Together: When Horror and Romance Collide

Release Date：Jul/30/2025

Genre：Body Horror/Psychological Horror/Horror/Romance

Director：Michael Shanks

Cast：Dave Franco、Alison Brie、Damon Herriman、Mia Morrissey、Karl Richmond、Jack Kenny

Viola's Rating：7.9

Actors don’t have to be partners in real life to play couples on screen, but some horror romances are so intense and intimate that only real-life husband and wife Dave Franco and Alison Brie can pull them off. Together premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and was released in the US on July 30, 2025, and became available on streaming services on August 26.

This psychological body horror romance tells the story of Tim (Dave Franco) and Millie (Alison Brie) as they reach a crossroads years into their relationship after moving to the countryside. With tensions already running high, an encounter with an unnatural force threatens to corrupt their flesh, their lives, and their love.

Although the genre is set as body horror, Together actually contains far less of it than the Oscar-winning feature film Substance. On the other hand, it does include plenty of jump scares and horrifying imagery. Audiences brave enough for body horror but wary of ghost films might want to think twice, or they should be prepared to close their eyes whenever the feeling gets too intense.

Despite being a horror film, Together functions as a romance at its core, exploring the protagonists’ relationship. While it avoids preaching, certain conversations between Tim and Millie are bound to make viewers reflect on their own relationships. When a relationship is “stable,” does it mean the two people love each other as much as they did at the start, or are they simply used to each other? It gives us another aspect to think about codependence and how it could harm us.

Although the trailer paints a peaceful, tranquil picture of this young couple’s simple life, moviegoers soon realize that Tim and Millie literally “stick” together. The Bible says, “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.” The body horror in Together brings this metaphor to literal life. Additionally, the flick references the ancient Greek story in Plato’s Symposium of a soul split in two, suggesting why we often refer to our significant other as our “other half” or “soulmate.”

Attachment is also a central theme in Together. When two people love each other, they naturally want to spend time together, but how much is too much? And how independent should one remain away from their partner? The word “split” appears several times throughout the motion picture. When you don’t want to split from someone, does that mean forever?

It’s a fascinating approach, using physical body horror to depict love, something inherently intangible. While the movie may be too slow for daredevils, and timid viewers might shy away, Together remains a picture worth watching, and makes you wonder if you’re creating a horror of love on your own.

Picture Credit: Cai Chang International Inc.