For the most part, the horror encourages you to stay away from the haunted place, not to run upstairs when you should be out the front door, and certainly not to “investigate” any strange noises in the ceiling.
But some movies can advise you on something else entirely: Enjoy being single.
It’s a real niche in the genre, but we’ve tracked down the horror movies that singles can benefit from more than anyone else. Some are bad reminders of all the bad things about being in a relationship with a selfish person (looking at you, Evil), and others (*cough*, It follows) are completely sexist health arguments.
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Of course, celibacy means different things to different people. Not everyone is sexually active, or looking for a relationship. But whether you’re happy on your own or perhaps tired of the dating scene, hopefully there’ll be something among the outrageous options right up your dimly lit street…
1. It follows
Don’t look behind you.
Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock
What is it about?
In a nutshell, it is about the supernatural power that is transferred between people when they have sex. Once a business starts following you, it won’t stop following you until you die.
The only way to end it? Share sex with another person and take the burden off.
Why single people love it…
This one doesn’t take much to explain. The layout of It follows it’s like a love letter to utter profanity, a 100-minute convincing argument about the merits of clearly directing any potential partners.
After all, is dating really worth a life of being pursued by mindless strangers that no one but you can see? We don’t think.
How to view: It follows is available to rent or buy on Fandango Home, Prime Video, and Apple TV.
2. Get out
All is not what it seems in ‘Get Out.’
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What is it about?
Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) goes to meet the family of his white girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), for the first time. At the beginning of the journey, his main concern is how they might react as he is black. But as the story progresses, and things get stranger and stranger, you realize their racism is just one part of a much bigger secret.
Why single people love it…
Meeting your partner’s family for the first time is a stressful experience. Jordan Peele’s original script takes this fear and goes with it, imagining the worst possible scenario and putting poor old Chris in the middle.
What is the lesson? If you are going to a new partner’s house, always have an escape plan.
How to view: Get out airs on HBO Max, and is available to rent or buy on Fandango Home, Prime Video, and Apple TV.
3. Right or wrong
Even worse. The wedding night. Always.
Credit: 20th Century Fox / Kobal / Shutterstock
What is it about?
After marrying her boyfriend, Alex (Mark O’Brien), Grace (Samara Weaving) is faced with a strange family post-wedding ritual that sees her run away from her life.
Why single people love it…
Love Get out, Right or wrong he plays with the fear of his in-laws. What if, rather than just being weird, your new in-laws were actually involved in some nasty business? What if they forced you to participate in their dirty rituals? And what if, when push comes to shove, your new husband turns into a completely wet flannel whose only steps towards protecting you are mumbling softly about the fact that his entire family wanted you dead.
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Fortunately, in the case of Right or wrongGrace is more than capable of taking care of herself.
How to view: Right or wrong is available to rent or buy on Fandango Home, Prime Video, and Apple TV.
4. Evil
Ellison Oswalt: Struggling true crime writer, bad husband.
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What is it about?
As part of his research for a new true crime book, Ellison (Ethan Hawke) moves his family into a house where the previous residents were murdered.
But when Ellison finds a box of disturbing movies in the basement, he realizes that the murders may be part of a much larger pattern.
Why single people love it…
Ellison Oswalt may be a serious true crime writer, but he’s an absolutely terrible husband. Despite occasionally making the right noises about taking care of his wife and kids, he’s so busy reclaiming his rapidly diminishing fame that he a) doesn’t tell his wife to put him in the Slaughterhouse, and b) repeatedly ignores the signs and warnings that whatever killed the previous residents may have ambushed him and his kids.
It’s really a reminder that marriage doesn’t always end well.
How to view: Evil is available to rent or buy on Fandango Home, Prime Video, and Apple TV.
5. The Shining
Jack Torrance may be the scariest movie husband ever.
Credit: Warner Bros / Hawk Films / Kobal / Shutterstock
What is it about?
In a special move by Ellison Oswalt, Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) moves his family into the abandoned Overlook Hotel to take a job as a caretaker in the winter. But as a sense of isolation sets in, and Jack’s son Danny begins to see things, Jack’s grip on reality begins to slip.
Why single people love it…
If you’re going to live in a big, echoey hotel in the winter without any outside contact or hope of escape, you’d at least want to be with your family, right?
It’s wrong!
As the deadly old Jack Torrance makes clear in his take on Stanley Kubrick’s classic Stephen King novel, sometimes the people closest to you are the ones who can hurt you the most – in fact, in this sense, as it becomes abundantly clear when Jack puts his hands on a nearby axe.
Torrance’s unexpected and violent descent puts him right up there among the horror movie husbands of all time, EvilEllison looks like a saint by comparison.
How to view: The Shining is available to rent or buy on Fandango Home, Prime Video, and Apple TV.
6. Examination
Maybe dating isn’t a very good thing.
Credit: Moviestore / Shutterstock
What is it about?
Widower Shigeharu Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi) is encouraged by his son to try dating again, so he arranges a fake “test” to meet a new wife. But the woman he ends up falling for, Asami Yamazaki (Eihi Shiina) has a dark secret of her own.
Why single people love it…
When it comes to dating, there’s always that slight fear that the person you’re going to meet might be weird. Or maybe even a little more. Examinationfeaturing one of the scariest female villains of all time, makes that fear almost a million.
Finding a relationship? Who needs that. Delete those dating apps from your phone and be happy that there is no Asami in your life.
How to view: Examination streams on Kanopy, and is available to rent or buy on Fandango Home, Prime Video, and Apple TV.
7. Dear ones
Waking up strapped to a chair is never good, is it?
Credit: Australian Screen / Kobal / Shutterstock
What is it about?
When Brent (Xavier Samuel) refuses to accompany his classmate Lola (Robin McLeavy) to move on, he decides to take matters into his own hands. By violently abducting him.
Why single people love it…
Love ExaminationSean Byrne’s dark thriller offers a valid argument against dating in general. If you’re tired of seeing pictures of smiling couples and you’re looking for catharsis, Lola’s most terrifying attack will probably provide it.
How to view: Dear ones is available to rent or buy on Prime Video, Fandango at Home, and Apple TV.
Update: Feb. 12, 2026, 4:32 pm This feature was first published on Oct. 20, 2020. Updated to reflect current streaming options.
