What is Horror Romance?
A Genre Blend of High Emotions
Horror romance is a blend of two distinct genres, originating from Gothic literature, where the lines between love and terror are blurred in notable works such as Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera, and Frankenstein.
Sometimes, I see horror romance used to describe extreme dark romance. However, “horror” is not a qualifier; it’s a genre. It has its own subgenres and niches, and, quite often, horror isn’t all that extreme.
Horror 😱
Horror is an emotion-focused genre that aims to elicit fear, discomfort, dread, and/or disgust. Not all horror is extreme or scary, and there are lots of subgenres.
Folk horror uses rural settings and folklore. Slasher/serial killer focuses on a killer hunting down and violently killing a group of people. A creature feature/monster focuses on a monster (either paranormal, alien, or otherwise).
There is also Gothic/Southern Gothic horror, cozy, psychological, sci-fi, splatterpunk, ghost, captive, Lovecraftian, historical, and more.
Romance 🥰
Romance is also an emotion-focused genre. The plot centers on a romantic relationship and has a happy ending. Note that the happy ending involves a successful romantic relationship, specifically. Personal growth with a breakup is not a romance genre HEA.
Just like all genres, there is a lot more to it than that. Both horror and romance subgenres have typical tropes, plot points, and details.
Horror + Romance
Horror Romance is a blend of two distinct genres. It can also be a dark romance, but it doesn’t have to be. It also doesn’t have to be scary, violent, or extreme.
All it has to do is blend horror genre elements with romance genre elements.
The villain can be the love interest or the main character. Or the villain can be a character outside the romance. It doesn’t matter. However, there are certain rules you cannot break with this blend, or else it wouldn’t be able to call itself horror and/or romance.
There needs to be a prominent romance plot
There needs to be a happily ever after
There needs to be prominent elements of horror. Specifically, the setting and plot need to attempt to evoke a certain level of fear, dread, disgust, or discomfort.
Some Horror Romance Examples
Slasher Romance means the plot focuses on a serial killer (usually masked) who is hunting down and killing characters. Explicit violence is typical. Supernatural elements aren’t atypical but can exist. In self-publishing, it’s common that the main character or the love interest is the masked killer and that the romance is dark, but it’s not necessary. Examples of slasher romances:
Slash or Pass by Tylor Paige
Meet At Midnight by Lux Oleander (me)
Slashed by Thalia Sanchez
Dead of Summer by AJ Merlin
Eco [ecological] Horror Romance means the plot focuses on horrific nature. Loss of control and body horror is typical (body horror showcases grotesque or psychologically disturbing violations of the human body). Examples:
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Swallowed by Meg Smitherman
Hookah Smoking Caterpillar by Beatrix Hollow (me)
Grave Matter by Karina Halle
With Monster and Ghost Horror Romances, it’s important to note that just a monster or ghost doesn’t make it horror. There still needs to be a plot that inspires dread, discomfort, fear, and/or disgust. Examples:
Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell
Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison
Her Soul to Take by Harley Laroux
Run & Hide by Beatrix Hollow (me)
★ Some other authors for horror romances: Azaela Crowley, Keri Lake, Isabel Cañas, R Lee Smith, Alexia Onyx, and Desirée M. Niccoli. ★
Don’t forget to check out my post about dark comedy blends in romance.
Let me know if there’s another topic you want to see in a future blog. <3