Here are the five best alternative romance films to watch for Valentine's Day 2024

Love isn't about fluffy bunnies and cute quotes - it is about passion, fire and chemistry between people as these five alternative romantic films prove.

The Lobster is a tale of love and why you should never force it.

Silence Of The Lambs

"But he is a cannibal" I hear you scream - however, did you know this Oscar winning film was released on February 14? It also follows the perfect romantic routine of boy meets girls, get to know each other on levels they never have with anyone else before and become a little bit obsessed with each other? It may not be the romance you want, but this is a romantic tale in the same way Die Hard is a Christmas film. Which it is.

Lars And The Real Girl

So, you loved Ryan Gosling in The Notebook? Pah! It isn't even close to being his most romantic film. Not even close. Not long after he made that sappy Notebook, he took on the role of Lars Lindstrom, an awkward shy young man who develops a delusion while living in his brother's garage. That delusion makes him believe he is dating a wheelchair bound woman from South America though she is actually a sex doll from the wbesite 'Real Girls'. With his delusion in full swing, the community gathers around to support him and his family and the film is surprisingly heart-breaking in its own little way.

Mandy

What is more romantic than Nic Cage going on a drug-fuelled rampage with a chainsaw and an axe against a religious cult that has kidnapped you? Exactly.Mandy is a true masterpiece and a love story at the centre of it despite its backdrop of 1980s prog rock and violence and couldn't be more of a romantic film if it tried.

The Lobster

Imagine a world where singletons were forced to find a lover within 45 days of being single or they are turned into an animal of their choice? Sounds chaotic and terrifying but The Lobster - directed by Poor Things' Yorgos Lanthimos - brings home the reality that sometimes it is better to feel love than to force it. Hilarious and sad, Colin Farrell is electric in this superb drama comedy.

Natural Born Killers

The path to love has rarely been smooth for most of us and when lovers Mickey and Mallory are tortured by an extremely violent childhood, they use their undeniable bond to take revenge on those who have wronged them as their a murderous rampage turns them into overnight celebrities. Aw, young love.