Thread:AustinDR/@comment-27022982-20180329035127/@comment-1705775-20180329195506

oh, no way in heck is Lord of Rings dark fantasy if we go by the strict standards.. it can count if we go by a less strict standard as it is a pretty bleak setting.. just not grim-dark.

Harry Potter and the like are nowhere near Dark Fantasy in either standards, it is being misused.

the problem with Dark Fantasy is the balance.. how far do we want to enforce it? do we say "only grim-dark settings like Game of Thrones and so forth (which would mean pretty much only Mature fantasy media and some extremely dark non-Mature stuff (Night on Bald Mountain) can count)" or do we go by a less strict standard and say "settings that are darker than your usual fantasy settings (which would mean darker takes on fairy tales (like Black Cauldron or Maleficent would count).)