Yes, we’re doing it again! We’re taking a holiday that has nothing to do with Halloween but giving it a creepy spin. Why? Because we can. And funny enough, in this case it really works. Maybe not on every holiday but Valentine’s Day just seems to blend nicely with terror. I mean, it is already covered in red…

So welcome to Valloween, the latest in our ongoing series of me talking about how you can take beloved holidays and turn them into another reason to get scary.

When you stop and think about it, Valentine’s Day is a weird holiday to begin with. It’s named after a Saint Valentine (we’re not sure which one, as there are at least three) who was martyred. Like many holidays it has Pagan influences, falling around a holiday in ancient Rome that celebrated fertility, which most think is where the connection to romance comes in. And it’s centered around cards, chocolate and flowers.

What may surprise you, or not, is that there are multiple Valentine’s Day slasher films. Once movies like Black Christmas and Halloween made it cool to take holidays and make scary movies out of them, Valentine’s Day wasn’t too far behind. And besides, love and romance can be pretty scary. You’re putting yourself out there, putting your trust in other people that you may not know well at first, and the idea of that not working out or going very wrong is a terrifying one.

So what movies turn the season of love into a horror show? We’ll start with one of the earliest holiday-themed slashers, My Blood Valentine, released back in 1981. Filmed in Canada (Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia, to be exact), this tale is set in a mining town called Valentine Bluffs, but they haven’t celebrated the holiday that shares it’s name for many years, not since an accident in the mines killed several people on Valentine’s Day, with the lone survivor resorting to cannibalism after being trapped. But this year they’re bringing the traditional Valentine’s dance back! What could possibly go wrong? Throw in some rowdy young people, a love triangle and a killer dressed as a miner carrying a pickaxe, and this will make for one memorable night for Valentine Bluffs, but not for the reasons they expect.

The 2000s didn’t just release a remake of My Blood Valentine (in 3D, when that gimmick was all the rage), but its own themed movie simply called Valentine. The plot follows typical slasher beats: a group of characters start getting picked off, Valentines-themed threats start coming in, there’s a mystery of who the killer could be because they wear a mask, in this case a cherub mask to match the holiday. Also, the killer uses a bow and arrow in their arsenal, definitely completing the Cupid look. I turned 20 in 2001, and watching this film a few years ago as a full-fledged adult brought me back to that early 2000s vibe and highlighted a who’s who of stars from back then. Denise Richards? Check. David Boreanaz? Also check. Not to mention Katherine Heigl and Jessica Capshaw. And 2000s horror just hits different. As this article from Vulture highlights very nicely, late 90s/early 2000s horror films were filled with improbably attractive casts, ‘edgy’ soundtracks and fashion that defined the era. What a time to be a horror fan.

And most recently, we had 2025’s Heart Eyes. This tale follows a villain known as the Heart Eyes Killer, a masked assailant with glowing red heart eyes who appears in various cities every Valentine’s Day, and no one is safe if they’re out with their sweetheart. Ally and Jay, colleagues at an advertising company, mistakenly find themselves the target of Heart Eyes, and they may fall in love in the meantime. Now, I consider this film to be quite special in a lot of ways. Not only was it a fun Valentine slasher and quite humorous at times, but it tried to be two movies in one and actually succeeded. It mashed up slasher tropes with rom com tropes, which ended up merging surprisingly and beautifully. Meet cutes, surprise identities, dressing room montages and last-minute dashes to your love interest sit side by side with gruesome kills, multiple victims, jump scares and a mystery over who the killer could be. It just worked, and clearly the people who made it knew both genres very well and could mash them up effectively. Give this a try if you want a fun night enjoying both types of movies.

And do I have more to suggest? You bet I do. Here is a selection of horror movies where Valentine’s Day, love, romance, relationships, marriage and dating are the main focus, in and around all the horror and death. I also made a list of teen Valloween books and movies if you happen to like YA fiction or have anyone in your life who does.

Now, what else this year? I hear some people are trying to make Easterween a thing? I don’t think it’s taken off quite as well as some of the other Halloween variants, but maybe time will tell.

In the meantime, enjoy Valentine’s Day however you like, be it lovey, anti or scary.