Can Real Horror Have Romance In It?

I am moved to write this in response to someone giving their opinion that real horror cannot have romance in it.

I think it can.

And before I go any further I would like very much to quote horror fan,
Rick Youmans on this:

'It is one of the two motivational forces behind the horror genre. Either the return of unrequited love (the other being vengeance for a wrong). Any construct of horror that denies this has no understanding of its real power in the present sense. The abstract nature of vengeance, against society et al, is the predominate foci depicted in the visual mediums, while the search for love in a cruel world is the foci of the written medium...for the most part...'

 Thank you, Rick!

Although the novel, Dracula and the films differ on this issue, I still feel there is an undercurrent of sexuality in the novel. I think Bram Stoker is clearly writing about female sexuality in the character of Lucy and Mina.

I also feel that Dracula's actions with regard to over powering Mina (novel) to force her to feed on him is sexual. It is sexual abuse really  when he restrains her.

Naturally, he's not her knight in shining armor. She's not wanting to have his babies exactly. But it is sexual, albeit darkly so. Can't this be twisted 'love?'
Is sick love some sort of pathological 'love?' Yes?

Well, if that is so then it's sick love or dark romance.
Romance by any other name is romance: sick or not.

With regard to the film (my favorite by Coppola) I think it is quite clear that there is quite a bit of sexual longing and tension present. Mina and the Count want to go steady and right away! That's pretty obvious. It also makes for some great scenes!

We watch it and are fascinated but do we ever doubt for one second that we are watching a HORROR film? No!

With regard to horror fiction in general, there is what I term ‘dude horror’ which is often horror written mainly by men for men. The women depicted in this sort of fiction tend to be victims. There is, in my opinion, little or no ‘romance.’ There may be sex but candlelight dinners and violins, no.

I wonder, though, if sexual longing and desire along with genuine love cannot be present in dark horror.

I write gothic romance but my fiction is very different from what is commonly termed gothic romance. This is not paranormal romance. It is darkest horror with some romance in it (sometimes).

The question is can dark gothic romantic horror be considered horror?

Life has horror in it. And supernatural horror with the worst evil imaginable might have a thread of longing that is a kind of love.

Why can’t the worst demonic being have loved once, whether briefly or for a micro second?

Why narrow the field?

Why define horror with restrictions?

If paranormal romance isn’t horror can darkest gothic romance be considered to be horror?

I’d love to know other opinions on this. Please let me know! Thank you!