Ten AWFUL Romantic Partners in Horror Films

By Flora Irvine-Hall

Image from Horror Cult Films

These are the characters you definitely wouldn’t want for as your Valantine!

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, love is in the air! Or in this case, murder, trickery and gaslighting is in the air.

*WARNING!* The list of films below contains major spoilers and terrible partners.

1.Billy, Scream (1996)

Image from Screen Rant

Billy is the opposite of a teenage dream romance. Even before it’s revealed that he’s one of the Ghostface killers he’s pretty awful. He’s dismissive of Sidney’s grief, pressures her for sex and overall has big asshole energy. He also killed Sidney’s mother which isn’t ideal. But credit where credit is due, he’s very easy on the eyes.

2.Jack, The Shining (1980)

Image from Stephen King Wiki

It’s not completely Jack’s fault that he’s on this list. The empty hotel that he and his family are staying at during a cold and wild winter does cause him to lose him sanity. But even so, terrorizing your wife and son and trying to kill them with an axe doesn’t exactly scream family man. If he hadn’t died in the end, the shared custody battle would have been hell.

3.Christian, Midsommar (2019)

Image from Collider

Let’s get this straight, Christian didn’t deserve to be burned alive in a bear suit but he still sucks beyond belief. He forgot his girlfriend Dani’s birthday, constantly gaslights her and acts like her grieving the murder/suicide of her mentally ill sister and parents is a massive inconvenience for him. He also seems like the type of guy to be whipped by his buddies which is the ultimate ick.

4.Rose, Get Out (2017)

Image from The Cinematograph

Don’t be fooled by her beauty! Rose is pure evil. After luring her African American boyfriend Chris to her family home, it turns out that while she’s been pretending to be outraged by her parents racism and microaggressions, she’s been in on their evil plan to steal Chris’s body all along. And it’s not the first time she’s done this either. While Chris manages to defeat the wicked Armitage family and escape, I don’t think he’ll ever date a white woman again. And I can’t say I blame him.

5.Jill, Scream 4 (2011)

Image from Collider

The Woodsboro dating scene really is terrible! While her main target is her cousin Sidney, Jill is still the girlfriend from hell. Not only does she shoot her boyfriend Trevor is his prized area but she also tricks Charlie into thinking that he’s her partner in crime only to stab him because she doesn’t want to share the spotlight. Though in fairness, Charlie probably did have it coming.

6.Guy, Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Image from The Other Folk

If anyone should be asking for a divorce, it’s Rosemary. Guy spends the entirety of the film gaslighting her, allows her to be raped by Satan and he sells out his wife and unborn child to a Satanic worshipping group just to further his acting career. Alexa, play The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived by Taylor Swift.

7.Alex, Ready or Not (2019)

Image from Villains Wiki

Not warning your partner that she might have to play a game of hide-and-seek which will end in her being sacrificed on her wedding night is a pretty dickhead move. While he does try to help Grace at the start, in the end he shows his true colours when he offers her up for the sacrifice to his crazy family. And when his family members start popping like pimples (don’t ask) he has the nerve to beg Grace for forgiveness. The audacity!

8. John, Orphan (2009)

Image from The Dead Meat Wiki

John isn’t evil but he’s incredibly stupid and doesn’t listen to his wife about Esther. So he’s on the list.

9.Steve/Brendan, Fresh (2022)

Image from Screen Rant

One minute you’re having a meet cute in the produce section of a grocery store and the next you’re trapped in a basement so he can cut off your body parts for meat! As bad boyfriends go Steve/Brendan is taking home gold. A very scary man indeed!

10. Pearl, Pearl (2022)

Image from The Michigan Daily

Look, Pearl is an icon and in my opinion she aced that dance audition. But she’s not wifey material. She cheats on her husband Howard and kills his sister. And when the projectionist, who she cheated on Howard with, (rightfully) gets freaked out by her and tries to leave she kills him with a rake. Pearl is the blueprint for crazy girlfriends everywhere.

So even if you’re spending this Valentines Day single, at least you’re not spending it with this nasty bunch!