Sunday, February 16, 2020

Difference between Occult Fiction, Dark Fantasy, and Gothic Horror

So I noticed a trend that of my favorite series 26 out of 32 can be categorized or more of 4 fairly specific genres

1: Magical Girl: A series starring a girl who possesses magic that is in some way linked to or associated with her status as a young girl either thematically or plot-wise (examples include Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, and Puella Magi Madoka Magicka)

2: Superhero Fiction: A series where the protagonist(s) have superhuman capacity in some form and take a costumed alter ego in order to do good. (examples include DC Comics, Freedom Force, and The Powerpuff Girls)

3: Mythological Fantasy (more formerly "Mythopoeia" though I use Mythological Fantasy to be more inclusive of things not traditionally Mythopoeia such as Wuxia): A form of fantasy that attempts to recreate a mythological or folkloric worldview via it's themes or imagery (examples include God of War, Okami, or Xiaolin Showdown)

4: Occult Fiction

However when looking up traditional definitions of Occult Fiction I saw it often conflated as being the same genre works that while I like (for instance Dracula), I don't believe they really share the same genre. This is my attempt to give what I think is the distinction. More specifically I feel like their are two separate genres; gothic horror and occult fiction that are both being addressed under the umbrella term "Dark Fantasy", ie a work with supernatural elements that is dark in tone/subject matter however I don't feel like the two genres are different enough that they should be considered separately.

Gothic Horror in this case is the subgenre of horror that Dracula or Masque of the Red Death. As a horror work it has the purpose of eliciting fear but gothic horror genre is defined as also being romantic, even surreal in tone. The monsters of Gothic Horror were the mysterious nebulous forces like demons, ghosts and vampires; creatures that could be displayed as elegant civilized monsters.

Occult Fiction I think is somewhat different, if connected. Examples of this genre would be xxxHolic, Bayonetta (Occult Fiction/Spectacle Fighter), and Yu-Gi-Oh! (Occult Fiction/Sports (Tabletop Games) Shonen/Mythological Fantasy (Ancient Egypt)).

If Gothic Horror is on one side of Occult Fiction, on the other side is the Occult Mystery (mystery stories where the detective must investiage mysteries involving the supernatural) and Urban Fantasy (stories taking place in the modern day (or equivalent) civilized areas but nonetheless have supernatural elements).

To be between those the Occult Fiction genre is a genre taking place in civilized society but involve characters using the supernatural that is in content or mood dark and mysterious. It is not a Gothic Horror as it is not a horror story; it is not attempting to scare the viewer per se. But unlike an Urban Fantasy, the magical world is still hidden away and somewhat threatening in tone, and unlike Occult Mystery, it is generally the protagonists or those affiliated with them using the magical forces (at the very least both sides possess said capacities) and it is not a mystery story.

Anyway that was my attempt to codify the Occult Fiction genre. A better name may be required to differentiate it from the Occult Mystery but I hope I've given a strong enough impression on what this genre entails.

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