TikTok has brought back the grimy aesthetics of the Dark Fantasy genre and the app is flooded with nostalgic content. So, what is the Dark Fantasy aesthetic?
If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok as relentlessly as we have, you’ll likely have had your ears slapped with Dorian Concept’s Hide. It’s usually accompanied by some eerie artwork in a slideshow.
Spent more than ten seconds watching the video unfold? Congratulations, you’re now a part of TikTok’s Dark Fantasy rabbit hole. Sometimes literally, depending on whether or not any anthropomorphic animals show up.
Of course, if you weren’t around for the VHS era or just never consumed much fantasy content in general, you may be asking ‘What is the Dark Fantasy aesthetic?’. This explainer will give you the rundown.
This poster for the 1981 Dark Fantasy movie Excalibur is basically it.
What is Dark Fantasy?
Traditionally, Dark Fantasy was a subgenre of Fantasy literature but the Dark Fantasy aesthetic on TikTok is actually more inspired by film and TV. Particularly media of the late 1970s and early 1980s when the genre experienced a massive boom on screen.
The aesthetics of the genre are characterized by low lighting, stormy skyboxes, aged special effects, and a somewhat grainy appearance. Typically you’ll see twisted-looking castles with an abundance of towers, a come-from-nothing hero fighting a dark lord or evil queen, and some animatronics or puppets of spooky monsters. Oh, and skeletons, can’t be Dark Fantasy without some skeletons in there.
The genre’s surge in popularity in the 70s and 80s was largely inspired by the advent of Dungeons & Dragons. Popular examples of Dark Fantasy works include Wizards (1977), Legend (1985), and our personal favorite, Disney’s The Black Cauldron (1985).
What is the Dark Fantasy TikTok trend?
TikTok’s emerging fascination with Dark Fantasy takes many forms and you’ll likely have seen a few of them floating around. Whatever form it takes, however, it will almost always be accompanied by generative AI artwork or video.
In its earliest days, the Dark Fantasy trend on TikTok took the form of slideshows with AI-generated images of little rat companions. Each was given a funny name and the TikToks would urge viewers to choose and comment their favorite.
Since then, however, the Dark Fantasy hashtag has exploded with choose your own adventure style content, Slideshows assigning various genre staples to your birth month, and more. Some of the most popular content involves using AI to create Dark Fantasy renditions of modern TV shows and films like the Marvel franchise.
There’s even TikToks about finding Dark Fantasy content on the app. The trend has reached full meta-levels.
Dark Fantasy movies to watch
If you’ve been sucked into Dark Fantasy TikTok or found the aesthetics shown off here appealing, there is an abundance of films you can look into to get your fix. There are almost too many good ones to mention but some of the best examples are listed below:
- The Dark Crystal (1982)
- Wizards (1977)
- Legend (1985)
- Excalibur (1981)
- The Secret of NIMH (1982)
- Willow (1988)
- The Never Ending Story (1984)
- Labyrinth (1986)
- The Last Unicorn (1982)
- The Black Cauldron (1985)
If you enjoy the current Dark Fantasy wave on TikTok but your tastes are a little more modern, Robert Eggers’ upcoming film Nosferatu may be more your style.
That’s pretty much everything you need to know about why your TikTok feed is crammed with unsettling AI art and chilling synthwave. Enjoy the Dark Fantasy trend while it lasts.