dark atmosphere
Heavy, foreboding ambiance
A dark atmosphere describes a gloomy, ominous, or foreboding mood in a setting, story, or situation.
The phrase appears most often in descriptions of fiction, film, or games: The novel's dark atmosphere kept me on edge.
It can also describe physical spaces—a room with dim lighting and heavy furnishings has a dark atmosphere.
The darkness is emotional or psychological rather than literal absence of light.
- gloomyDark and dispiriting
- shadowsDark areas from blocked light
- long shadowsElongated darkness from objects
- pitch blackTotal absence of light
- eerieDisturbingly strange
ominous · sinister · brooding · murky · thick fog · foreboding · haunting · dim · fading light · somber · oppressive · dread · creeping dread · twilight · dead of night · menacing · noir · gothic
- GothJoy Division, Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, The Damned, Robert Smith
- Trip-HopMassive Attack, Portishead, downtempo, Sly, Mandalay
- Nordic noirNordic noir, Scandi noir, Beck, The Snowman, Bordertown