The Line Between Dark Fantasy and Horror – Guest Post by Jaq D Hawkins at TRSA

Reblogged from TRSA:

The definition of Dark Fantasy is “Fantasy with elements of Horror in it.” So the question is, how much Horror is required to take the story out of the realm of Fantasy and into the realm of pure Horror?

This is something that hasn’t been clearly defined and it is not my intention to try to carve out a dividing line for the genres here, but only to stimulate some speculative conversation among readers of these genres.

Both of the genres, Horror and Fantasy, are typified by strongly imaginative elements. Much of what I’ve read in both genres might easily fit into the other. For example, I found a story set in Hell with some of the familiar landscape we expect from that location (thanks, Dante) in the Fantasy section. It was unquestionably dark and so easily classified as Dark Fantasy. But why not Horror?

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About Sue Vincent

Sue Vincent is a Yorkshire-born writer and one of the Directors of The Silent Eye, a modern Mystery School. She writes alone and with Stuart France, exploring ancient myths, the mysterious landscape of Albion and the inner journey of the soul. Find out more at France and Vincent. She is owned by a small dog who also blogs. Follow her at scvincent.com and on Twitter @SCVincent. Find her books on Goodreads and follow her on Amazon worldwide to find out about new releases and offers. Email: findme@scvincent.com.
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6 Responses to The Line Between Dark Fantasy and Horror – Guest Post by Jaq D Hawkins at TRSA

  1. Thanks for sharing, Sue 😃 ❤️

    Like

  2. Having just spent a good many hours reading Stephen King’s “Outsider,” that’s a really good question and I don’t have an answer. It’s more like “I know it when I see it.”

    “Outsider” was more horror towards the end, but mostly cop-thriller for the first half. No idea where that fits into any genre.

    Liked by 1 person

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