Windswept moors. Destructive passions. Byronic guilt.

The term “Gothic romance” doesn’t necessarily denote a love story. In 19th century literary tradition, “romance” was often suggestive of the mysterious, the adventurous, the sensational – a kind of pleasing terror, often touched by elements of horror.

This week on “Picture Perfect, I strike my annual blow against Valentine’s Day with music from movies featuring creepy old houses, ghosts, malevolent housekeepers, and madwomen in the attic.

Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rebecca” (1940), based on the Gothic novel of Daphne DuMaurier, is a clear throwback to the works of the Brontë sisters. Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine star, but Judith Anderson steals the show as the ice-cold Mrs. Danvers. The film was the recipient of an Academy Award for Best Picture, the only Hitchcock film to be so honored. Franz Waxman’s opulent and atmospheric score flares at its operatic climax.

Collectively, the Brontë sisters were responsible for some of the most tortured romances in English literature. Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre,” a work which clearly anticipates “Rebecca,” was adapted most famously in 1940, again with Joan Fontaine, and featuring Orson Welles as Rochester. Three decades later, a television version of “Jane Eyre” (1971) appeared, with Susannah York and George C. Scott. The music for the latter was by an up-and-coming composer, only a few years away from superstardom: John Williams.

“Uncle Silas” (1947) is a Gothic that sidesteps the love story altogether. Forced to live under the guardianship of a sinister uncle and a malevolent French governess, its heroine is thrust into an atmosphere of insinuating menace. Sheridan LeFanu’s “old dark house” thriller was made into a film by Gainsborough Studios, released in the United States as “The Inheritance.” A young Jean Simmons plays the imperiled heiress. The music was by Alan Rawsthorne, a distinguished concert composer, who nonetheless managed to compose 27 film scores. Bernard Herrmann considered the score for “Uncle Silas” to be one of the finest ever written.

Finally, we’ll hear music from a beloved adaptation of Emily Brontë’s tale of star-crossed love, “Wuthering Heights” (1939). Merle Oberon is Cathy and Laurence Olivier is Heathcliff. Alfred Newman’s music yearns and sobs right along with us.

I hope you’ll join me for an hour of gloom and doom for Valentine’s Day – Gothic romances on “Picture Perfect,” this Friday evening at 6:00 EST, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

BONUS: Today is “Jane Eyre” composer John Williams’ 87th birthday! Tune in early to enjoy some of his other film and concert works between 4 and 6 p.m.