Where the Thrill Began: Horror Paved the Way for Dark Romance Part 2

Glad to see you are back.

As promised, now I can get into the real fun.

In yesterdays article, I talked about iconic horror authors and the way their work has melded into different genres and given us iconic movies. It’s even made us all realize we can be adrenaline junkies who are attracted to that feeling we get when we have come to find out that the morally pitch black man who probably is a psycho might just be the guy who gets us and claims us.

So let me continue.

Romance has been a genre that has really come back and taken the world by storm since the Covid-19 pandemic. Don’t even deny it - we all have dabbled in GoodNovels or Wattpad, but once the pandemic hit and we were all stuck at home, we found a true love for reading again. We grabbed that one book we had heard about in the “spicy” genre and went from there. (Example, see the pictures of my bookshelves haha).

I have always loved to read and can say that since 2022, I have read almost 900 books. All of those, in the romance genre. I rarely count my side reads of horror and thriller. 

Dark romance has been my jam, and honestly, I have even branched out into more of the Horror Erotic and Splatterpunk areas too.

Now, you gotta be wondering…what the fuck does that have to do with writers like Anne Rice and such? Simple. They paved the way. They gave us what goes bump in the night and some amazing authors have taken those bump in the night moments, or those psycho crazy killers and brought them into the Dark Romance genre. They have started to twist and turn our brains to leave us needing and wanting more.

We never in real life would go for a serial killer, but the fantasy and the thrill? For me, its a 9/10. I always will say “I could fix him” or “I want that dark love, obsessive, possessive, etc”. Now, this also leads to Dark Romance, Horror Erotica, and even Splatterpunk. Sometimes the taboo elements that were originally introduced to us through horror can also be found in thee stories. Oftentimes this is what we see soap box preachers tear apart. These are people who think dark romance/ horror erotica readers are all messed up and need counseling. What these people don’t realize is that these elements come from our iconic horror and thriller writers. So, when their best argument is, “Have you ever read Stephen King? Anne Rice? HP Lovecraft? Don’t you love Edgar Allen Poes poetry and works?” Don’t even get me started on that - I would be here for a WHOLE other article just to voice my opinions on that one!

ANYWAYS. Back on topic.

The new wave that is taking over is the mixing of these thrilling elements and these horror elements. We see it in a lot of spooky season releases. We have Kinsley Kincaid and her perfect psycho, Elijah Sinclair. We have Santana Knox, and her newest release for NO WAY BACK. There’s Molly Doyle who, lets be honest, made us all want the men in our lives to get a Ghostface mask. Brooklyn Cross, who showed us that not all serial killers are bad and that they can indeed have families. Finally, we have Brynn Weaver who made us all look at ice cream differently.

Now, I know I mentioned Splatterpunk earlier, but really haven’t talked about it and there is honestly a very good reason I haven’t. Splatterpunk is in its own world. Yes, some Dark Romance girlies have jumped in and loved it, others have jumped in and quickly jumped out. So if we want an article only on Splatterpunk, I’ll be happy to do one, but to keep this shorter, I will just say; if you are going to give it a try, make sure you talk to Splatterpunk readers for specific beginner friendly recommendations as well as read any and all warnings on the book.

Now, when mixing these dark romance stories with the adrenaline inducing thrills and scares? You’ve got a recipe for a great book that while may get a 1 star from Ms. Betty Crocker down the street, could end up being your favorite read if you’re a dark romance lover. You could find that the serial killer with ADHD is not just dangerous and violent, but also has a soft spot for animals but loves freaking you out by stalking around and staying just out of sight.

You gotta be thinking, okay yeah but why?!

Lets break it down by comparing it to cliff diving:

Cliff Diver = Excitement + Danger + Skill + Situation + Adrenaline

Therefore,

Slasher Chase = Excitement (You got singled out/chosen because something about you is valued to such an extent that they'd go to such a length for you) + Danger (Beware the knife!) + Skill (They hunted you down/ability to try and run [or their skill to overpower]) + Situation (There's novelty and uniqueness to it) + Adrenaline (Run! Life or Death boost) 

Say it with me … ADRENALINE. THRILLS. SUSPENSE. HORROR.

All elements that have been brought over by our new age authors from our iconic Horror and Thriller writers. 

Want another example? When Jack Nicholson is chasing Shelly Duvale in the Shinning. That’s her husband, who has snapped and that’s terrifying. But that adrenaline? It stimulates the mind!

So, when I tell you I am looking forward to every new release that has horror, thriller, suspense and crazy elements in it - I am not pulling your leg. This is the new age of a new era for Dark Romance, and honestly - it isn’t for the weak hearted or even weak stomached. So, beware and read all trigger warnings!