Dark Comedy in Romance

The subgenres of dark comedy in romance

I’ve been wanting to discuss subgenres and niches in romances for a while now. Since I’m currently reading a wide range of dark comedies, I figured it’s a good time to discuss how I perceive the various subgenres of dark comedy in romance. Buckle up, this is a full-length blog.

Dark humor doesn’t mean it’s a dark rom com. And a dark rom com doesn’t mean it’s a dark romance. However, all dark comedy romances share two commonalities: they incorporate dark humor and romance. An excellent combination.😜

What is dark humor?

It’s a style of comedy that finds amusement in serious subjects, such as death and gore. A romance can have dark humor and not be a dark rom com. Dark humor is not a subgenre of romance. It’s simply an author’s voice or a book’s style. Examples: The Death Club, by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti, and Cute but Psycho, by Beatrix Hollow (me). Heathers is a pretty good movie example.

Before we jump into what dark rom com is let’s talk about what dark romances and romantic comedies are.

What is dark romance?

I think that any romance with dark themes is a dark romance—whether the darkness is the romance itself, or outside the relationship. However, let’s focus on dark romance, where the darkness is inherent to the relationship. Usually, it involves toxic behaviors between the main character and their love interest. Things such as kidnapping, stalking, issues of consent, and manipulation. There is generally angst, themes of mental health, and complex emotions and morals.

What is a romantic comedy (rom com)?

It’s a romance that blends with comedy. It’s generally light-hearted, humorous, and features banter, hijinks, misunderstandings, and ridiculous situations (like fake dating your enemy). It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it can feature serious topics. Actually, comedies often feature very serious topics, but purposely maintain a light tone to help the reader detach from that seriousness, making it a less emotionally heavy read (i.e., Silver Linings Playbook). That said, it can have serious moments as long as it doesn’t outweigh the comedic ones.

That leaves us with dark rom com. What is it?

It’s a romantic comedy with dark humor. Can it be a dark romance? It’s possible, but not typical, because first and foremost it’s a rom com at its heart. Meaning its tone is meant to be more lighthearted, and therefore romance itself isn’t generally toxic. It does use dark humor, though, meaning unserious, comedic dark elements. For instance, upbeat serial killer love interests and charming, funny stalkers. Examples: No Small Sin, by Genna Black, and Slaying the Holidays, by Lux Oleander (me). (And of course, Butcher & Blackbird, by Brynne Weaver, whose virality boosted the popularity of dark rom coms). Movie example: Mr. Right (2015).

Then there is horror comedy romance.

Comedic horror + any kind of romance (dark, light, neither). For example: socially anxious zombies, out-of-control animatronics, and awkward Eldritch horrors. The key here is that the horror is intertwined with comedy and completely separate from the tone the romance takes. The main character is usually in over their head, finds the entire situation ridiculous, and has a lot of sarcasm. Examples: Someone You Can Build A Nest In, by John Wiswell, and Frankie’s Funhouse, by Beatrix Hollow. Movie example: Warm Bodies (2013).

Dark romances, rom coms, and horror comedies all have their own typical tropes and tones. Rom coms often have fake dating, banter, and etc. Dark romances usually have morally grey love interests and heavy power dynamics. Horror comedy often has silly monsters and self-aware (sarcastic) heroes.

Do these distinctions matter?

That depends entirely on reading preferences. Someone who wants a really dark, emotional romance might not find a dark rom com hits the spot. Vice versa, someone who loves rom coms and appreciates the dark humor in a dark rom com might find that a dark romance with some dark humor doesn’t really match what they were looking for.

Most of my books have some dark humor because it’s part of my author voice. However, Slaying the Holidays, by my pen name Lux Oleander, is the only one I label as a [dark] rom com. Also, Frankie’s Funhouse is the only one I label a horror comedy because it fully blends the comedy genre with the horror plot.

Again, this is all my opinion. Next time, I plan to tackle Horror Romance!