
A Darkly Hilarious Riff On 1980s Teenage Rom-Coms
WhileLisa Frankensteinmight have faltered at the box office, the hilarious riff on high school films of the 1980s shares a dark sense of horror humor withTogether.Both movies use their horrifying premises to comic effect, whether that be an undead poet falling in love with an unstable teenager or a couple resorting to a turkey carver to cut themselves apart.
This gleefully grim approach to the comedic elements of their respective stories givesLisa FrankensteinandTogethera similar dark comedy tone, especially as the full ramifications of their worlds take effect.Both films also rely heavily on their stars to carry the deceptively tricky tonal balancing act.
While Alison Brie and Dave Franco’s natural chemistry makes them particularly effective as Tim and Millie, Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse’s relationship finds a solid dynamic that can be turned from comedic to romantic on a dime.The unholy fusion of John Hughes and John Waters,Lisa Frankensteinis a good pick for fans ofTogether’s dark comedy.
5Bones And All
A Haunting And Bittersweet Reflection On Relationships
A meditative and self-reflective look at both cannibalism and the prospect of forming bonds with others,Bones and All’s unsettling subject matter and painful vulnerability make it a fitting companion piece toTogether.Bones and Allis a haunting look at the romance between Maren and Sully, two young cannibals traveling the United States.
Bones and Allcrosses a lot of moral lines audiences might not be expecting, but it never necessarily condemns its lead characters. Instead,it keeps the twisted and grisly elements of the horror largely to the side of the film’s main focus, which is Maren’s perspective on bonds and her relationship with Sully.
Committed to a form of romantic idealism that has become warped by their unnerving tendencies to eat other people,Bones and All’s morally complex, quietly unnerving, and undeniably bittersweet ending shares a lot of the thematic staying powerthat makesTogether’s ending so effective.
4Life After Beth
A Dark Comedy About The Pain Of Moving On
Life After Bethapproaches the sadder aspects of a long-term romance much inthe same wayTogetherreflects on a relationship that has stagnated, all through the helpful visual lens of horror conventions.Life After Bethis a darkly hilarious but quietly somber movie about relationships ending, all personified by a young man discovering that his recently dead girlfriend has revived.
Life After Bethbenefits from a fully committed performance, similar to the way thatTogetheronly really works because Alison Brie and Dave Franco are able to bring both the gonzo and grounded elements of the story to life with equal believability.Aubrey Plaza does something similar inLife After Beth, a charming performance that gradually grows horrifying and tragic.
There’s a clear tragic undercurrent toLife After Beththat makes it especially emotionally resonant. It’s a movie about romance and the pain of it ending, something thatTogetheralso addresses amid all the body horror. There’s a blunt honesty to the way both movies approach the problems in relationships that gives them an interesting thematic and tonal connection.
3A Ghost Story
A Supernatural Approach To A Tragic Romance
An artistically-minded and heartwrenching approach to the horror genre,A Ghost Story’s use of the genre to tell a very human story about moving onis similar to the wayTogethertackles a flawed but loving relationship.A Ghost Storyfocuses on the ghost of a man who witnesses how the world (and his partner) moves on after his death.
The use of an established horror sub-genre givesA Ghost Storya lot of its unique edge, especially as the film becomes more existential as the story goes on. However, there’s a clear commitment to the relatable emotional fears of being forgotten or seeing a partner move on without you.
There’s also a bittersweet detachment and embrace of something larger at play, an aspect thatTogetherplays more for scares thanA Ghost Story’s understated somber edges. They’re both thoughtful and artfully made films that bring a greater element of existential dread to their approaches to romance in ways that feel sad for different reasons.
2The Substance
For Fans Of Elevated Body Horror
For fans of body horror that uses the concept as a way of exploring weightier topics,The SubstanceandTogetherare both must-watch films.The SubstanceandTogetherboth indulge in monstrous transformations and horrifying body shifts, using well-constructed practical effects to transform their main characters.
The Substancewas a rare horror movie to be nominated for Academy Awards, earning nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling — winning that last one.
WhileThe Substanceisn’t focused on romance,its keen focus on characters experiencing dread about their personal lives is amplifiedby the amazingly constructed horror effects. Neither movie is for the faint of heart, especially when the final monstrous fusions of their main characters play out on-screen.
The SubstanceandTogetherare both also surprisingly funny, finding plenty of unexpected twists on the body horror genre to comment on the complications raised by relationships or the silent terror of aging. Equally thoughtful in their emotional arcs and committed to being just as gross as possible,The SubstanceandTogetherare delightfully dark films with great subtextual themes.
1Ghost
The Ultimate Cinematic Fusion Of Horror Tropes And Romantic Tragedy
Togetheris ultimately a romantic and tragic film about a relationship, making it a strong modern successor to something likeGhost. Both films are unafraid to tackle the dramatic and comedic elements of their respective stories with equal aplomb, giving the audience a chance to connect with its flawed characters and invest in their complicated relationships.
Both movies use their horror elements to great effect, especially once they get to indulge in some of the sillier elements (such asGhostrequiring a medium to get involved orTogethermaking it complicated to cut apart Millie and Tim).NeitherGhostnorTogethersacrifices their emotional cores for these gags, however.
There’s a genuine sense of romance and affection between the characters that makes the relationshipand its eventual ending all the more potent. While it may come to a very different conclusion thanTogether,Ghostis an equally compelling fusion of a romance dramedy and a horror movie.
