Cannibalism and romance? I promise it is precisely what it sounds like. The unlikely success Bones and All has redefined romance as the jaw-dropping cannibal horror film tells the story of two wayward teens trying to withstand their urges and find their own version of normalcy. Step aside, Twilight, a new kind of lovely monster romance, is in town.

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Bones and All came out in 2022, and director Luca Guadagnino and writers David Kajganich and Camille DeAngelis (who wrote the original novel) tell a story of a literally all-consuming first love between Maren (played by Taylor Russell) and Lee (Timothée Chalamet). Reading the synopsis, you wouldn’t think that the entire movie is about Maren coming to terms with her cannibalistic urges, dealing with an incident that she couldn’t just walk away from, and trying to find answers but finding love on the way.

Without the cannibalistic side of the story, she is just a young girl trying to find her birth mother and understand why she has these taboo urges. Of course, we can’t ignore that the cannibalistic side is part of the story, which is why she finds her first love in Lee. While the two are trying to carve out their own place in the world, they hope that their love will help them fight their urges and somehow “make them better people”, but any of us who have been in a toxic and complex relationship built on a problematic situation will know that love doesn’t always work that way.

Although cannibalism is a terrifying concept to try and cover, Luca Guadagnino had the task of approaching it in a way that didn’t overshadow the romantic elements of the story and did so in the most profound way. Maren and Lee aren’t shot in a judgemental way that you would expect cinema to treat individuals who are cannibals but with a level of decency.

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When Guadagnino was asked about adapting DeAngelis’ book to film and covering the topic of cannibalism, he shared the following statement with the Guardian, “Cannibalism is truly upsetting, because to resort to that ultimate taboo to survive, it’s something that we all fear. It resonates with me, this concept that you might find yourself in a situation where you cannot control your decency.”

Since Twilight first hit theatres in 2008, many people have considered it a film and a book series that defined romance, and for teens worldwide, it did. The world was fraught with the argument of “Team Edward or Team Jacob,” girls worldwide swooned and were infatuated with the idea of falling in love with what society would otherwise call a monster, a vampire or a werewolf.

We could sit here forever debating why humanity has a penchant for falling in love with the things that scare us, like cannibals, vampires and werewolves, and why the concept of watching or reading these romances is so intriguing. Still, it comes down to an authentic and profound realisation. “If these monsters can find this intense love, where their partner loves every bit of them, bones and all, then so can I.”

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Whether those be the bones of the skeletons in your closet or the bones on your plate, spoil yourself by experiencing one of the best teen romances of the decade, and watch Bones and All on Prime Video now.

When it comes to terrifying romance, are you on Team Bones and All, or are you still clinging to Team Twilight?

Move Over Twilight! This Jaw-Dropping Cannibal Horror Teen Film Redefines Romance Written by Megan Oosthuizen for Fortress of Solitude