Support Us Login
  • Home
  • Going Out
    • Things to do
    • Food & Drink
    • Theatre
    • Visual Arts
    • Cinema
    • Kids
    • Festival
    • Gigs
    • Dance
    • Classical Music
    • Opera
    • Immersive
    • Talks
  • Staying In
    • TV
    • Books
    • Cook
    • Podcast
    • Design
    • Netflix
  • Life & Style
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Gifting
    • Wellbeing
    • Lifestyle
    • Shopping
    • Jewellery
  • Explore
  • Shopping
  • CW SHOPS
  • Support Us
  • Get Started
  • Tickets
  • CW SHOPS
Get the Best of London Life, Culture and Style
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
Things to do

The best and worst supernatural love stories

By CW Contributor on 7/8/2017

A Ghost Story, starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck with a sheet over his head, comes from a long line of paranormal romances... some more successful than others

Saoirse Ronan - The Host (2013)
Saoirse Ronan - The Host (2013)
Sometimes a realistic love story isn't good enough.


Misunderstandings, social strictures, and convenient comas are the traditional plot hurdles for the will-they-won't-they couples of romance movies, but occasionally you need to throw an otherworldly obstacle into the path of love.


Take A Ghost Story. 'C' (Casey Affleck) and 'M' (Rooney Mara) are happily married. Obviously, this just won't do: something has to disrupt their union, or else what's the point of watching the film? You'll be pleased to hear, then, that 'C' is obligingly hit by a car early on. Dead, he returns to the house he shares with 'M' only to find that she can't see, hear, or feel him.



It's not an especially original set-up – it's basically 1990's Ghost, minus Whoopi Goldberg – but if its executed right, its love story will be heartrending. There's something about unearthly forces coming between two lovebirds that makes a romance especially high-stakes; in genres like fantasy and sci-fi (and even horror) the impediments to love feel dauntingly cosmic, and the eventual triumph of love feels even sweeter.


Not that all supernatural romances manage to pull off this trick. When one of these movies fails, it fails hard: the conceit that was supposed to prove the eternal or inter-dimensional endurance of love ends up seeming... daft.


That's why we've included three of the worst supernatural romances along with three of the best.


The Best

Let the Right One In (2008)



No, Twilight isn't on this list. That's because, if you're going to see a vampire love-story, it really has to be Swedish film Let the Right One In. It's really a tale of first love: 12-year-old Oskar finds solace from his ruptured family life and bullying at school through his crush on cool kid Eli. Thing is, Eli is an ancient being who needs to feed on the blood of humans. Dark, sweet, and unforgettable, Let the Right One In is touching and eerie in equal measure. Make sure to avoid the American remake.


Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990)



Truly, Madly, Deeply is even more bittersweet now that Alan Rickman is actually dead. Watching one of Britain's most admired actors play a ghost returning to his bereaved wife (Juliet Stevenson), who wouldn't wish to hear that soothing drawl in cinemas once again? And that mustache is something else. Robert Ebert called this film 'Ghost for grown-ups', and we agree. Truly, madly, deeply lovely.


E.T. (1982)



No, not a romance per se. But the love between little 10-year-old Elliott and the stumpy-legged bulb-fingered extra-terrestrial is as real and moving as anything committed to screen, and their parting at the end ('I'll... be... right... here') makes us well up every time. As countless Doctor Who companions have learned, falling in love with a speed-of-light-travelling intergalactic being is just asking for heartbreak.


The Worst

Safe Haven (2013)



Erin (Julianne Hough) has fled her abusive husband in Boston and arrived at the small town of Southport, North Carolina. Settling down there with a new identity, she finds friendship with neighbour Jo (Cobie Smulders) and romance with hunky widower Alex (Josh Duhamel). It's not until the end that **SPOILER ALERT** you discover that Jo is actually Alex's wife, a ghost. WooOOOOoooOOOOooOOO! Adapted from a Nicholas Sparks novel, The Notebook this ain't.


The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)



What's more unsettling: Brad Pitt digitally shrunken down into a withered old man the size of a baby, Brad Pitt digitally botoxed to look like his younger self, or Brad Pitt having a relationship with Cate Blanchette? Trick question! They're all equally creepy. Based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald story about a man who ages backwards, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a rare misfire from director David Fincher.



The Host (2013)



Aha, you knew that Twilight would get onto this list somehow. Except this isn't Twilight: it's based on author Stephanie Meyer's other, far less successful book. Saoirse Ronan plays a girl who, partially possessed by an alien spirit that fancies a different man than she does, ends up in a bizarre love triangle with Max Irons and Jake Abel. Let's put it this way: you'll wish you were watching Twilight.

Share:

Cinema

Romance

Comedy

Horror



You may also like:
  • The Big Sick: best new rom-coms 2017

    How to make a truly modern rom-com

  • Atomic Blonde film review [STAR:3]

    Atomic Blonde film review ★★★★★

  • Kathryn Bigelow, Detroit director

    Kathryn Bigelow is bearing witness with her film Detroit, and it's complicated

  • Land of Mine film

    Land of Mine ★★★★★

  • The Emoji Movie

    Helen Mirren, no!

  • Land of Mine

    Land of Mine confronts the aspects of war that Dunkirk avoids



  • The Culture Whisper team
  • Support Us
  • Tickets
  • Contact us
  • Press
  • FAQ
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookies
  • Discover
  • Venues
  • Restaurants
  • Stations
  • Boroughs
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

You have reached the limit of free articles.


To enjoy unlimited access to Culture Whisper sign up for FREE.
Find out more about Culture Whisper

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy

Each week, we send newsletters and communication featuring articles, our latest tickets invitations, and exclusive offers.

Occasional information about discounts, special offers and promotions.


OR
LOG IN

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

Thanks for signing up to Culture Whisper.
Please check your inbox for a confirmation email and click the link to verify your account.



EXPLORE CULTURE WHISPER
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy
Forgot your username or password?
Don't have an account? Sign Up

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

If you click «Log in with Facebook» and are not a Culture Whisper user, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and to our Privacy Policy, which includes our Cookie Use

Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
×