“Monsters”

In The Shape of Water, Elisa and Amphibian Man fall in love when Elisa works as a cleaner in a secret government facility. Neither can talk – Elisa due to a childhood accident and Amphibian Man either because of biology or language but they manage to communicate through sign language and music. TSoW is framed very much as a fairy tale, with a narrator talking about a Monster, of course, this Monster is not Amphibian Man but Michael Shannon’s sinister government agent.

Clearly, an area Guillermo Del Toro was interested in before TSoW he made two Hellboy films. In these films, Hellboy, a half-demon brought into our world by Nazi occultists trying to bring in some supernatural reinforcements, essentially becomes a superhero. In the films he is in love with Liz Sherman, a human with superpowers who sometimes works in the same evil-fighting organisation. An interesting aspect of their on-again-off-again relationship is that Liz can create fire, the problem being she isn’t always able to control it, but Hellboy is sort of from hell, fire isn’t going to hurt him.

Zombies

There’s a surprising number of films and tv show depictions of romantic relationships between zombies and non-zombies. Warm Bodies saw Teresa Palmer’s Julie fall in love with Nicholas Hoult’s R. R develops some feelings for Julie after eating the brain of someone she knew and this sort of awakens a human part of him. The zombies in Warm Bodies do cling to semblances of humanity and human behaviour – R’s love of music, especially on vinyl – yes, he is a hipster zombie.

In Life After Beth, Zach is devastated when his girlfriend Beth dies and so is very happy when she comes back to life until it becomes clear just how dead she still is. And not only dead but violent, even murderous. There is The Santa Clarita Diet where even after turning into a zombie the marriage between the two main characters carries on very happily, or Pushing Daisies, the main character can bring people back to life with a touch and undoes it with another touch, he falls in love with someone he brings back meaning they can never touch.

AI/Computers

Spike Jonze’s Her has a relationship between Joaquin Phoenix’s unhappy Theodore and his AI personal assistant Scarlett Johansson’s Samantha. Not only is Samantha not human she doesn’t have a body, existing simply as a computer programme. The film could be seen as a sci-fi rom-com and what is perhaps most interesting is that it follows more of the sci-fi route. For a start, it is not only Theodore who ends up in a relationship with their AI, many people do, sometimes as genuine friends or romantic partners. It is not just the story of two individuals finding love in atypical circumstances but a fundamental change in human society, or as it probably should be called human-AI society. The ending especially follows through on this- in rom-coms usually the people end up together, sometimes they break up, or sometimes one person can die. Her does perhaps what no other rom-com has ever done in that the various AIs start talking and the exponential brain power of them working together yields amazing results. So amazing that the AI collectively travel to some other plane of existence, leaving behind their human friends and partners.

Westworld, Ex Machina, Blade Runner and more all feature relationships between humans and AI/robot partners. The Star Wars film Solo has a relationship between Lando Calrissian and L3. Futurama has human-robot relationships in various forms – from Fry dating a robot with an illegally downloaded personality of Lucy Liu to Bender and Amy and who knows what Hedonismbot is getting up to. Perhaps the most fun is the relationship between Bender, a robot, and Planet Express Ship, a spaceship.

Vampires

Humans and vampires having romantic relationships goes back a long way in vampiric fiction. Of course relatively recently we had the Twilight series of films – where teenage Bella falls in love with teenage-looking but much older vampire Edward. To establish good value for money the series also contains human-werewolf relationships. I have never seen the Twilight movies apart from seeing the end of the last film on a train in Spain whilst listening to music, which I think is actually how the director prefers people to watch it. I have however seen the tragically beautiful Let The Right One In and the sad relationship between two children; the human Oskar and vampiric Eli and A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night the Iranian black and white vampire neo-western, which show the difficulties of relationships with somehow who comprehends the world – and the people in it – in a completely different way.

And of course, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has human-vampire relationship, human-werewolf, human-robot, human-demon, human-preying mantis, and even a human-demon/computer/robot relationship and so would deservedly take the title.

Also Read: Rom-coms: The Unlikely Benchmarks of Feminist Progression

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The Vampire Diaries television series, produced by Warner Brothers from 2009 to 2017, was based on the popular book series by L.J. Smith. Originally written in the early 1990s, the series told the dark, gothic tale of a human teenage girl torn between two vampire brothers. 

The Show Inverts Typical Love Triangle Tropes

The CW series took the basic characters, structure, and setting of the original book series, but added new twists. For example, In the show Elena Gilbert has a high-school age brother named Jeremy, who becomes a vampire hunter. In the book series, Elena has a baby sister named Margaret. 

The central narrative focuses on the love triangle between human teen Elena (Nina Dobrev) and vampire brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). Stefan and Damon were humans who lived in Mystic Falls in 1864, before transitioning into vampires. Stefan represents the good side of the vampire spectrum, as a reformed killer who survives on animal blood. Bad boy Damon kills and feeds without conscience or consequence. 

Elena’s romance with Stefan is explored in the show’s first three seasons, while Damon is an antagonist in their relationship. These first two seasons position Stefan as a hero and Damon as a villain, highlighting them as foils and rivals. Elena and Damon’s romantic relationship begins in season four and continues through Dobrev’s exit from the show in season seven. 

The love triangle between Elena, Stefan, and Damon is further complicated by the show’s backstory. Katherine, the vampire who sired Stefan and Damon, enters the narrative in season two. Katherine is Elena’s doppelgänger, and they look exactly alike, which further complicates the love triangle. Dobrev portrayed both Katherine and Elena on the show, skillfully taking on the two distinct and iconic roles. 

The central narrative of a human caught between two vampires inverts once Katherine arrives in season two. The 19th-century triangle shows vampire Katherine manipulating the affections of the human Salvatore brothers. The present-day love triangle shows a human Elena caught between the undead Salvatore brothers. In both narratives, Wesley and Somerhalder play their characters so emphatically and convincingly that there is no clear winner for Elena’s affection.

The Vampire Diaries has the Hallmarks of Classic Gothic Romances

The Vampire Diaries has the hallmarks of a classic gothic romance. Mystic Falls has a spooky, atmospheric setting. The town’s long, complicated history and genealogy provide opportunities to explore different plotlines. Scenes are frequently set in the spooky, foreboding forest. Many of the homes are old, gothic mansions. The Salvatore Boarding House and Lockwood Mansion are prominent, spooky settings on the show. Setting plays an important role in the narrative since vampires must be invited into a home in order to enter it.  

A gothic romance also heavily features Byronic heroes and a damsel in distress. Stefan and Damon have features of classic Byronic heroes. They have magnetic charm, yet a mysterious, brooding demeanour that sets them apart. Elena takes on the damsel role, often needing to be rescued from the various troubles she finds herself in. As the series progresses, Elena takes on a more active role and often ends up saving Stefan and Damon from various threats.

Supernatural elements are prominent in a gothic romance. Throughout its eight-season run, The Vampire Diaries’ plot included vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, and sirens. Each of these supernatural creatures had powers that wreaked havoc on the characters and provided obstacles to the love triangle in the central narrative. 

The ominous setting, supernatural elements, and compelling characters make The Vampire Diaries stand out as a modern gothic romance.   

Also Read: What We Do In The Shadows & Unusual Vampires

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What We Do In The Shadows – The Film

Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement wrote, directed and starred in this mockumentary comedy from 2014, in which a documentary crew follow a household of vampires, capturing not only the killing, blood-drinking and monstrous deeds but arguments over chores and the daily problems of vampire life. Whilst the vampires were certainly dangerous they were also surprisingly sweet and likeable, their growing friendship with a useful human – Stu – and their illuminating monologues to the camera.

What We Do In The Shadows – The TV Show

WWDITS returned as a tv show with a different cast and is now set in Staten Island, New York. This time the vampires are Nandor the Relentless, a once fearsome warrior now perhaps a little too comfortable, Nadja Antipaxos, a 500-year-old Greek Romani vampire, who is married to – and the vampiric creator of – Laszlo Cravensworth, an English nobleman. There is also Colin Robinson, a far more modern creature and energy vampire, who sucks up energy from humans by being boring and insufferable, and Nandor’s familiar, Guillermo, a loveable vampire-obsessed nerd. These five bumble through life getting into feuds with werewolves, going to Superb Owl parties held by their friendly, if stupid, neighbour and occasionally trying to conquer America.

WWDITS has one of the best episodes of television of recent years; the episode titled “On The Run” is usually referred to as the Jackie Daytona episode. In an attempt to escape a debt to Jim the Vampire (played by the legendary Mark Hamill), Laszlo flees, leaving behind his wife and friends. Laszlo moves to Pennsylvania and takes over a bar, pretending to be a human named Jackie Daytona, utilising his fool-proof human disguise of jeans and a toothpick.

True Blood

HBO supernatural drama True Blood was set in a world where vampires had made their presence known to humans after scientists developed a synthetic blood, vampires could drink and therefore would no longer need to feed on humans. Whilst by no means a comedy the show delighted in some of the odder aspects of vampire life, such as their love of puns (a major setting is the vampire bar Fangtasia), “boring” vampires like Eddie Fournier (played by the brilliant Stephen Root) who are far removed from the exciting stereotypes, and how vampires are perceived. One of the first scenes is in a convenience store where a very gothy cashier pretends to be a vampire to frighten a customer only for a real vampire (who blended in seamlessly as a typical Louisiana resident) to reveal himself.

Shadow of the Vampire

This is a very odd film from 2000 and is a play on the classic Nosferatu, indeed it’s the story of making the film. Sort of. John Malkovich plays F. W. Murnau (the director of Nosferatu) who tells the cast that their lead character, the vampire Count Orlok, is being played by an extreme theatre actor who insists on being in character at all times. Unsurprisingly this turns out not to be a complete truth and the actor is an actual vampire. The film plays with the tropes of filmmaking as much as it does with vampirism, when the vampire kills a key crew member Murnau is furious but does say, “Why him? Why not the script-girl?” as she is more disposable. Murnau is the ultra-controlling director, and the vampire is the difficult star. Orlok makes demands on script changes and personnel and threatens to go off in a huff if his demands aren’t met.

Preacher

Cult tv show Preacher (based on the graphic novels) showcased many supernatural creatures in a different light – including vampires. One of the central characters, Cassidy (Joe Gilgun) is an odd vampire, he drinks, he fights, he causes trouble and swears a lot but is usually quite a nice guy, with perhaps his most shocking trait is disdain for The Big Lebowski. Whilst not a smooth talker he can be persuasive, at one point convincing an agent he works for Game of Thrones casting, he is also a romantic, with sex and drug-filled anecdotes that are almost poetic in their retelling. It deals with vampire issues that are often not addressed – such as Cassidy’s human son, now of course much older than he is and doesn’t speak any English, and Cassidy deals with this in his own inimitable style. Then there are the problems of vampire dating with Cassidy finding more people who roleplay as vampires, rather than actual vampires. Even the vampire cult Cassidy finds, where humans follow a charismatic vampire (a real one) on the path to becoming vampires themselves is somewhat disappointing.

Perhaps the thing that is most unusual about these vampires is that they are very human, in both versions of WWDITS relationships between friends are extremely important as well as the minutiae of everyday life. The vampire in Shadow of the Vampire wants recognition and respect, those in True Blood run businesses and despite immortality and vampiric powers can still be miserable.

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Vampires

Nosferatu (1922) is often credited as the first vampire movie and has gone down in cinema history, the striking image of the villain, Count Orlok, is still familiar to people a hundred years later. By 1931 we did get Dracula, played by Bela Lugosi, and his portrayal of the character became the stock Dracula interpretation. Vampires have changed a lot over the decades – from the cool young vampires of The Lost Boys to the terrifying child Eli in Let The Right One In. Perhaps the most influential in recent years has been the tv show Buffy The Vampire Slayer, a show which played with a lot of the typical vampire tropes and featured the now-iconic character of Buffy – a teenage vampire slayer. Another recent standout has been the film and tv show What We Do In The Shadows – a mockumentary following a household of vampires and both the film and show are hilarious.

Mummies

I am of an age that when talking about mummies the first film that comes to mind is 1999’s The Mummy – this brilliant adventure film is jam-packed with fun and excitement and the less said about any of the sequels the better. Mummies are monsters that have been used since the beginning of cinema, with George Méliès making Robbing Cleopatra’s Tomb in 1899. In 1932 we had The Mummy with Boris Karloff as the titular character, the 1999 film is technically a remake of this. And much like the tomb of Tutankhamen which was hidden for thousands of years until Howard Carter broke it open perhaps the best mummy film lies relatively undiscovered- Bubba Ho-Tep, in which elderly Elvis and JFK fight a mummy in their retirement home.

Frankenstein’s Monster

It is very odd for those who read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein after some exposure to the Hollywood version and find that the Monster is remarkably well-spoken. The monster who can barely speak is very much the invention of the 1931 Frankenstein starring Boris Karloff. Perhaps my favourite Frankenstein film is a parody – the Mel Brooks comedy classic Young Frankenstein, perhaps one of the funniest films ever made with an unforgettable performance by Gene Wilder as a descendent of the original Frankenstein. The most traditional portrayal of Frankenstein’s Monster I’ve seen was probably in the tv show Penny Dreadful. In this show, the Monster is an articulate and intelligent person, capable of tremendous strength, but still shocking in his appearance.

Werewolves

The early archetypical movie of werewolves was probably 1941’s The Wolf Man and its success would lead to various sequels (including Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, I’m sure they got on famously). An American Werewolf In London is the story of two backpacking American tourists attacked a werewolf, one killed, the other ultimately transformed. The film is known for its groundbreaking and visceral transformation scenes. There are two more great cult zombie films to mention – Dog Soldiers and Ginger Snaps. Dog Soldiers follows an army unit exploring a forest who are attacked by werewolves, the handful of soldiers retreat to a cottage and try to withstand the werewolf onslaught. Ginger Snaps is a Canadian horror about a teenager who becomes a werewolf, the transformation she goes through and how it affects those around her and feels very different to every other werewolf film I’ve ever seen.

Zombies

The past twenty years have seen an explosion in zombie films, shows, books and more. Zombies have perhaps the most interesting origins of all the monsters discussed here. Originally a zombie was more connected to voodoo practices than the undead flesh-eaters we think of – zombie filmmaker legend George Romero has repeatedly said he saw his creations as more like ghouls. In modern understanding Night of the Living Dead would be thought of as the first zombie film, a brilliant black and white horror film, where the danger comes as much from your fellow humans as zombies. Jumping ahead several decades we come to the practically perfect Shaun of the Dead and while technically a parody of zombie films is perhaps the best one ever made. Zombie cultural dominance probably peaked with The Walking Dead a spectacularly successful tv show based on graphic novels which is on its eleventh season.

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