Five Horror Novels That Feature the Perfect Dash of Romance

If you’ve only got space in your horror-loving heart for a minor romantic subplot, then Into the Drowning Deep is sure to reel you in. Seven years before the story starts, a film crew filming a mockumentary about mermaids aboard a ship in the Mariana Trench went missing and the surviving footage showed everyone on board being slaughtered by real-life mermaids. Of course, the footage was disregarded as a hoax (you can find out what really happened in the novella Rolling in the Deep), but a new crew—featuring scientists of all kinds, plus game hunters to provide protection, and a small film crew to record everything—embarks on a mission to find out the truth.

The vast majority of the story is focused on the crew researching—and pretty soon fighting off—the vicious mermaids, but before everything kicks off, two crew members (I won’t reveal who!) start getting a little bit flirty. Although their budding romance is only a small part of the story, the relationship—along with the excellent characterization of everyone else on board—helps to heighten the tension when the terrifying aquatic creatures start attacking.

Stories that feature romance often follow two people meeting and getting together (see above), but in Our Winter Monster, Holly and Brian’s relationship is already on the ropes. The unhappy couple are on their way to a picturesque ski village—in the hopes that a romantic vacation will solve their problems—when they lose each other in a blizzard on the outskirts of town. As well as battling their way through the wild weather, they also have to contend with a strange and dangerous creature out in the snow.  

While that may not sound particularly romantic, sometimes a life-threatening crisis brought on by a fierce blizzard and a bizarre monster is just what a couple needs to clarify their feelings! But really, the dire situation forces Holly and Brian to actually confront what led to the breakdown of their relationship. And since this is a horror novel, there’s a genuine question mark over whether they’ll even find each other again, let alone kiss and make up.

Oh, and if you don’t like too much of a focus on relationship dynamics in your horror, there’s also a third POV from the town’s sheriff, who’s rushing around trying to sort out the chaos that’s being caused by the storm, the missing couple, and the monster. All of these parts combine into a satisfying whole in the form of a hectic, gory, and heartfelt horror story.

Okay, it’s time for a book where the romance itself gets a little weird. Muriel McAuley is an octogenarian who lives in a little Scottish fishing village called Witchaven. Her husband, Bill, was lost at sea many moons ago, but she still considers herself a Mrs (and will correct anyone who gets it wrong). Muriel’s life is turned upside down when an American property developer attempts to buy out—and eventually bully—the village’s last remaining residents, but this Scottish granny isn’t willing to go down without a fight. 

While Muriel is walking along the shore one day, a sea mist (in Scots, a haar) rolls in and brings with it an amorphous sea creature who changes the tide of Muriel’s life (…again). How exactly romance plays into this story of an elderly woman finding an intelligent sea blob and fighting for her home is something I’ll let you discover for yourself. As strange as things get—in both the horror and romance departments—The Haar is also grounded in genuine emotion; it’s a story shot through with love, but also grief and loss.

Don’t Let the Forest In is for anyone who loves a pining protagonist—not just regular run-of-the-mill mooning about, but deep, lovelorn pining so strong that it’s almost painful. The story starts with Andrew and his twin sister, Dove, returning to Wickwood Academy for their senior year. Dove is being oddly distant, while Andrew’s best friend, Thomas, has a lot going on at the moment—his parents have vanished and there’s blood on his uniform—and yet he refuses to open up about it. On top of all of this, Andrew is hopelessly in love with Thomas, but along with fears of ruining their friendship, he’s also worried that Thomas will reject him for being asexual.

Andrew’s world gets even messier when he discovers that Thomas has been fighting nightmarish monsters in the woods next to the school every night—monsters which look suspiciously like the ones sketched by Thomas’s own hand and which are often inspired by Andrew’s dark fairy tales. Although the prose gets a tad too melodramatic for my tastes when it comes to expressing emotions, the lushly evocative language works perfectly for describing the various macabre monsters lurking in the forest.

The Shuddering is a fun and fast-paced creature feature blended together with a healthy dose of rich people drama. A weekend ski getaway at a posh cabin in the snowy mountains sounds like heaven for many people, but for Jane, it’s turning out to be hell. Her twin brother, Ryan, has invited his best friend, Sawyer—who just so happens to be Jane’s ex-boyfriend—and to make matters worse, Sawyer’s girlfriend, April, is coming along too. (But to make matters better, a very good dog called Oona is also in attendance!).

As this messy social dynamic is playing out, a blizzard rolls in and brings with it some cold-weather-loving creatures that have a taste for human flesh. But even though the group is on the dinner menu, there’s still time in the midst of all the blood-soaked mayhem for past romantic feelings to rekindle. Will that second chance at romance come to fruition or will an abundance of sharp teeth and claws ultimately stand in true love’s way?

While I admit that the cast of characters can be annoying, I think that simply adds to the book’s charm—it feels like the written version of the kind of fun popcorn horror movie that’s best watched on a Saturday night.