The essay is a theoretical analysis on genre, based on André Breton's views on black humor. Breton is believed to be the person who is the mind behind the term "black humor", but his views on black humour have not – as far as I’m concerned – been applied in a film-scientific context.

There is no cohesive view of the genre concept, as reflected in four selected genre theorists' texts that I selected. Texts that also have been published in various decades. The disposition for my essay is to begin by clarifying the definition of “black humour” by Breton and then highlight the key ideas of Leo Braudy, Thomas Schatz, Rick Altman and David Bordwell. In the end, I will try to interpret the ways in which black humor can be formed as a genre of its own.

My conclusion is that there is no clear answer to how black can be formed as its own genre, but on the other hand there are a number of critical perspectives on the genre concept. Together, all theorists demonstrates complex relationships between ideological roots and present-day added significance. In the final discussion, I argue that there is a need to continue studying more about "black humor" by adding additional relevant dimensions and linking them to genre theory.