"Significant Other" is Horror Film Provided a Romantic Twist

Significant Other is a science fiction horror film featuring a couple dealing with relationship issues. The trailer represented an entirely different narrative that changed halfway through the story, taking the main character on an unexpected rollercoaster filled with heightened emotions and fear. Dan Berk and Robert Olsen co-wrote and co-directed the film, which was released seven years after their previous collaboration, Body. The duo has continuously gained experience in the horror and thriller genres, honing their craft to create an unexpectedly romantic villain that maintained its terrifying presence throughout the film.

The romantic aspect of Significant Other was surprising because Ruth's (the protagonist) continued fear showcased how terrifying the concept could be. Although finding oneself on a camping trip with an alien could prove to be a horrifying experience, the film represented a select audience that enjoys science fiction romance featuring couples of different intergalactic species. It's fair that this movie was a horror and not a romance, but the romantic plot point was highly unexpected and added value to the experience.

Significant Other's trailer crafted a narrative that painted Ruth in a poor light, insinuating she was the issue and that she wanted to murder her boyfriend, Harry, over trivial matters within their relationship. Multiple scenes showcase her gazing at him with malice, appearing as if she wants to hurt him. It feels as if the trailer reveals too much when it shows her throwing him off a cliff, but that was surprisingly misleading to the ultimate storyline.

The film's beginning perpetuates what's shown in the trailer as Ruth is introduced as a character who visibly struggles with trauma. She takes medication and seems mentally unwell. Throughout their backpacking trip, Ruth grows increasingly distrustful and homicidal toward Harry. At a certain point, he proposes to her, and she outright rejects his offer and then chastises him for asking in the first place. She's seen wielding a knife with the intention to hurt him, and then viewers are led to the moment where she finally pushes him off the cliff to his death. With so much of the film left, what could happen next?

Harry returns in a surprising turn of events, and it's evident to Significant Other's viewers that it's not him. The entity behaves precisely like him, but it's something else. After she erratically runs through the woods and finds an unsuspecting couple willing to protect her, Harry murders them in a way that indicates he isn't human. Then, he turns his sights on Ruth, planning to eliminate her next, and finds that he can't do it. He wonders what's holding him back and realizes he has retained all of Harry's memories and that he is, in fact, in love with her.

Although the situation is horrifying, his revelation is highly entertaining and humorous. The idea of an alien falling in love with a human, as another human would, was borderline silly and unexpected. In the romance novel industry, sci-fi romance has grown in popularity as people enjoy reading about alternate worlds with heroes and heroines who aren't from this world. The narratives usually poke holes in modern society and showcase how their alien race is superior in some way. Significant Other drew from this perspective, but the alien's decision to murder her boyfriend was one of the major plot points that kept this story from delving any deeper into romance territory maintaining that it was, indeed, a horror film.

Although the romance representation was there, the ending fit Significant Other's narrative as the alien could not truly understand humanity. Not only did he murder Ruth's boyfriend -- he also attempted to turn himself into her, claiming there's no more profound love than wanting to inhabit someone else's skin. Ruth used his romantic feelings to manipulate the alien into a false sense of security to kill him. Many horror flicks use trauma as a narrative tool, and this film didn't shy away from using Ruth's trauma as a significant part of the story's climax. Although the alien could heal most physical ailments, the scars on the mind were too complex to quickly repair (invisible wounds), which provided an exciting and unexpected conclusion.