Everlasting Love

When we reflect on science fiction, dark fantasy, and horror movies, we more often think of violence over violins (with a tip of the hankie to Gilda Radner). However, those fantastical genres are indeed often actually milked for the maudlin — The Last Mimzy and The Water Horse being two of the worst recent offenders.

Fortunately, when the focus is on affection, it is not all soggy sentimentality for most filmmakers. If you’re hankering for a scary, sci-fi, or fantasy movie with the accent on heart, here are a few for the queue:

Parasomnia (2009)

A dark fairy tale of romantic commitment that knows no bounds (nope, not even death), Parasomnia explores the strange yet immediately intense relationship between young Danny (Dylan Purcell) and Laura (Cherilyn Wilson), a real-life sleeping beauty. The bittersweet ending requires at least one silk handkerchief. Directed by William Malone.

Wall-e (2008)

A mix of speculative fantasy, drama, romance, and science fiction, Wall-e tells the story of an adorable robot (voiced by Ben Burtt) who somehow develops emotions and a thought process during a long stint trapped alone on our discarded planet. One day, love comes to him in the form of a probe called EVE (voiced by Elissa Knight). While the adoring androids don’t exactly have dialogue, they do speak each other’s names in the most endearing and heart-string-tugging ways. Directed by Andrew Stanton.

Martian Child (2007)

When a successful, recently widowed, science-fiction writer (John Cusack) debates on whether to adopt an abandoned six-year-old boy (Bobby Coleman) who claims he’s really from Mars, both learn life-affirming lessons about what it means to be human. Directed by Menno Meyjes.

The Iron Giant (1999)

With a mix of Eisenhower-era paranoia and present-day optimism, this sentimentally satirical animated feature packs an emotional wallop with a message about war and its effects on children. The Iron Giant (voiced by Vin Diesel) is a crash-landed robot from outer space who’s programmed for destruction…until he meets up with a peaceful tot (voiced by Eli Marienthal). Directed by Brad Bird.

The Devil’s Backbone (1999)

While this Spanish-language, WWII-era ghost movie is scary, it’s also mucho melancholy. As the seeable spirit of a murdered little boy wanders the halls of an orphanage (not to be confused with 2007′s The Orphanage — another great foreign phantom flick focusing on lost life), his sadness and loneliness is palpable. Directed by Guillermo del Toro.

Toy Story (1995)

Kids love their toys, but did you know that toys love their kids? That’s the premise of this humorous yet hard-hitting animated yarn of simply-constructed Cowboy Woody’s distress (voiced by Tom Hanks) after an ultra-gadgety spaceman action figure (voiced by Tim Allen) replaces him as tops in the toy box of little Andy (voiced by John Morris). Directed by John Lasseter.

Interview With The Vampire (1994)

While the world of these fanged night creatures (Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, Tom Cruise) is supernatural and bloodthirsty on the surface, the sense of longing, love, resentment, angst, and the deep, everlasting agony of eternal damnation so striking in the classic Anne Rice novel is brought to the screen with painful precision by director Neil Jordan. There is one death scene in particular which is even more arresting than a stake through the heart.

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Johnny Depp portrays an uncommonly soft, sweet soul whose outwardly sharp and scary appearance causes him great emotional distress, especially when he falls head over heels in love with a beautiful, completely normal girl (Winona Ryder). The ultimate misfit drama with a satirical sci-fi twist, Edward Scissorhands stands the test of time as a classic romance. Directed by Tim Burton.

Watchers (1988)

Not nearly as emotionally engaging as the novel by Dean R. Koontz of the same name, Watchers still deserves a mention because pooches in peril are always good for a sob or two. In the story, a young man (Corey Haim) finds a Golden Retriever who turns out to be a genetically-modified war machine who has an even meaner mutant on its tail. The movie turns the interaction between those three characters into chase and action, but there are still a few moments of expressive weight from the creatures’ points of view. Directed by Jon Hess.

Somewhere in Time (1980)

Based on a novel by the great Richard Matheson (who also wrote the screenplay), this time-travel sci-fi tearjerker takes the wedding cake when it comes to stories of devotion knowing no limits. Both Jane Seymour and Christopher Reeve put in unforgettable performances as the star-crossed couple. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc.

Superman (1978)

While comic book movies seem to be becoming increasingly emotional and therefore accssesible to wide audiences (this year’s top earner, The Dark Knight, is a prime example), Superman was a pretty heavy-hitter in its day. When the love of Superman’s (Christopher Reeve) life, Lois Lane (Margot Kidder), is killed, his fury and heartbreak literally become earth-shattering events. Directed by Richard Donner.