Dark Romance backdrop

Dark Romance movies

Risky, intense romance shaped by danger, obsession, control, trauma, or morally gray choices.

The Handmaiden

1. The Handmaiden

Thriller Drama Romance Erotic Thriller Historical Drama
8.1
20162h 25min

Overview

A con man vows to steal a heiress’s fortune, and the pickpocket posing as her handmaiden is his key. But as Sookee shares her bed and wins her heart, betrayal turns into desire. To claim the money, she must ruin the only person who trusts her—so whose side does she destroy?

Themes

Deception through seduction, Romantic coercion, Forgery and manipulation, Inheritance as leverage, Reading as control, Power dynamics in intimate ties

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Fandango At Home
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

A Bigger Splash

2. A Bigger Splash

Drama Thriller Romance Relationship Drama Dark Romance
6.4
20152h 5min

Overview

An American couple, Paul and Marianne, spend their vacation in Italy and experience trouble when Marianne invites a former lover and his teenage daughter to visit, which leads to jealousy and dangerous sexual scenarios.

Themes

Deception and performance, Fame and vulnerability, Jealousy and desire, Addiction and recovery, Privacy vs intrusion, Power dynamics in intimate spaces, Age and danger

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Z for Zachariah

3. Z for Zachariah

Drama Romance Science Fiction Thriller Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi
6.0
20151h 37min

Overview

In the wake of a nuclear war, a young woman survives on her own, fearing she may actually be the proverbial last woman on earth, until she discovers the most astonishing sight of her life: another human being. A distraught scientist, he’s nearly been driven mad by radiation exposure and his desperate search for others. A fragile, imperative strand of trust connects them. But when a stranger enters the valley, their precarious bond begins to unravel.

Themes

Survival ethics, Love triangle, Water wheel, Faith under pressure, Trust and betrayal, Isolation and companionship

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Victoria

4. Victoria

Crime Thriller Romance Heist Mind Game Thriller
7.6
20152h 18min

Overview

One reckless Berlin night turns a chance flirtation into a real-time heist. A young Spanish woman falls in with four streetwise guys, and a mob boss forces them into a drug-fueled bank job. Now every turn, every siren, and every choice drags her deeper into a city she no longer recognizes.

Themes

Crime under pressure, Loyalty under threat, Romance amid danger, Deception under duress, Urban anonymity, Poverty and aspiration

Available on

Google Play Movies
YouTube
Kanopy
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Tale of Tales

5. Tale of Tales

Romance Fantasy Horror Dark Fantasy Dark Romance
6.4
20152h 14min

Overview

The Queen of Selvascura risks everything to be a mother; the King of Roccaforte falls in love with the voice of a mysterious girl; the King of Altomonte becomes obsessed with a flea and neglects his daughter.

Themes

Obsession and violence, Power through spectacle, Flight and escape, Sibling bonds and rivalry, Motherhood at any cost, Youth through extreme means

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

6. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night

Horror Romance Vampire Horror Dark Romance
6.9
20141h 41min

Overview

In the Iranian ghost-town Bad City, a place that reeks of death and loneliness, the townspeople are unaware they are being stalked by a lonesome vampire.

Themes

Violence as currency, Vampire presence, Loneliness under pressure, Exploitation and desire, Power dynamics and dependency, Vulnerability and restraint

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Kanopy
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

The Duke of Burgundy

7. The Duke of Burgundy

Drama Mystery Romance Relationship Drama Dark Romance
6.5
20141h 44min

Overview

Day in and day out, lovers Cynthia and Evelyn enact an elaborate sadomasochistic fantasy as mistress and maid. But as their ritual of domination and submission begins to turn stale, Cynthia yearns for something more conventional, while Evelyn tries to push their taboos even further.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Ritualized control mechanisms, Dominance submission dynamics, Desire versus convention, Boundary testing, Aging insecurity

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Escobar: Paradise Lost

8. Escobar: Paradise Lost

Thriller Romance Political Thriller Dark Romance
6.5
20142h

Overview

For Pablo Escobar family is everything. When young surfer Nick falls for Escobar's niece, Maria, he finds his life on the line when he's pulled into the dangerous world of the family business.

Themes

Deception and manipulation, Loyalty under threat, Power and coercion, Crime family dynamics, Perilous escape, Fragile fate

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

Overview

A young man in a personal tailspin flees the US to Italy, where he sparks up a romance with a woman harboring a dark, primordial secret.

Themes

Belonging in unfamiliar spaces, Loneliness and escape, Desire vs immortality, Otherness and transformation, Secrecy and revelation, Ethics of reproduction

Available on

Amazon Video
Apple TV
Google Play Movies
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.

In Secret

10. In Secret

Drama Thriller Crime Romance Historical Drama
6.1
20141h 41min

Overview

In 1860s Paris, a young woman, Therese, is trapped in a loveless marriage to the sickly Camille by her domineering aunt, Madame Raquin. She spends her days behind the counter of a small shop and her evenings watching Madame play dominos with an eclectic group. After she meets her husband’s alluring friend, Laurent, she embarks on an illicit affair that leads to tragic consequences. Based on Emile Zola’s novel, Thérèse Raquin.

Themes

Deception and exposure, Loveless marriage, Social constraint, Family authority, Forbidden affair, Class expectations

Available on

Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV
Data provided by JustWatch.Availability may vary by region.