History Main / DarkFantasy

** ''VideoGame/NieR'', Drakengard's spinoff, is closer in tone to a traditional fantasy narrative...at first. Things are post-apocalyptic, sure. Magic is blood-based, I'll grant you that. Humanity may have done some awfully unpleasant things in the past in the name of saving themselves. And yes, your daughter ''has'' been kidnapped by [[DarkIsEvil the resident king]] [[TheHeartless of shadows.]] But [[PapaWolf you]] [[TrueCompanions and your friends]] are good people...right? [[spoiler:Maybe you are, maybe you aren't. However you view yourself, you still just thoughtlessly murdered [[ForcedTransformation the last of the original humans.]]]]
** The exact same holds true for the above with ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'', which is DarkFantasy given [[ScienceFantasy a healthy dosage]] of SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic and ClarkesThirdLaw. On ''top'' of all the BloodMagic and supernatural horrors returning from the first game, [[TimeAbyss enough time has passed]] that Earth has become the battleground of ''14'' {{Robot War}}s -- between both the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot YorHa Androids]] (the [[AndroidsArePeopleToo human-like androids]] made by humanity to reclaim Earth) and the [[TheRemnant Machine Lifeforms]] (the robotic life forms a race of alien invaders made [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters before being wiped out by their creations]]). Sure, there is full hammering-home that WarIsHell, the dark magical elements of the first game still persist... but you're still the good guys, right? [[spoiler:As it turns out, [[AwfulTruth the entire conflict is built on a lie]]; [[HumanitysWake humanity has been dead for millennia now]], [[AllForNothing rendering the entire war completely pointless and only continued out of inertia]]. Surprisingly, [[EarnYourHappyEnding the story has a happy ending for the main characters]], but that only becomes clear after going through ''hell'' just to get that far]].

** The exact same holds true for the above with ''VideoGame/NieRAutomata'', which is DarkFantasy given [[ScienceFantasy a healthy dosage]] of SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic and ClarkesThirdLaw. On ''top'' of all the BloodMagic and supernatural horrors returning from the first game, [[TimeAbyss enough time has passed]] that Earth has become the battleground of ''14'' {{Robot War}}s -- between both the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot YorHa Androids]] (the [[AndroidsArePeopleToo human-like androids]] made by humanity to reclaim Earth) and the [[TheRemnant Machine Lifeforms]] (the robotic life forms a race of alien invaders made [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters before being wiped out by their creations]]). Sure, there is full hammering-home that WarIsHell, the dark magical elements of the first game still persist... but you're still the good guys, right? [[spoiler:As it turns out, [[AwfulTruth the entire conflict is built on a lie]]; [[HumanitysWake humanity has been dead for millennia now]], [[AllForNothing rendering the entire war completely pointless and only continued out of inertia]]. Surprisingly, [[EarnYourHappyEnding the story has a happy ending for the main characters]], but that only becomes clear after going through ''hell'' just to get that far]].

** The exact same holds true for the above with ''[[VideoGame/NieRAutomata]]'', which is DarkFantasy given [[ScienceFantasy a healthy dosage]] of SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic and ClarkesThirdLaw. On ''top'' of all the BloodMagic and supernatural horrors returning from the first game, [[TimeAbyss enough time has passed]] that Earth has become the battleground of ''14'' {{Robot War}}s -- between both the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot YorHa Androids]] (the [[AndroidsArePeopleToo human-like androids]] made by humanity to reclaim Earth) and the [[TheRemnant Machine Lifeforms]] (the robotic life forms a race of alien invaders made [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters before being wiped out by their creations]]). Sure, there is full hammering-home that WarIsHell, the dark magical elements of the first game still persist... but you're still the good guys, right? [[spoiler:As it turns out, [[AwfulTruth the entire conflict is built on a lie]]; [[HumanitysWake humanity has been dead for millennia now]], [[AllForNothing rendering the entire war completely pointless and only continued out of inertia]]. Surprisingly, [[EarnYourHappyEnding the story has a happy ending for the main characters]], but that only becomes clear after going through ''hell'' just to get that far]].

** The exact same holds true for the above with ''[[VideoGame/NieRAutomata [=NieR=]: Automata]]'', which is DarkFantasy given [[ScienceFantasy a healthy dosage]] of SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic and ClarkesThirdLaw. On ''top'' of all the BloodMagic and supernatural horrors returning from the first game, [[TimeAbyss enough time has passed]] that Earth has become the battleground of ''14'' {{Robot War}}s -- between both the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot YorHa Androids]] (the [[AndroidsArePeopleToo human-like androids]] made by humanity to reclaim Earth) and the [[TheRemnant Machine Lifeforms]] (the robotic life forms a race of alien invaders made [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters before being wiped out by their creations]]). Sure, there is full hammering-home that WarIsHell, the dark magical elements of the first game still persist... but you're still the good guys, right? [[spoiler:As it turns out, [[AwfulTruth the entire conflict is built on a lie]]; [[HumanitysWake humanity has been dead for millennia now]], [[AllForNothing rendering the entire war completely pointless and only continued out of inertia]]. Surprisingly, [[EarnYourHappyEnding the story has a happy ending for the main characters]], but that only becomes clear after going through ''hell'' just to get that far]].

** The exact same holds true for the above with ''[[VideoGame/NieRAutomata [=NieR=]: Automata]]'', which is DarkFantasy given [[ScienceFantasy a healthy dosage]] of SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic and ClarkesThirdLaw. On ''top'' of all the BloodMagic and supernatural horrors returning from the first game, [[TimeAbyss enough time has passed]] that Earth has become the battleground of ''14'' robot wars -- between both the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot YorHa Androids]] (the [[AndroidsArePeopleToo human-like androids]] made by humanity to reclaim Earth) and the [[TheRemnant Machine Lifeforms]] (the robotic life forms a race of alien invaders made [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters before being wiped out by their creations]]). Sure, there is full hammering-home that WarIsHell, the dark magical elements of the first game still persist... but you're still the good guys, right? [[spoiler:As it turns out, [[AwfulTruth the entire conflict is built on a lie]]; [[HumanitysWake humanity has been dead for millennia now]], [[AllForNothing rendering the entire war completely pointless and only continued out of inertia]]. Surprisingly, [[EarnYourHappyEnding the story has a happy ending for the main characters]], but that only becomes clear after going through ''hell'' just to get that far]].

** The exact same holds true for the above with ''[[VideoGame/NieRAutomata [=NieR=]: Automata]]'', which is DarkFantasy given [[ScienceFantasy a healthy dosage]] of SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic and ClarkesThirdLaw. On ''top'' of all the BloodMagic and supernatural horrors returning from the first game returning, [[TimeAbyss enough time has passed]] that Earth has become the battleground of ''14'' robot wars -- between both the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot YorHa Androids]] (the [[AndroidsArePeopleToo human-like androids]] made by humanity to reclaim Earth) and the [[TheRemnant Machine Lifeforms]] (the robotic life forms a race of alien invaders made [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters before being wiped out by their creations]]). Sure, there is full hammering-home that WarIsHell, the dark magical elements of the first game still persist... but you're still the good guys, right? [[spoiler:As it turns out, [[AwfulTruth the entire conflict is built on a lie]]; [[HumanitysWake humanity has been dead for millennia now]], [[AllForNothing rendering the entire war completely pointless and only continued out of inertia]]. Surprisingly, [[EarnYourHappyEnding the story has a happy ending for the main characters]], but that only becomes clear after going through ''hell'' just to get that far]].

* ''VideoGame/LiesOfP'' is a forthcoming Souls-like video game centered around a darker and edgier take on ''Pinocchio''.

** The exact same holds true for the above with ''[[VideoGame/NieRAutomata [=NieR=]: Automata]]'', which is DarkFantasy given [[ScienceFantasy a healthy dosage]] of SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic and ClarkesThirdLaw. On ''top'' of all the BloodMagic and supernatural stuff returning from the first game returning, [[TimeAbyss enough time has passed]] that Earth has become the battleground of ''14'' robot wars -- between both the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot YorHa Androids]] (the [[AndroidsArePeopleToo human-like androids]] made by humanity to reclaim Earth) and the [[TheRemnant Machine Lifeforms]] (the robotic life forms a race of alien invaders made [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters before being wiped out by their creations]]). Sure, there is full hammering-home that WarIsHell, the dark magical elements of the first game still persist... but you're still the good guys, right? [[spoiler:As it turns out, [[AwfulTruth the entire conflict is built on a lie]]; [[HumanitysWake humanity has been dead for millennia now]], [[AllForNothing rendering the entire war completely pointless and only continued out of inertia]]. Surprisingly, [[EarnYourHappyEnding the story has a happy ending for the main characters]], but that only becomes clear after going through ''hell'' just to get that far]].

** The exact same holds true for the above with ''[[VideoGame/NieRAutomata [=NieR=]: Automata'', which is DarkFantasy given [[ScienceFantasy a healthy dosage]] of SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic and ClarkesThirdLaw. On ''top'' of all the BloodMagic and supernatural stuff returning from the first game returning, [[TimeAbyss enough time has passed]] that Earth has become the battleground of ''14'' robot wars -- between both the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot YorHa Androids]] (the [[AndroidsArePeopleToo human-like androids]] made by humanity to reclaim Earth) and the [[TheRemnant Machine Lifeforms]] (the robotic life forms a race of alien invaders made [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters before being wiped out by their creations]]). Sure, there is full hammering-home that WarIsHell, the dark magical elements of the first game still persist... but you're still the good guys, right? [[spoiler:As it turns out, [[AwfulTruth the entire conflict is built on a lie]]; [[HumanitysWake humanity has been dead for millennia now]], [[AllForNothing rendering the entire war completely pointless and only continued out of inertia]]. Surprisingly, [[EarnYourHappyEnding the story has a happy ending for the main characters]], but that only becomes clear after going through ''hell'' just to get that far]].

** The exact same holds true for the above with ''VideoGame/{{NieR: Automata}}'', which is DarkFantasy given [[ScienceFantasy a healthy dosage]] of SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic and ClarkesThirdLaw. On ''top'' of all the BloodMagic and supernatural stuff returning from the first game returning, [[TimeAbyss enough time has passed]] that Earth has become the battleground of ''14'' robot wars -- between both the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot YorHa Androids]] (the [[AndroidsArePeopleToo human-like androids]] made by humanity to reclaim Earth) and the [[TheRemnant Machine Lifeforms]] (the robotic life forms a race of alien invaders made [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters before being wiped out by their creations]]). Sure, there is full hammering-home that WarIsHell, the dark magical elements of the first game still persist... but you're still the good guys, right? [[spoiler:As it turns out, [[AwfulTruth the entire conflict is built on a lie]]; [[HumanitysWake humanity has been dead for millennia now]], [[AllForNothing rendering the entire war completely pointless and only continued out of inertia]]. Surprisingly, [[EarnYourHappyEnding the story has a happy ending for the main characters]], but that only becomes clear after going through ''hell'' just to get that far]].

** The exact same holds true for the above with ''VideoGame/NieRAutomata'', which is DarkFantasy given [[ScienceFantasy a healthy dosage]] of SufficientlyAnalyzedMagic and ClarkesThirdLaw. On ''top'' of all the BloodMagic and supernatural stuff returning from the first game returning, [[TimeAbyss enough time has passed]] that Earth has become the battleground of ''14'' robot wars -- between both the [[RidiculouslyHumanRobot YorHa Androids]] (the {{Android}}s made by humanity to reclaim Earth) and the [[TheRemnant Machine Lifeforms]] (the robotic life forms a race of alien invaders made [[TurnedAgainstTheirMasters before being wiped out by their creations]]). Sure, there is full hammering-home that WarIsHell, the dark magical elements of the first game still persist... but you're still the good guys, right? [[spoiler:As it turns out, [[AwfulTruth the entire conflict is built on a lie]]; [[HumanitysWake humanity has been dead for millennia now]], [[AllForNothing rendering the entire war completely pointless and only continued out of inertia]]. Surprisingly, [[EarnYourHappyEnding the story has a happy ending for the main characters]], but that only becomes clear after going through ''hell'' just to get that far]].

%%* ''Film/FaustLoveOfTheDamned''

* ''Shadow of the Demon Lord'' from Schwalb Entertainment was influenced by the makers work on the 2nd. ed. ''TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyRolePlay''. In this setting, the weak magic of WHFRP is even further diminished to uselessness (so no magical hopes) and while there aren't the Chaos Gods to try and turn everything in shit, {{God}} has been maimed and devolved into the titular [[DemonLordsAndArchdevils Demon Lord]], an almost omnipotent EldritchAbomination who's nearly [[AlmightyIdiot mindless with fury]] and only held back by being [[SealedEvilInACan imprisoned in a cage]] made from his stolen power. He's still potent enough to send semi-regular demon invasions and natural disasters. Not to mention that while the fey oppose the Demon Lord, a particularly cruel and sadistic branch known as the devils love taking humans to their realm of hell to be constantly tortured. Finally humans are as mean, racist and unhygenic as they are in WHFRP.

%%* ''TabletopGame/TheWorldOfDarkness'' games are practically the trope codifiers for [[UrbanFantasy urban]], Dark Fantasy.

%%* ''ComicBook/RequiemVampireKnight'' is this in spades, and the world of Resurrection is as crapsack as they come.

* ''VideoGame/BrambleTheMountainKing'' is based upon Nordic fables and folktales. It revolves around two young siblings, Olle and Lillemor, who sneak out to explore an enchanted forest filled with magical creatures. It initially starts out as a whimsical adventure, but things take an increasingly dark and horrifying turn when Lillemor is kidnapped by a troll and Olle learns of a curse over the land. Olle has to avoid or fight numerous monsters and malevolent beings to save Lillemor.

%%* ''Film/PansLabyrinth'' (unless you think the fantasy stuff is [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane all in the protagonist's head]]; WordOfGod says [[spoiler: it's real]]).

%%* ''Film/{{Wolfcop}}''

* ''Literature/TheEyeOfArgon'' is an attempt at a gritty Conan-style tale of blood, sex and violence.

** Frodo's passage through the web-choked lair of Shelob, and her subsequent ambush of him in nearby canyon, is one of the more terrifying uses of a GiantSpider in film history.
** Aragron, Legolas, and Gimli descending into the Paths of the Dead to try to recruit an army of ghosts to their cause. The extended edition has them caught in an avalanche of NothingButSkulls.

Do not confuse with LowFantasy, which is about downplaying fantastic elements in order to tell a more realistic story, though they may overlap. The supernatural levels of a Dark Fantasy can range anywhere from super low to CosmicHorror high.

Do not confuse with LowFantasy, which is about downplaying fantastic elements in order to tell a more realistic story. The supernatural levels of a Dark Fantasy can range anywhere from super low to CosmicHorror high.

* If any hero has a shed of nobility to them, and refuse to do any of the above activities they are often depressed loners who feel that they are the only one in the world who believes in traditional HighFantasy values of goodness. Often they are [[GullibleLemmings hated and feared by the very people they protect.]] Yet they never turn their back on their values, and try to preserve the little goodness in Dark Fantasy worlds.

* ''Film/Hellboy2004'' and its sequel ''Film/HellboyIITheGoldenArmy'' (overlapping with UrbanFantasy and the superhero genre) A demon summoned from Hell seeks to protect the world from monsters, elves, and Nazis.

* While two of the three routes of ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' were a largely typical Shonen-based UrbanFantasy affair, the third and final route, ''Heaven's Feel'', openly embraces this. Much of the simpler story of the other routes are turned on its head with the truth of the Holy Grail War revealing ''very'' fucked up secrets and openly dealing with horror relative to numerous plot points, from rape, torture, dismemberment and the omnipresence of a [[TheCorruption corrupting]] EldritchAbomination that [[spoiler:warps [[KnightInShiningArmor Saber]] into an evil parody of themselves, forces [[TheHero Shirou]] to abandon his ideals to protect the ones he loves, and manifests in a final clash to stop the birth of the manifestation of all the world's evils]].

%%[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

%%* ''WesternAnimation/WendellAndWild''
%%[[/folder]]

%%[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
%%* ''Film/ArmyOfDarkness''

%%* ''Film/TheBrothersGrimm''

%%* ''Film/CastADeadlySpell''

%%* ''Film/TheCrow''

%%* ''Film/DoctorStrangeInTheMultiverseOfMadness''
%%* ''Film/DriveAngry''

%%* ''Film/TheGreenKnight''

%%* ''Film/Hellboy2004'' and its sequel ''Film/HellboyIITheGoldenArmy'' (overlapping with UrbanFantasy and the superhero genre)
%%* ''Film/Hellboy2019'' (which is even DarkerAndEdgier, and BloodierAndGorier, than the earlier films)
%%* ''Film/{{Maleficent}}''

%%* ''Film/VanHelsing''

%%[[/folder]]