The history of horror is packed full of queer narratives (be they intentional or not). However, these narratives (and queer horror films in general) always get overlooked. This is doubly true for older movies, where the few critics who did talk about them would often erase their queer subtext. So, as it is Halloween month, here is a quick list of six of my favorite queer horror movies!
[Note: This was originally written as a Twitter thread]
Dracula’s Daughter (1936)
A sequel to Dracula (1931), this film follows Countess Marya Zaleska, Drac’s daughter. Marya hates her vampire urges and tries to fight against them as best she can. The film was controversial when it came out due to its heavy lesbian undertones.
[If you want a deeper look at Dracula’s Daughter and the history behind it, I did a deep dive article on Gayly Dreadful!]
Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
Mark Patton plays Jesse Walsh, a young man whose family moves into the house from the first film. However, Jesse soon ends up hunted by Freddy Krueger in a film loaded with homoerotic subtext, making this one of the most notable mainstream queer horror movies.
Raw (2017)
After being forced to eat meat for the first time in her life, Justine develops a hunger for flesh that can only be sated by eating humans. This hunger leads to her exploring her own body and the body of other people, especially her gay roommate, Adrien
The Quiet Room (2018)
After a failed suicide attempt, Michael wakes up in a hospital ward haunted by Hattie, a demon who picks off patients one by one. Featuring a Gay POC lead and a majority queer cast, this is a brilliantly disturbing horror short.
Thelma (2017)
This supernatural thriller from Norway follows Thelma a lonely girl from an ultra-religious family. When she arrives at university, Thelma develops a crush on another girl. But her confusion and longing cause her latent physic powers to manifest in strange ways.
Nightbreed (1990)
Written and directed by Clive Barker (and based on his novel Cabal,) this film tells the story of Aaron Boone, a man who finds Midian, a city for monsters. However, when priests and the police threaten Midian, Aaron and his fellow outcasts must defend it.
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Jonathon Greenall is a freelance writer, artist, and tabletop roleplaying game designer who has written for CBR, Polygon, Nintendo Life, Gayley Dreadful, Enbylife, and many other publications. They have also published several popular and highly-praised tabletop roleplaying games including “You Have One Ability….The Ability To Fuck This Up,” “Macarons, Milkshakes, And Magic,” and “Wander Wizards.”
Jonathon has always been fascinated by media, from the big hitters to the small, obscure, and often overlooked titles that linger on the sidelines, capturing both the on and off-camera stories that make these shows so fascinating.
Jonathon is also a major anime fan, having been exposed to the medium through shows like Sailor Moon and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Since then, Jonathon has maintained a passion for anime, watching most new shows each season and hunting down overlooked gems from previous ones.