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{{Short description|Subgenre of fantasy}}
{{About||the song|Dark Fantasy (song)|the radio series|Dark Fantasy (series){{!}}''Dark Fantasy'' (series)}}
[[File:The Dark Tower – The Gunslinger (1982) front cover, first edition.jpg|thumb|The cover of ''[[The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger|The Gunslinger]]'', the first-volume of ''[[The Dark Tower (series)|The Dark Tower]]'' series by [[Stephen King]]]]
{{Fantasy}}
'''Dark fantasy''', also called '''fantasy horror''',{{fact|date=May 2025}} is a [[subgenre]] of literary, artistic, and cinematic [[fantasy]] works that incorporates disturbing and frightening themes. The term is ambiguously used to describe stories that combine [[horror fiction|horror]] elements with one or other of the [[Fantasy trope|standard formulas of fantasy]].<ref name="bs1">{{cite book |author=Stableford, Brian |author-link=Brian Stableford |chapter=Dark Fantasy |title=The A to Z of Fantasy Literature |page=97 |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield|Scarecrow Press]] |location=[[Plymouth]] |year=2005 |isbn=0-8108-6829-6}}</ref>

==Definition==
A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. [[Gertrude Barrows Bennett]] has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy".<ref>"The Woman Who Invented Dark Fantasy" by Gary C. Hoppenstand from ''Nightmare and Other Tales of Dark Fantasy'' by Francis Stevens, University of Nebraska Press, 2004, page x. {{ISBN|0-8032-9298-8}}.</ref> Both [[Charles L. Grant]]<ref name=clgdefinition>''The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders'', Volume 1, edited by [[Gary Westfahl]], Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005.</ref> and [[Karl Edward Wagner]]<ref name=kewdefinition>{{cite web |url=http://www.darkecho.com/darkecho/features/kew.html |title=Karl Edward Wagner |publisher=Darkecho.com |access-date=2014-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425194741/http://www.darkecho.com/darkecho/features/kew.html |archive-date=2012-04-25 |url-status=dead }}</ref> are credited with having coined the term "dark fantasy"—although both authors were describing different styles of fiction. [[Brian Stableford]] argues "dark fantasy" can be usefully defined as subgenre of stories that attempt to "incorporate elements of horror fiction" into the standard formulae of fantasy stories.<ref name="bs1" /> Stableford also suggests that supernatural horror set primarily in the real world is a form of "[[contemporary fantasy]]", whereas supernatural horror set partly or wholly in "[[Fictional universe|secondary worlds]]" should be described as "dark fantasy".<ref name="bs1" />

Additionally, other authors, critics, and publishers have adopted dark fantasy to describe various other works. However, these stories rarely share universal similarities beyond [[supernatural]] occurrences and a dark, often brooding, tone. As a result, dark fantasy cannot be solidly connected to a defining set of [[Trope (literature)|tropes]]. The term itself may refer collectively to tales that are either horror-based or fantasy-based.

Some writers also use "dark fantasy" (or "[[Gothic fiction|Gothic fantasy]]") as an alternative description to "horror", because they feel the latter term is too lurid or vivid.<ref name="bs2">Stableford, Brian, "Horror", in ''The A to Z of Fantasy Literature'',(p. 204), Scarecrow Press, Plymouth. 2005. {{ISBN|0-8108-6829-6}}</ref>

==Concept and history==
[[Charles L. Grant]] is often cited as having coined the term "dark fantasy". Grant defined his brand of dark fantasy as "a type of horror story in which humanity is threatened by forces beyond human understanding".<ref name=clgdefinition/> He often used dark fantasy as an alternative to [[Horror fiction|horror]], as horror was increasingly associated with more visceral works.

Dark fantasy is sometimes also used to describe stories told from a [[monster]]'s point of view, or that present a more sympathetic view of supernatural beings usually associated with horror. [[Anne Rice]]'s ''[[The Vampire Chronicles]]'', [[Chelsea Quinn Yarbro]]'s ''Saint-Germain'',<ref name=willib>{{cite web |url=http://www.wrl.org/books-and-reading/adults/dark-fantasy |title=Dark Fantasy &#124; Williamsburg Regional Library |publisher=Wrl.org |access-date=2014-03-21 |archive-date=2017-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170303050413/http://www.wrl.org/books-and-reading/adults/dark-fantasy |url-status=dead }}</ref> and [[Neil Gaiman]]'s ''[[The Sandman (comic book)|The Sandman]]'' are early examples of this style of dark fantasy. This is in contrast to the traditional horror model, which focuses more on the victims and survivors.

In a more general sense, dark fantasy is occasionally used as a synonym for supernatural [[Horror fiction|horror]], to distinguish horror stories that contain elements of the supernatural from those that do not. For example, a story about a [[werewolf]] or [[vampire]] could be described as dark fantasy, while a story about a serial killer would simply be horror.<ref name=nvcc>{{cite web |url=http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/beyond/subjects/fantasysubgenres/darkfantasy.html |title=Fantasy Subgenres: Dark Fantasy |publisher=Nvcc.edu |date=2007-06-20 |access-date=2014-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110070438/http://www.nvcc.edu/home/ataormina/beyond/subjects/fantasysubgenres/darkfantasy.html |archive-date=2011-11-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Stableford suggests that the type of horror conveyed by fantasy stories such as [[William Thomas Beckford|William Beckford]]'s ''[[Vathek]]'' and [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s ''[[The Masque of the Red Death]]'' "is more aesthetic than visceral or existential", and that such stories should be considered "dark fantasies" rather than the "supernaturalized thrillers" of conventional horror fiction.<ref name="bs2" />

[[Karl Edward Wagner]] is often credited for creating the term "dark fantasy" when used in a more fantasy-based context.<ref name=kewdefinition/> Wagner used it to describe his fiction about the Gothic warrior [[Kane (fantasy)|Kane]]. Since then, "dark fantasy" has sometimes been applied to [[sword and sorcery]] and [[high fantasy]] fiction that features anti-heroic or morally ambiguous protagonists.<ref name="bs1" /> Another good example under this definition of dark fantasy is [[Michael Moorcock]]'s saga of the [[albino]] swordsman [[Elric]].<ref name=willib/>

The fantasy work of [[H. P. Lovecraft]], [[Clark Ashton Smith]] and their emulators have been specified as "dark fantasy", since the imaginary worlds they depicted contain many horror elements.<ref name="bs1" />

Dark fantasy is occasionally used to describe [[fantasy]] works by authors whom the public primarily associates with the [[Horror fiction|horror]] genre. Examples of these are [[Stephen King]]'s ''[[The Dark Tower (series)|The Dark Tower]]'' series,<ref name=willib/> [[Peter Straub]]'s ''[[Shadowland (Straub novel)|Shadowland]]''<ref name=encfant>Clute, John and Grant, John. ''The Encyclopedia of Fantasy'' (2nd US edition). New York: St Martin's Griffin, 1999.</ref> and [[Clive Barker]]'s ''[[Weaveworld]]''.<ref name=willib/> Alternatively, dark fantasy is sometimes used for "darker" fiction written by authors best known for other styles of fantasy; [[Raymond Feist]]'s ''[[Faerie Tale]]''<ref name=encfant/> and [[Charles de Lint]]'s novels written as [[Samuel M. Key]]<ref>{{cite web|author=Craig Clarke |url=http://www.greenmanreview.com/book/book_delint_angelofdarkness.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120529210157/http://www.greenmanreview.com/book/book_delint_angelofdarkness.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-05-29 |title=Charles de Lint (writing as Samuel M. Key), Angel of Darkness |publisher=The Green Man Review |access-date=2014-03-21 }}</ref> would fit here. 

[[Roald Dahl]]'s novel ''[[The Witches (novel)|The Witches]]'' (and its film adaptations) is described as dark fantasy.<ref>{{cite news |title=25 best dark fantasy movies and TV series |url=https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/25_best_dark_fantasy_movies_and_tv_series_102123/s1__39069011#slide_1 |access-date=October 25, 2023 |website=Yardbarker |first1=Thomas |last1=West |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20231026101648/https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/25_best_dark_fantasy_movies_and_tv_series_102123/s1__39069011#slide_1 |archive-date= Oct 26, 2023 }}</ref> Dahl's poetic reworking of "[[Cinderella]]" (which features in his poetry collection ''[[Revolting Rhymes]]'') sees him upend the happy tale.

==Other media==

=== Anime and manga ===
''[[Berserk (manga)|Berserk]]'', a [[manga]] and [[anime]] franchise by [[Kentaro Miura]] that debuted in 1989, is frequently noted as an example of the genre due to its depictions of extreme violence, moral ambiguity, apocalyptic storylines and anti-hero protagonists.<ref>{{cite web|title=Over 1.2 Million Copies of ''Berserk'' Manga Sold!|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/2495/over-12-million-copies-berserk-manga-sold|publisher=[[Dark Horse Comics]]|access-date=June 25, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200625205606/https://www.darkhorse.com/Blog/2495/over-12-million-copies-berserk-manga-sold|archive-date=June 25, 2020|date=April 10, 2017|url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Vincent|first=Brittany|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2016-06-28/berserk-past-present-and-future/.103719|title=Berserk: Past, Present, and Future|website=[[Anime News Network]]|access-date=June 25, 2020|date=June 28, 2016|archive-date=June 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629052331/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2016-06-28/berserk-past-present-and-future/.103719|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[Attack on Titan]]'' is a dark fantasy for its intense violence and the [[dystopian]] world it takes place in.<ref name="amateur art">{{cite news |author1=Ohara, Atsuhi |author2=Yamane, Yukiko |date=August 17, 2013 |title=Boosted by anime version, 'Attack on Titan' manga sales top 22 million |newspaper=[[Asahi Shimbun]] |url=http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/culture/AJ201308170034 |url-status=dead |access-date=November 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130822093832/http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/culture/AJ201308170034 |archive-date=August 22, 2013 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

=== Films ===
[[Ridley Scott]]'s film ''[[Legend (1985 film)|Legend]]'' (1985) has been described as a "dark fairy tale" fantasy film.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Draven|first1=Derek|title=10 Reasons Why Legend Was So Incredibly Dark|url=https://screenrant.com/reasons-legend-incredibly-dark/|website=[[Screen Rant]]|access-date=12 November 2020|date=1 February 2020|archive-date=5 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605082048/https://screenrant.com/reasons-legend-incredibly-dark/|url-status=live }}</ref> [[Guillermo del Toro]]'s fantasy film ''[[Pan's Labyrinth]]'' (2006) has been described as a "sort of a dark spin on ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]''".<ref name="SF">{{cite news|url=http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw14471.html|title=Guillermo del Toro and Ivana Baquero escape from a civil war into the fairytale land of ''Pan's Labyrinth''|access-date=27 January 2007|date=25 December 2006|work=[[Science Fiction Weekly]]|last=Spelling|first=Ian|archive-date=9 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080609075453/http://www.scifi.com/sfw/interviews/sfw14471.html|url-status=dead|df=dmy }}</ref>

=== Video games ===
The 2013 fantasy action role-playing game ''[[Dragon's Crown]]'' contains many elements of dark fantasy, such as werewolves, vampires, zombies, homonculi, and human-monster hybrids.

Modern games from Japanese game development and publishing company [[FromSoftware]] are lauded as exceptional representations of the dark fantasy genre, notably the ''[[Dark Souls]]'' series along with ''[[Bloodborne]]'' and later ''[[Elden Ring]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-15 |title=How Elden Ring Embraces the Dark Fantasy Genre |url=https://gamerant.com/elden-ring-dark-fantasy-genre-connections-themes/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=Game Rant |language=en |archive-date=2023-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230605145851/https://gamerant.com/elden-ring-dark-fantasy-genre-connections-themes/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Columns-list|colwidth=30em|
* [[:Category:Dark fantasy anime and manga|Dark fantasy anime and manga]]
* [[:Category:Dark fantasy video games|Dark fantasy video games]]
* [[:Category:Dark fantasy role-playing games|Dark fantasy role-playing games]]
* [[:Category:Dark fantasy role-playing video games|Dark fantasy role-playing video games]]
* [[Grimdark]]
* [[Paranormal fiction]]
* [[Occult detective]]
* [[Science fantasy]]
* [[Splatterpunk]]
* [[Supernatural fiction]]
* [[Urban fantasy]]
* [[Weird fiction]]
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commonscatinline|Dark fantasy}}
*[http://www.sff.net/people/lucy-snyder/brain/2006/02/on-dark-fantasy.html "On Dark Fantasy"]—author [[Lucy Snyder]]'s essay on the differences between "pure" horror and dark fantasy.

{{Fantasy fiction}}
{{Horror fiction}}
{{Film genres}}
{{Gothic}}
{{Goth subculture}}

[[Category:Dark fantasy| ]]
[[Category:Horror genres]]
[[Category:Horror fiction]]
[[Category:Fantasy genres]]