Summary
Guillermo del Toro’s lovely dark fairy taleThe Shape of Waterfeatures a romance between a human and an amphibious man, but certain other movies will also fulfill those looking for human-monster love stories.Well-reviewed and highly acclaimed,The Shape of Wateris packed with all of Guillermo del Toro’s trademarks:touches of horror, fairytale elements, Gothic romance, a prosthetic-formed creature, and darkly lovely visuals.The Shape of Waterwon Best Picture at the 2018 Oscars, along with three other categories. Still, it’s the romance that people remember.
Love stories between humans and monsterare far older than the medium of movies. Tales of succubi seducing men, creatures abducting fair maidens, or forbidden love blossoming between supernatural beings and humans have endured for as long as humans have told stories. There’s something about seeing monstrous love stories unfold on screen that gives them an extra bit of staying power, andThe Shape of Wateris rooted firmly in a cinematic tradition of beauty-and-beast tales. Here are 10 other monster love stories to watch after finishing del Toro’s masterpiece.
There’s something about seeing monstrous love stories unfold on screen that gives them an extra bit of staying power, andThe Shape of Wateris rooted firmly in a cinematic tradition of beauty-and-beast tales.
The Shape Of Water: 5 Reasons Why It’s Guillermo Del Toro’s Best Movie (& 5 Why It Isn’t)
Del Toro’s award-winning picture, The Shape of Water, is often dubbed his best, but there are just as many reasons against this assertion as for it.
10Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
Director: Zelda Williams
WhenLisa Frankensteincame out earlier this year, it was largely a failure at the box office, but its 81% Rotten Tomatoes audience score belies that poor performance at the box office. A few months later, andLisa Frankensteinhas all the makings of a cult classicthanks to its irreverent tone and comparisons toEdward Scissorhands.
Thoughit’s certainly more comedic and tongue-in-cheek than the dramatic romantasyThe Shape of Water,Lisa Frankensteinstill features a delightful love story between woman and monster in this modernized, gender-flipped retelling ofFrankenstein. Kathryn Newton and Cole Sprouse have sweet chemistry together, and those looking for a nostalgic throwback to the comedic monster comedies of the ’80s will find lots to love in the newer release.
Lisa Frankenstein
Lisa Frankenstein is a comedic fantasy-horror film by first-time director Zelda Williams and is a twist on the classic Frankenstein formula. Set in 1989, a high school outcast named Lisa accidentally revives a handsome corpse from the Victorian era and resolves to rebuild him into the perfect man.
9Warm Bodies (2013)
Director: Jonathan Levine
Unlike the current uncertain cult classic status ofLisa Frankenstein,Warm Bodiesis a bona fide cult classic.It came out at the tail end of the last zombie movie wave, so it just missed the boat in terms of financial success. Still, the movie, based on the novel of the same name by Isaac Marion, is beloved thanks to its sharp writing and darkly funny observational humor.
That humor is delivered with deadpan perfection by Nicholas Hoult as the zombie, R,in one of his earliest performances that showed off the impeccable comedic timing he’s become known for.Truly, the delivery of some of his lines are laugh aloud funny as he commits fully to the comedy of the straightfaced. When he falls for zombie hunter Julie (Teresa Palmer), it’s the start of aRomeo and Julietstory between a zombie boy and a human girl that’s as surprising as it is heartfelt.
Warm Bodies
Based on a novel and inspired by Romeo and Juliet, Warm Bodies stars Nicholas Hoult as R, a zombie living in an abandoned airport who falls in love with a living girl despite his undead status. As R works to protect the girl, Julie, from his fellow zombies, her presence begins to help him remember what is was like to be alive. Teresa Palmer, Rob Corddry, and John Malkovich also star.
10 Movies Where The Monster Gets The Girl At The End
These monster-central movies prove exactly why someone shouldn’t judge a book by its cover!
8City of Angels (1998)
It’s not often these days that Nicolas Cage is known for romance,butCity of Angelsis one of the few pure romance movies in his extensive career.It helps that he is acting across veteran rom-com actress Meg Ryan, who plays a surgeon, Maggie, living in Los Angeles. As an angel known as a watcher, Nic Cage’s Seth slowly falls in love with Maggie as he watches over humanity.
City of Angels,a rough remake of Wim Wenders' 1987 movieWings of Desire, is a weepy tearjerker that can at times be overwrought. But Cage uses his expressive face to bring out all the emotions in Seth’s angelic awakening to humanity, and his chemistry with Ryan is earned, lending the pair of lovers a magnetic quality that’s rarely seen in a big-screen love story.
7Spring (2014)
Directors: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead broke out and became darlings of the indie horror genre,with hits likeV/H/S ViralandSynchronic, before breaking out with Marvel as the directors forLokiseason 2, a few episodes ofMoon Knight, and the upcomingDaredevil: Born Again. They had a dark and beautiful monster love story prior to their MCU debut, however, with 2014’sSpring.
The story revolves around Evan, a young man who leaves the U.S. for Italy after he starts to spiral and fall apart. While there, he falls quickly in love with the mysterious Louise, who hides a monstrous secret.Springgets lots of credit for each shot being beautifully postcard-worthy, with the beauty of the love story juxtaposed against the darker horror elements of the movie. It’s lesser known than some other movies on this list, but well worth a watch.
Spring
Spring is a 2014 film that blends romance and horror, directed by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead. The story follows a young man named Evan, who, after experiencing personal tragedy, escapes to Italy and sparks a romance with a mysterious woman named Louise. As their relationship develops, Evan discovers that Louise harbors a dark secret that tests the limits of their love and forces him to confront profound questions about life and identity.
6Ondine (2009)
Director: Neil Jordan
These days, Colin Farrell is currently better known for his recent oddball, more experimental roles, but he still has some great romance movies in his past oeuvre. One of the more underrated is 2009’s romantic dramaOndineby acclaimed writer-director Neil Jordan.The title is taken from European folklore; the undine is a female water nymph who can take the form of a woman when she falls in love with a man, who becomes besotted.
Jordan’s romance is lyrical and gorgeously shot in Ireland,deftly weaving together a mystery and a love story against the beautiful natural backdrop of a seaside village. As a heartbroken fisherman who has given up on love, Farrell infuses his performance inOndinewith a nuanced pathos warmed by flickering moments of hope in one of his most underrated roles. Along the way, there’s a great mystery to unravel, making the ending well worth the wait.
5Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Director: Tim Burton
The one movie on this list that doesn’t need a lot of contextis Tim Burton’s 1990 classic,Edward Scissorhands.While it wasn’t either of their breakout roles, it was arguably the one that cemented Johnny Depp as a movie star and confirmed that Winona Ryder’s charisma inBeetlejuicetwo years prior wasn’t just a fluke.
The reimagined version ofFrankensteinfollows Depp’s titular character, a gentle soul who has never been outside the mansion where he was created. The quiet love story that blossoms between him and the human girl, Kim, is sweet and fragile but has an earnestness that sticks. With its candy-colored setting and Burton’s signature whimsigoth styling,Edward Scissorhandsis a modern fairytale that still holds up more than 30 years later.
Edward Scissorhands
From director Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands follows the titular character, an artificial human created by an inventor, who has scissor blades instead of fingers. After his creator’s death, Edward is taken in by a normal suburban family and becomes attracted to the family’s teenage daughter, Kim Boggs. Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder star as Edward and Kim.
4Stardust (2007)
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Stardustis one of those mid-2000s movies that flies under the radar,but has an absolutely stacked cast of A-listers– Robert De Niro, Claire Danes, and Michelle Pfeiffer – and current stars before they were stars - Charlie Cox, Henry Cavill, Sienna Miller, and Ben Barnes. The story, based on a book by Neil Gaiman, tells the story of a star, Yvaine (Danes), who falls to Earth. Meanwhile, a smitten young man named Tristan Thorn (Cox) promises the girl he has a crush on that he’ll cross the forbidden wall to the magical realm to retrieve the star and prove his love.
The story isa throwback to the ’80s fantasy epics of colorful characters and young love and swashbuckling adventures.The most lovely part ofStardustis that it doesn’t hide its earnestness or belief in true love under a veil of cynicism or deliver it tongue-in-cheek. As love blossoms between Yvaine and Tristan, they face all manner of dangers straight of out myth and adventure tales: evil witches, flying airships, unicorns, castles, and enchanted forests. For those who like a little more magic in their monster romances, this is the perfect movie.
3The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Director: Rupert Julian
The Phantom of the Operahas been told and retold in movies and on Broadway for the last 100 years, whether through direct adaptations or inventive reimaginings.Such is the staying power of Gaston Leroux’s 1909 story– a century and a few decades later, we’re still finding ways to bring his timeless story to life. It’s a classic of Gothic horror and romance, and while multiple movie adaptations have done it justice, the best one is still the 1925 adaptation starring Lon Chaney, known as the Man of a Thousand Faces.
Chaney’s performance as the tortured, disfigured Erik, the titular Phantom and reclusive stage magician who falls in love with young ingenue opera singer Christine Daaé. As he secretly tutors her in music, he grows obsessed, his love growing violent after she tears away his mask and learns his secret. Music and passion swirl together in a tale that borrows fromFrankenstein, the story of Hades and Persephone, real historical events involving the Paris Opera House, and classic ghost stories. The theatricality and opulence of the 1925 version ensure it still holds up today, whether the silent version or the rereleased version with sound.
2Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Director: Jack Arnold
In the most directly analogous movie toThe Shape of Wateron this list,Creature from the Black Lagoonisn’t a love story in the traditional sense,but it is a love story, nonetheless.When lovely young scientist Kay unwittingly trespasses in his lagoon, the titular Gill Man is fascinated by the beautiful creature who swims in his waters, not knowing he’s below. Similar toThe Phantom of the Opera, this is a one-sided love story, and, much like Erik, the Gill Man is violent when thwarted, but his naivety and desire to strike back and claim Kay come from a much more primal, animalistic place.
Like the best monster movies,Creaturepulls from older traditions, in this case, European folktales of river and lake monsters, and the near-universal tales of mermen
Creature from the Black Lagoon’s water scenes have a certain eerie, dreamlike quality, making for some visuals that aren’t usually found in a creature feature. Like the best monster movies,Creaturepulls from older traditions, in this case, European folktales of river and lake monsters, and the near-universal tales of mermen. Like those creatures, the Gill Man may not intend to cause harm, but his intention to trap his bride in the murky depths forever does not tend to mix well with humanity. Even knowing the one-sided romance can’t possibly end happily,Creature from the Black Lagoonis still a lot of popcorn fun in the tradition of the greatest B-movies.
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Creature from the Black Lagoon is a Universal creature feature that sees a group of scientists on a mission in the Amazon, who soon find that they’re not alone. Roaming in the swampland with them is a mysterious humanoid creature with amphibious traits who becomes infatuated with a female scientist, but it’s appearance strikes fear into the hearts of the intrepid explorers, leading to grave danger as a result.
1Meet Joe Black (1998)
Director: Martin Brest
Younger audiences who know him mostly from his eclectic modern filmography of quirky comedies and big dramas may not know – or at least not remember – thatBrad Pitt used to be the king of romance movies.Early in his career, while some grittier entries in his filmography hinted at what was to come, Pitt was best known for being the heartthrob romantic lead.MeetJoe Blackwas the last of those romance movies, coming out one year beforeFight Clubset his career on a new trajectory.
Meet Joe Black, directed by eclectic filmmaker Martin Brest,is a loose remake of the 1934 movieDeath Takes a Holiday.Pitt plays the personification of Death, who wishes to experience life, so he takes the form of a young man who has just died to live among humans and learn to feel and love as they do. Of course, he falls in love with Claire Forlani’s character, Susan. Pitt infuses his performance with an ethereal intensity so magnetic that you can practically see the connection between him and Susan. It’s not a love story that can’t end totally happily – Death is too inhuman, toootherfor that – but it’s an ending that sticks with you, just as the ending ofThe Shape of Waterdoes.
Meet Joe Black
Meet Joe Black is a fantasy romance film directed by Martin Brest, starring Brad Pitt as Joe Black and Anthony Hopkins as media mogul William Parrish. The film explores the bonds of family and life, as Parrish faces his own mortality with the unexpected arrival of Death, personified as Joe Black, who takes an interest in his daughter Susan, played by Claire Forlani.
