It should be a day of universal love, butValentine’s Dayseems to be one of the most divisive holidays of all. Couples complain that it puts an excessive amount of pressure on their relationship, and single people say the whole concept makes them feel alienated. Never mind all the complicated stuff that happens in between, which is usually the basis of themovies that take place on Valentine’s Day.
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Valentine’s Day is a more interesting holiday than a lot of people realize, and movies on the subject include some genres that might surprise you. The question that launched a thousand ships and wrote a million songs was also enough to make Valentine’s Day a lucrative commercial boost in the quiet time between the busy autumn holidays and Spring Break. Of course, most of the movies that take place on Valentine’s Day are romantic fluff, but there’s some horror and suspense here as well, which also makes perfect sense.
While 2022’s Valentine’s Day is now over, these movies are great to throw on any given Sunday.
8What Love Is (2007)
This movie could also fit into other unique categories besides being set on Valentine’s Day, like taking place over the span of just a few hours and all in one location. This is Tom’s house, and he’s the main character. He comes home on Valentine’s Day with some romantic plans, one that includes a marriage proposal.
Things go slightly awry when he comes home to find his intended fiancée in the process of moving out. Tom ends up gathering at home with the friends he asked to witness what he thought would be an engagement party. What follows is a series of social interactions between Tom and his numerous house guests,and the host starts to rethink his priorities.
7My Bloody Valentine (1981)
A classic Canadian horror film,My Bloody Valentinecaptures the cold and visceral side of Valentine’s Day in a way that’s unconventional but understandable. Filmed in the town of Sidney Mines, Nova Scotia, the look of the villain decked out in mining gear is taken from local legend.
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Here’s the romantic story behindMy Bloody Valentine: Harry Warden, the only miner to survive the cave-in, resorts to cannibalism and becomes obsessed with collecting human hearts. He swears that if the town refuses to call off plans for a Valentine’s Day dance, more people will die. It’s just as gory as it sounds, and the filmmakers had to cut out a full three minutes of what the Motion Picture Association of America deemed to be excessive.
6Valentine’s Day (2010)
Valentine’s Dayis a movie that takes on several stories at once, following different characters as they get through a holiday that’s more complicated than it seems. Each action and choice has a domino effectthat spills over into the other characters, and as the story progresses they become more deeply entwined with one another.
The journey is a rocky one, but this is a satisfying movie in the sense that everyone gets what they deserve. That doesn’t mean that every character gets a happy ending, either.
5My Secret Valentine (2018)
There had to be a Hallmark movie around here somewhere.My Secret Valentineactually has a believable premise and a sympathetic main character, despite the fact this movie is designed for a fuzzy, non-threatening TV experience. The backdrop is Valentine’s Day festival at a winery, and that’s a romantic setting if there ever was one.
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Chloe, the main character, is at a crossroads in her life. It’s an enviable position, torn between some interesting career choices while negotiating the sale of her family winery after her dad makes the announcement he wants to retire. In the meantime, she’s falling in love with the elusive renter of her cottage that keeps leaving her notes. Spoiler alert, it turns out the real estate agent from New York who Chloe doesn’t like is the elusive renter.
4The Thing About Harry (2020)
The title isn’t just a whimsical phrase. Harry has an interesting secret and the story is about how he comes to terms with it.
Sam, the movie’s main character and an openly gay man, was bullied in high school. He’s reunited with the bully who made his life a living hell in order to drive him to a mutual friend’s engagement party, which happens to take place on Valentine’s Day. During the road trip, Harryreveals that he’s pansexual, and the rest of the film is about how his feelings towards Sam evolve and how he deals with them.
3Valentine’s Again (2017)
Valentine’s Againis based on the same premise asGroundhog Dayin which a person has to live a day over and over again until they get it right. In this case, the holiday is Valentine’s Day, and it’s up to Danny, a lonely floral designer, to break the cycle.
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In this case, the day goes badly already, so another chance isn’t such a bad prospect. Danny’s flower shop loses a major account and spends a romantic holiday delivering flowers for other happy people. Danny consults an occultist of sorts hoping to see a brighter future, and instead, she’s cursed to relive the day over and over again until she finds true love.
2Sleepless In Seattle (1993)
This movie is about losing love as much as it is finding it. The opening scene tells the story of a tragic loss. Sam has lost his wife Maggie, and all the viewer ever knows is that she “got sick.” It’s grim, but it’s all we need to hear.
A year later, Sam and his son Jonah are in Seattle trying to put the pieces back together.Sleepless in Seattlecovers a few different holidays, with Sam calling into a radio talk show on Christmas Eve. Although she’s engaged, Annie feels her relationship isn’t completeand inspired by the vintage filmANight To Remember,she writes to Sam and asks to meet him on the roof of the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day.
1I Hate Valentine’s Day (2009)
From Nia Vardalos, the same writer and director that gave us the acclaimed comedyMy Big Fat Greek Wedding,here’s another bittersweet tale about the hopes and dreams everyone has about love. InI Hate Valentine’s Day, she plays Genevieve Gernier, a florist who follows a strict rule about never going out on more than five dates with the same person.
A restaurant owner named Greg, who works in Genevieve’s neighborhood, challenges this rule when she wants to keep seeing him even after the five-date limit is up. The film takes place during the Valentine’s Day season, and Genevieve keeps looking for silly excuses to spend time with Greg outside of a “date” environment but is constantly surrounded by Valentine’s Day trappings.
