What do horror movies, melodramas, and porn all have in common? According to renowned Film Scholar, Linda Williams, they all fall into the same category of what she calls “body genres.” The term is fairly self-explanatory: films of this genre seek to elicit a bodily reaction in the viewer; a sort of bodily release, if you will. With melodrama, the viewer is meant to cry. With porn, well, I probably don’t need to spell that one out for you. And with horror… we scream. The films build up to these releases, so that by the time they come, we feel satisfied; satiated even.

Arguably, Romance is the mild-mannered love child of melodrama and porn, so as a horror fiend who enjoys the very occasional romance, I couldn’t help but wonder, is there something more to this idea of connection? And what better time to explore the concept than on Valentine’s Day? So I dove in, and to my surprise, discovered remarkable similarities in 5 key tropes used in both Slashers and Romance.

The Meet-Cute

Ah, the meet-cute: the first time the destined couple spot each other across a street, a room, reaching for the same cup in the cafe. Their eyes lock, until one is pulled away, probably by a demanding boss or promiscuous BFF who suddenly requires all their attention. This immediate separation is key to the meet-cute, thereby sealing their fate and setting up a “will they meet again?” premise that we all absolutely know the answer to. They are, after all, meant to be.

Apart from being saccharine sweet (so much so your teeth might throb), the meet-cute is also not not usually a little slimy and voyeuristic. Is it really all that different from Michael Myers and Laurie Strode locking eyes on the picturesque streets of Haddonfield, only for Laurie to become immediately distracted by Annie’s missing textbook crisis? Just as in a traditional meet-cute, we know the two characters are now intrinsically entwined; that they are fated.

And just the same, we’re all holding our breath until they meet again, and fulfill their destiny. Because, for every Slasher, there’s a Final Girl. She’s The One. It’s meant to be… Which means it’s time to build to our next pivotal trope: The Sexual Tension.

The Sexual Tension

Sexual tension is key to both genres. No, really! Hear me out. Sexual tension is a must in romance (unless the characters are intentionally asexual). Meanwhile, any horror scholar (whether academic or self-taught) will tell you that it is a documented fact that Slashers are, by and large, sexually repressed.

In her benchmark book, Men, Women, and Chainsaws, in which she coined the term Final Girl, Carol Clover argues that the killers in slashers are fueled by “psychosexual fury.” Hence the many, many post-coital kills that have been a staple of the genre from the very beginning. Even Psycho‘s Norman Bates, often noted as a precursor to the masked Slasher, kills Marion in reaction to his own sexual desire for her.

The great late film critic, Robin Wood, also wrote extensively about horror, noting that the genre’s monsters are born out of repression, arguing “that which is repressed will always return.” He listed sexuality as one of society’s most repressed elements, which brings us right back to psychosexual fury. That means classic Slashers are basically the incels of the1970s & 80s.

So while sexual tension is essential to any good romance, sexual repression (sometimes conflated with tension in a whodunnit slasher, like Scream) is essential to any good slasher. And once established, it’s on to: The Chase.

The Chase

This is where things get “fun.” Obstacle after obstacle arises, but nothing will keep these two apart. But let’s get real for a minute. When it comes to traditional m/f romance plots, it’s more like: she resists, he persists, and nothing will keep Him from wearing Her down. Kudos to any romances out there that avoid this cringey trope. I know there are a few. The Notebook is NOT one of them. Sorry. It’s not.

In Slashers, the Chase is exactly what it sounds like, and really not that different from a romance. She runs. He follows. She hides. He seeks. She screams. He stabs. Which takes us directly to our next plot-point: The Release.

The Release

In Romance, there’s nothing like The Big Kiss. Effectively releasing all of the sexual tension in one, orchestra-swelling, moment, this kiss finally puts to rest all the “will they, won’t they” madness. It’s the moment The Romance Girl realizes she’s falling in love.

In Slashers, it’s the scream that serves as this big release, and for me, the most cathartic scream of all is always our protagonist’s first. It’s the moment the Final Girl realizes she’s in danger.

Eventually, both will be validated. The Romance Girl will have sex with the Romance Boy, consummating their love. The Final Girl will be stabbed by The Slasher (which, if you really think about it, is it’s own kind of penetration), justifying all of her paranoia about that weird masked dude who’s been following her and her friends all day. And sometimes in horror, both are true at once.

Either way, from here, we head right into: The Happy Ending.

The Happy Ending

If there’s one thing you can always be sure of when picking up or turning on a Romance, it’s that you will get your happy ending. The destined couple are destined for a reason. They will end up together.

The same is true in the Slasher. The Slasher will find the Final Girl… and she will end him. Destiny fulfilled.

Roll credits.

Sad it’s over? Don’t be. There’s usually a sequel. A wedding or pregnancy. Another attack. No matter how happy the ending, the story’s never truly over.

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Can you think of any other similarities between slashers and romance? Let me know in the comments!