Top 10 Creepiest Romance Movies

In this campy rom-com, Mel Gibson plays Nick Marshall, who’s a self-professed ladies man and charmer. Already a chauvinist and a bit of a creep, he’s flabbergasted (and angry) when he’s passed over for a promotion, and it’s instead given to Darcy, a new hire – and a woman! He makes attempts to undermine her and prove himself to his boss. When he’s accidentally electrocuted in the bathtub, he gains a telepathic ability that works solely with women. This allows him to deepen his mind games and to steal ideas from Darcy while they begin a romantic relationship. When Darcy discovers what he’s been up to, she … continues to be attracted to him. Wait, what?

There’s much to love about this mid-90s teen classic. As if we could forget this modern adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma”, with its influential slang, fashion, and... mild incest? Amidst the story of Cher Horowitz’s well-intentioned mission to transform the dorky and socially awkward Tai into a glamorous and popular member her clique, is the budding romance between Cher and Josh Lucas. What’s largely ignored is that fact that Josh was Cher’s stepbrother. Obviously the filmmakers were leaning pretty hard on the “was” aspect, but that doesn’t change the fact that they were siblings who at one time expected to stay that way. Their romance is, as Cher might put it, a full-on Monet.

Don’t let the soft yet brooding good looks of ‘90s Brad Pitt fool you, this one’s a doozy. Inspired by an impassioned speech that a father, Bill Parrish, gives to his daughter Susan, Death inhabits the body of a recently deceased man and adopts the name Joe Black. Joe/Death ends up falling in love with Susan, and she returns his feelings. The major problem here is that “Joe” is basically a reanimated corpse. When Susan’s father tries to intervene, Joe makes his intention to bring Susan with him when he leaves known. This one has more than one layer of creepy.

Nothing say love like I'm paying you to be here! After hiring Hollywood prostitute Vivian Ward to accompany him to various functions – giving her a new wardrobe and weekly salary – Edward Lewis begins to fall for the lady of the night, and she for him. While on the surface, the message of this classic Julia Roberts rom-com is not to judge a book by its cover, on another level it’s simply about a rich man and a kept woman. Despite the fact that she rejects his final offer – only to be ultimately wooed, anyway – it raises too many questions about power dynamics in relationships to not raise an eyebrow at these days.

Imagine falling in love with someone, and knowing they will never remember you. Sounds more like the set-up to a heartbreaking drama than a rom-com, right? However, in “50 First Dates,” Drew Barrymore plays Lucy, a woman who can't create long-term memories, so Henry, portrayed by Adam Sandler, keeps "meeting" her over and over. It’s a little bit like “Groundhog Day”, except the person affected isn’t even aware it’s happening. The kicker is that they pursue a relationship, get married and have a kid. Even with a videotape reminder to be watched each day, Lucy likely had some VERY confusing mornings. Nothing ruins a day like suddenly being 8 months pregnant, right?

We know that age is just a number, but you can only take the meaning of that expression so far. The lead characters in this film, Benjamin and Daisy, are technically the same age when they first meet. Due to his reverse aging however, young Benjamin appears to be much, much older. This allows him a certain amount of freedom when he sets off into the world on his own. But when it comes to his relationship with Daisy, it just looks – and feels – so wrong. Except for their brief meeting in the middle, this couple is tragically out of synch.

What kid hasn’t wished to grow up? This seems to be the plot of not only this 1988 fantasy/comedy, but also the more modern “13 Going on 30.” When Josh Baskin makes a wish to be “big” from a carnival fortune telling machine, it is granted. This premise would be innocent enough if it were not for the, ahem, romance. Even though he’s holding down a dream job, and looks like a full-grown adult, Josh is still a twelve-year-old kid romancing a grown woman. Even worse is when she discovers the truth and realizes what has been going on.

After their beloved brother and son, Peter, falls into a coma after a brutal attack, a family takes solace in his quirky, mysterious fiancée, Lucy. However, after opening their hearts and welcoming her into the family, they slowly begin to discover that Lucy is not all she claims to be. Such is the charm and power of Sandra Bullock that even the most psychotic of plots can be delivered as a cute and hilarious romp. Crushing on strangers is one thing; leading a double life with that stranger’s family while they are incapacitated? Way. Too. Far.

The story that took the literary and cinematic world by storm proved the young adult genre to be a viable and VERY profitable demographic. It’s the tale of the intense romance between a young girl and a 100-year-old man … Wait, let’s try again. Between a young girl and an undead man – no, no. Ok- a girl and a man who drinks blood – but just from killing the innocent animals in the woods behind his house! When you pair a human girl with a literal monster, no matter how much glitter you try to throw on it, there are going to be some problems. Not to mention all the time he spends watching her sleep.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

“Never Been Kissed” (1999)

“The Time Traveler's Wife” (2009)

“Rumor Has It” (2005)

Let’s start by saying that the BDSM is not the problem here. Everyone has their kinks, and practitioners of bondage or dominant and submissive sexual activities will be the first to point out that mutual respect as well as care for yourself and your partner are key. What makes “Fifty Shades” so creepy is that it’s not really about the kink, but more about what’s perceived by many as the normalization of an emotionally, mentally, and physically abusive relationship in the guise of kink. One-sided contracts? No, thank you! Anastasia may think she is falling for Christian, but this whole deal is less shades of grey and more red flags.