Move over rom-com hunks, we've only got eyes for horror heroes now
Horror is the new romance
It’s officially the time of the year when horror movies feel very on theme, and I couldn’t be happier. There’s always been a horror film fanatic in me. As a kid, I’d watch Zee Horror Show, Aahat, and Ssshhhh…Koi Hai, like many of us unmonitored millennials did. My elder sisters, equally obsessed with the supernatural, made sure I didn’t miss the OG Indian horror classics like Purana Mandir and Purani Haveli. I was that kid who, in the era of DVD rentals, would call up the store and ask, “Uncle, which horror movies do you have right now?” He’d eagerly list The Exorcism of Emily Rose, The Ring, The Grudge, and the like. At some point, I think he started keeping a list ready for the kid who only ever rented ghosts.
But like any other young girl, I loved my share of rom-coms too. Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai had me crushing hard on Hrithik Roshan. Rohit’s simplicity and Raj’s confidence stayed with me, not to mention I really believed (maybe still do) that Roshan was the handsomest man alive. Jai from Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na was that rare secure man who didn’t need aggression to feel masculine, and Aditya from Jab We Met won me over with his quiet resilience. Confessions of a Shopaholic, Definitely, Maybe; and The Holiday had men being soft, expressive, and respectful, which only raised the bar for my idea of a perfect man.
However, over time, the lines between my two favourite film genres began to blur. The men in romances started to feel like they belonged in horror. Gautam from Cocktail who thinks a sexy woman is only for fun; man-child Ayan from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil who is offended that his friend isn’t in love with him; Kabir from Kabir Singh who treats his love interest like his jaydaad; possessive and controlling Christian from Fifty Shades of Grey, the list is endless.
On the other hand, I started to notice that the men in horror movies were turning out to be excellent boyfriend material. These men who chased (and dodged) spirits and monsters, contend with shadows and darkness, actually had way more emotional range than the hunks and chocolate boys professing their entitled love in rom-coms.
So this Halloween, I am going to get cosy in my bed, and find romance in horror heroes, because apparently, that’s where it exists in the celluloid world.
Men who are not afraid of vulnerability
Generations of families upholding ‘men don’t cry’ as their guiding philosophy have led to our male counterparts finding it difficult to show vulnerability. In romantic films, the hero is almost always the knight in shining armour or someone with the emotional quotient of an eraser. But when the supernatural takes over, we often see male protagonists forgetting gender norms. Take the recently released Thamma (2025), featuring Alok (Ayushmann Khurrana), a demure man who’s rescued by Tadaka (Rashmika Mandanna), a betaal. He doesn’t need to feel stronger than a woman to feel more masculine. He isn’t afraid to show fear, sometimes even of his own reflection. The film may have received mixed reviews, but we can all agree on one thing: Alok is witty, self-aware, and completely unbothered by a woman who’s stronger than him.
Munjya (2024) too sneaks up on you with its sweetness. Abhay Verma plays a painfully shy guy who’s not saving the girl or flexing his hero muscles; he’s just trying to do the right thing while being completely terrified. For once, fear and goodness coexist without shame. And when his childhood crush doesn’t reciprocate his love, he handles it with grace, without a single drop of male entitlement. That’s refreshing in a world where men-not-tolerating-rejection (Ayan, Kundan, and Radhe, we are looking at you) has practically become a genre of its own, often mislabelled as romance instead of psychological thriller.
Men who listen
Many of these movies don’t just explore folklore and fear, but also give us men who are actually suitable for women. They listen, unlike many men we meet in real life who would explain your period pain to you like they are the ones with the uteruses.
Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) from Stree (2018), isn’t your textbook hero. He’s awkward, respectful, and genuinely listens, even to a mysterious woman who may or may not be human. There’s a quiet decency in how he moves through chaos, never crossing boundaries with his love interest. In a story literally about a female ghost haunting men, Vicky becomes the rare man who brings chivalry back, making an entire village pay respect to the woman they had wronged years ago.
And of course, there’s Ed and Lorraine Warren’s enviable relationship. The real-life couple behind The Conjuring films may have had their share of controversy, but their on-screen characters have only ever received love. And this isn’t in small part because Ed listens, follows Lorraine’s lead, and takes her intuition seriously.
Men who protect
While movies like Animal (2023) and Kabir Singh applaud men who flaunt their brawn even in front of their loved ones, often intimidating them, there are other heroes who quietly protect. Kabir in Shaitaan (2024), a character played by Ajay Devgn doesn’t storm around in macho rage, like that other Kabir (in what was supposed to be a romantic film). He holds his family together with quiet strength as their daughter is under the vashikaran of a black magic practitioner. As he navigates this scary situation and tries to look for solutions, his partnership with his wife Jyotika feels equal and grounded.
And who can forget Sang-hwa from Train to Busan (2016)? The internet’s “husband material”, he’s selfless, brave, and endlessly protective of his family. In a train full of zombies, he loves fiercely, fights fearlessly, and sacrifices himself to save his family.
Men who stay for the scary parts
Ever dated someone who vanishes the moment things get slightly tough? The “I’ll call you right back” type who never does? Or leaves you on read because he just can’t muster the courage to have ‘the conversation’? Meanwhile, horror movie boyfriends are out here facing literal demons and staying.
In 1920 (2008), Arjun begins as a skeptic but transforms into a man of faith and devotion when his wife is possessed. He doesn’t abandon her and fights the demon himself in the end. He goes on to chant ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ to make the spirit exit his wife’s body.
Even in Lights Out (2016), Bret gets dragged into his girlfriend’s family nightmare with demonic spirits, possessions, and scary visions, and still refuses to leave. No excuses, no “I’m not ready for this”. Just courage and commitment in the face of things that go bump in the dark.
Horror, it turns out, is full of good men. The kind who listen, protect, stay, and aren’t afraid to be afraid. Meanwhile, the so-called romantic heroes are busy brooding, gaslighting, or playing emotional hide-and-seek. Maybe love stories need to start taking notes from horror because in the end, the men who face ghosts with honesty are far less scary than the ones who can’t even face themselves.
