Romantic zombie themed features for Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day, Undead Walking readers! It’s the day of love, and that is all well and good, but not everyone gets into this holiday. Some have created an alternative called Valloween celebrate horror style. Whatever your way of celebrating, fans of the zombie genre have some romantic choices if that is your thing.

Zombies, walkers, undead, whatever you like to call them do not bring up any romantic thoughts, but people have gotten creative, and there are a few choices of viewing you could watch on Valentine’s Day.

And, who says you can go back and rewatch The Walking Dead series? That is a good watch any time of the year.

Michael Jackson: Thriller and more zombie themed Valentine’s Day choices

While technically a music video, Thriller by Michael Jackson plays is a 13-minute short film. A proper horror production, the video was directed by horror director John Landis and features a spoken sequence by horror actor Vincent Price.

Michael and his date encounter the undead while on a date, making it an excellent choice for Valentine’s Day viewing.

Warm Bodies

The paranormal romantic comedy, Warm Bodies is just what you need when you want to keep the zombie theme going on Valentine’s Day. This film is based on a same-titled novel by Isaac Marion, which is inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.

The film stars  Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Lio Tipton and John Malkovich and follows the relationship that blossoms between Julie (Palmer) and “R” (Hoult), a member of the undead. The film is praised for being told from the zombie’s perspective and the zombies possessing human characteristics.

Available on HBO Max.

Pride and Prejudice Zombies

If you are a fan of period pieces and zombies, why not watch Pride and Prejudice Zombies, which combines the best of both genres?

An action-comedy horror film is a parody of the Jane Austen novel Pride and Prejudice; you know, the one with Mr. Darcy. The film follows the novel’s storyline but adds in touches of horror, zombies, and post-apocalyptic elements.

The film stars Lily James, Sam Riley, Jack Huston, Bella Heathcote, Douglas Booth, Matt Smith, Charles Dance, and Lena Headey.

Available on Amazon Prime.

My Boyfriend’s Back

The 1993 romantic black comedy, My Boyfriend’s Back tells the story of a boy who loved a girl so much that after he died, he came back from the dead to go on a date with her. I have never watched this one, but it sounds absurd and has received negative reviews. Variety called it “an idiotic offbeat comedy,” which sometimes is a good thing, so it’s totally up to you if you watch this one.

That being said, it is directed by Bob Balaban, an actor known for his roles in Midnight Cowboy, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Capote, and many Wes Anderson films. Then I discovered he has directed other horrors like Tales from the Darkside, Parents, Eerie, Indiana, and The Twilight Zone (2002-2003).

And, it appears that Philip Seymour Hoffman, Matthew McConaughey, and Matthew Fox appear in minor roles in the film, which marks the first for McConaughey and Fox, which might make this one worth watching. Other familiar names include Andrew Lowrey, Traci Lind, Edward Herrmann, Mary Beth Hurt, Jay O. Sanders, Paul Dooley, Austin Pendleton and Cloris Leachman.

Available on Amazon Prime.

Life After Beth

The 2014 film Life After Beth tells of a boyfriend whose girlfriend dies and then comes back, only to discover that many other people in their town have also returned from the dead.

This one had mixed to average reviews praising Aubrey Plaza’s performance but that it is more like a comedy sketch stretched to feature-length.

The film stars Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Paul Reiser, Matthew Gray Gubler, John C. Reilly, Anna Kendrick, Garry Marshall, Rob Delaney and Jim O’Heir.

Available on Amazon Prime.

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