Anti-Valentine's Day Movies

Disclaimer: I'm not a love-hater. I'm actually a big fan of warm fuzzy feelings, but not a fan of the romance genre of film. (I also think that people should spread love every day, not only Valentine's Day, but that's off-topic.) With Valentine's Day quickly approaching, stores are stocking shelves with heart-shaped boxes of chocolates, cute and cuddly stuffed animals, feel-good romance dvd's, and other items which are supposed to be expressions of the burning love we feel for one another. Gag me with a spoon! In order to assist those who are not enamored with the February 14 holiday, here is a list of movies that would be good to watch if you're spending Valentine's Day alone or with a group of anti-Valentine's Day friends.

The movies on this list deal with issues like unrequited love, obsessive love, relationships gone wrong, and the dark side of being in love (or lust). There are hundreds of movies that deal with these themes, here are a few of my favorites.

Fatal Attraction (1987): Married man Dan has an affair with a woman named Alex, who refuses to allow the indiscretion die peacefully and as she becomes more obsessed, the insanity goes through the roof.

Heathers (1989): This is one of my all-time favorite movie for so many reasons. Veronica finds something refreshing but dangerously attractive in the new guy at school, J.D., but things soon turn deadly for the popular kids. When Veronica tries to end things, everyone in school becomes the target of J.D.'s suicidal musings.

Blue Velvet (1986): It wouldn't be a J. Darling list without a David Lynch movie, would it? What brings this movie to my "Anti-Valentine's Day" list is the intense, twisted sado-masochistic relationship between Dennis Hopper's character, Frank (a psychotic gas-sniffer) and Isabella Rosellini's character, a woman whose husband and son have been kidnapped by Frank. This movie is thick with satire, violence, mystery, and Kyle Maclachlan.

High Tension (2003): This movie made my list of top horror movies of the past decade. For a full review, click here. There is a theme of obsession and unrequited love here, but to say much more would be to say too much.

May (2002): Another film that made my top horror of the decade list. Love can make people do some pretty crazy and sick things, as you will see when you watch this film about a lonely girl with some very skewed views on how to "make" friends and lovers.

War of the Roses (1989): This is a dark comedy that takes place during the materialistic 1980's decade about a couple in a divorce battle. They go to great levels of cruelty as greed mounts surrounding their decadent house. This is what happens in many sour divorces, only times ten.