From horror comedies to sci-fi westerns, genre collisions are more than a trend; they’re a storytelling evolution.

Genre collisions—deliberate combinations of two or more genres—are changing the way stories are told, consumed, and taught. With streaming platforms, indie games, and self-publishing creating room for experimentation, artists are no longer confined to traditional genre boundaries.

The article will explore why these hybrid narratives resonate with modern audiences, what they enable storytellers to do that single-genre works might not, and how Skillshare creators can utilize genre-bending to foster originality in their own work.

Defining Genre Collision 

Creative work usually has a vibe–interacting with it sets a mood and evokes certain imagery. The vibe is often indicated by the genre, which is simply a category based on style, form and/or subject matter. 

Genre, whether it’s writing, art, music, film or television, lets you know what sort of story you’re about to consume, or what the experience will feel like. R&B is going to be different from heavy metal, and horror is going to be different from comedy. In many ways, genre labeling is part of marketing, as it immediately signals to the market what you’re offering, and, to some degree, whom you’re trying to reach. 

Genre collision (also called genre mashup or genre blending), on the other hand, creates new vibes. Genre collision is the blending of two genres in one piece, such as a romantic comedy or a horror fantasy. Sometimes, genres blend together so well that they practically become their own category, such as historical romance (people have been falling in love for ages, after all). At other times, the blend is counterintuitive, yet still works in the hands of the right creative (think horror comedy).  

 Three colorful illustrations blending portrait and illustration styles, featuring Indian and Hindu feminine imagery in bold reds, purples, blacks, yellows, blues and greens
Genre collision happens in all creative formats, from visual art and writing to film and video games. Learn how you can balance the freedoms and challenges of blending styles, forms and content. Still from Skillshare class Find Your Creative Voice: Mix Illustration and Painting in a Powerful Portrait by Osheen Siva 

The secret to successful genre collision is identifying a base genre, and then artfully balancing that with the elements of one or more other genres. For example, if you want to create a story about solving the murder of an elf, is the plot centered on the murder mystery or the elven landscape? If mystery is the base genre, use fantasy elements to enhance the mystery, rather than trying to center both genres.   

How Genre Collision is Different From Borrowing Genre Tropes

Genre collision is an art and requires a delicate balance that flows through an entire story. But it’s not the only time you can bring elements of one genre into another. 

Borrowing genre tropes is less about blending multiple genres for an entire piece, and more about incorporating characters, settings and devices from a particular genre, but not so much that the piece actually fits the genre.

For example, the genre collision of romantic comedy might be a romance at its core, but it also incorporates comedy throughout to enhance the romance. A different romance might have funny moments, but it doesn’t rely on any comedic formulas to tell the overall story. A more extreme example would be a comedy that includes a time-traveling segment. This doesn’t make it a sci-fi comedy, or a period comedy, even though elements of both may be present.  

Why Genre Collisions are Gaining Popularity Now 

Genre collision in storytelling isn’t new, but it has gained popularity in recent decades. Perhaps you’ve heard of romantasy (romantic fantasy) or docudramas (documentaries presented with dramatic scenes). People are loving these blends in their entertainment. 

The primary reason for so many genre mashups lately is the creative quest for something new, or at least unexpected. Combining familiar elements and formulas from different categories takes some innovation, and the human imagination gets the chance to blaze a whole new trail. 

Consider also the influence of the internet and streaming services. A growing portion of adults are digital natives–they grew up with access to global entertainment and a massive pool of content options. While reading and other forms of storytelling have been popular for hundreds of years, consumers have only recently gained the ability to be highly selective in their choices. Talk about competition for creatives.  

Beyond that, creatives have a degree of access and freedom that didn’t exist in earlier eras. No matter how “out there” your genre collision goals might be, someone else on the planet is likely doing something similar. A community of writers and artists might already exist. Even if they’re scattered around the globe, you can connect and share your work online. 

Iconic and Successful Examples of Genre Collisions 

Some genre collisions are so iconic that you might not recognize them as genre collisions. While romantic comedy has been a standard for decades, creators have begun blending elements like horror and fantasy with other forms.

Horror and History

One popular genre mashup is mixing the formality of history and classic literature with camp and horror. Among the more well-known pieces are Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter

There’s just something fun and a bit mischievous about seeing proper Regency women and a dignified U.S. president interacting with supernatural beings and conducting epic battles. Not to mention imagining what Jane Austen and Abraham Lincoln might think of their reboots.   

Psycho-Horror Mystery With Social Commentary

Filmmaker Jordan Peele’s directorial debut, Get Out, gives dark comedy that makes you think. It’s got horror, mystery and a level of psychological spookiness that draws you in. 

When a black man goes to meet his white girlfriend’s affluent family, things are a little awkward. But it gets downright scary when he realizes that every other black person he encounters seems… off. When he learns that the white people have been commoditizing black bodies for personal gain, awkwardness quickly turns deadly. 

In addition to the genre collision of Get Out, the work encourages viewers to think about racism in the present day, and how it’s far more complex than what we see on the surface.    

Romance and Sci-Fi  

You might not immediately associate romance with sci-fi, but Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind did something fascinating in the early 2000s. It’s not all bouquets of roses and spaceships in this genre collision. 

In the movie, the main characters are a couple who have ended their romantic relationship. Each of them decides to undergo a procedure to erase all memories of the other and their relationship (a sci-fi scenario). The film recaps their time together, highlighting both the good and the bad, to prompt the audience to reflect on what love truly is and how it affects the human brain. 

By the end, the main characters are also questioning the entire experience, weighing the impact of both romance and science on their relationship.

Games Where “Everyone is Here”

Perhaps the most famous genre collision in video games is Super Smash Bros. The fighting game pits well-known characters from a wide range of game genres against each other. 

The fighters are placed in familiar environments, but it’s the option to bring in just about every genre that makes this appeal to an array of gamers. Better yet, friends who prefer different types of games can enjoy this one together. 

The Freedoms and Challenges of Genre Collisions for Creatives

Think of genre collisions in fashion rather than storytelling and art for a moment. Historically, fashion was relatively rigid – men wore suits, women wore dresses, and it was essential to observe the rules surrounding hats, gloves, and other accessories. 

Especially for those who could afford a wardrobe full of clothes, these guides made it easy to create entire outfits. Colors, textures and styles were grouped in particular ways, and deviating from that was likely to get one ostracized. 

Now, however, most people are more relaxed with fashion. No matter your gender, you can wear pants, dresses and anything in between. Mixing black and brown isn’t the end of the world, and you opt for the accessories that bring you joy, rather than those that perfectly match the rest of your outfit. 

That kind of freedom brings interest and authenticity to everyday fashion. At the same time, you might catch some unwanted attention about an outfit that blends patterns and ignores the “rules.”

Genre Collisions Create Their Own Rules 

Of course, artists know those rules are made to be broken, and this is as true of storytelling as it is of fashion. The idea is to strike the right balance between the familiar and the intriguing. You might not interest a fantasy reader with a traditional documentary. But relating a story of dragons and magic in a documentary format, as if it’s actual history, can deepen someone’s sense of immersion in the fantasy. 

Consider the mockumentary TV style, where a comedic fiction is presented as a documentary-in-progress. Examples include The Office, Parks and Rec and the wildly off-the-wall horror mockumentary What We Do In the Shadows

If you haven’t seen that last one, it’s about ancient vampires in modern-day New York City. Rather than romanticizing vampires or the Big Apple, it hilariously highlights the absurdity of both living forever and modern lifestyles.   

Genre Mashups, Audience Expectations and Creative Risk-Taking

As with any newer or experimental form of storytelling, genre mashups require creatives to balance their vision against the market's demands. Is it more critical to easily sell your work to a broad audience, or would you prefer to create precisely what you want and reach a smaller audience?

People seek genre stories for escape, and often to enjoy a familiar, even formulaic, type of entertainment. Plenty of genre works rely on those formulas to attract and maintain a following. 

Genre collision risks missing the formula completely. If you’re trying to include more vibes to attract a larger audience, you risk diluting the essence of every genre and reaching no one. 

Allow yourself the time to rework your genre collisions, especially if you’re trying something that hasn’t already established itself (romantic comedy, for example). 

Indulge in Experimental Storytelling

The list of genre collisions you could study and be inspired by goes on and on: Stranger Things, The Witcher, Everything Everywhere All At Once… It’s clear that those creators were trying something new, and having a great deal of fun doing it. But they probably didn’t get it right the first time. 

Let yourself indulge in wild ideas that seem largely disconnected. Experiment with fantasy characters, historical settings, and mystery plots, all tossed together with some absurdity and romance. Storytelling is art and play–don’t hesitate to become fully immersed to find the thing that works. 

For more guidance on storytelling elements and devices, check out articles on 7 Elements of Storytelling, Character Driven vs. Plot Driven Stories and 25 Narrative Techniques

Above all, have fun breaking some creative “rules!”  

Written By
Katie Mitchell

Katie Mitchell

Katie lives in Michigan with her husband, kids and pets. She enjoys cooking, travel and live music.

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