Just a few years ago, the options for horror movies with overtly queer characters and themes were extremely limited—there were plenty of good movies with subtext (we'll get to some of them), but few that translated that subtext into text. Even though horror movies have legions of queer fans (seriously, none of the biggest horror movie fans I know are straight, including me). The recent rise in horror movies with queer characters isn’t just about diversity; It’s about giving the audience what they want. Some of these films incorporate overtly queer coming-of-age stories (or tropes) into their narratives, while others feature LGBTQ protagonists quietly. There's "high" horror here, as well as serial killer movies and horror films.
And, hey, since we're not trying to be exclusive, straight people are welcome to scream along. No one will judge the way you live your life when a killer is on the prowl.
Knife+Heart (2018)
Director Yann Gonzalez's smart, stylish horror film is richly layered and set in the world of gay porn in the '70s. Annie Parez (Vanessa Paradis) runs a production company that makes exploitation films centered around Knives + Hearts , but a series of murders on the set attract little attention from the local police , they were not terribly sad about Annie Parez's death. Gay porn actor. Anne decides that her next film will be about the murder itself, unfolding a film-within-a-movie that only attracts the attention of the killer (and his spiked dildo). The film celebrates the giallo, with plenty of deep cuts for fans of classic Italian horror, and more general depictions of '70s nastiness, but has a look and feel that's completely unique.
Where to scream: Shudder, Tubi, Kanopy, Freevee
Knock on the Cabin (2023)
M. Night Shyamalan's mind-bending story sets up Eric and Andrew (Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge) with an impossible choice: One of them must sacrifice the other. One or the world might end. What appears to be a home invasion led by Dave Bautista becomes increasingly convincing as a warning about the necessity of sacrifice. Adding to the film's growing sense of existential dread is the cozy domestic feel of a couple at the center of the film who just want to raise their daughter and relax in their cute little cabin.
Where to scream: Prime Video
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
I've seen Rocky Horror at least a dozen times (in various states of undress) and I still can't really tell you what it's about - with Brad and Janet (Barry Bostwick) and Susan Sarandon) parked in a creepy place. The old house is filled with queer people from outer space (led by Dr. Frank-N-Furter, played by Tim Curry). The film goes from a cult classic to a rite of passage for young queer people, filled with gleefully over-the-top characters who either start out as sexually and genderfluid or achieve that by the end. It uses a lot of old horror movie tropes, and while it may not be the scariest movie in queer cinema history, it's a lot of fun and a great way to freak out the square in your life.
What Screams: Digital Rental
Overnight Camp (1983)
Is there a problem? certainly! But the queer horror kids of the 1980s (give or take) knew how to take our fun where we could get it. As a slasher, this is particularly odd, with overly silly moments contrasting with some truly impressive kills. Somehow, the fact that no two actors seem to be in the exact same movie helps create a camp (pun intended) atmosphere. Fair warning, I'm going too spoiler-y, the ending is the best and worst part: our killer is revealed to be Angela (Felissa Ross), and then revealed to be Peter, who's trying to find her Traumatized after her father was in bed with another man, she is further traumatized when dim-witted Aunt Martha (Desiree Gould) raises Peter as the girl she always wanted . Angela is called a trans villain – though I’m not sure I can tell what’s going on here. Is this a movie that's not so much about the political content as it is a crazy horror movie with a delightfully messy queer character? It hits a lot of the right notes.
Where to scream: Peacock, Tubi, Crackle, Shout Factory TV, Fubo, Roku Channel
Dracula's Daughter (1936)
In this direct sequel to Bela Lugosi's film, a father and a daughter, Countess Maria Zaleska (Gloria Holden) and Edward Van Sloan's character from the original Van Helsing had a conflict. What the two vampires have in common is not only a rivalry but also a preoccupation with the ladies, with Countess Zaleska first seducing a frustrated Lily and then kidnapping Janet. Producers and censors were concerned about lesbianism in the lead-up to the film's release, but also chose to trumpet it in the marketing...especially the tagline: "Save London's women from Dracula's daughter!"
What Screams: Digital Rental
Bit (2020)
Nicole Maines ( "Supergirl ") stars as Laurel, a transgender girl who moves to Los Angeles to live with her brother after transitioning. The club's after-party results in a lot of making out, and then some blood—and before long, Laurel is offered the chance to join a group of vampires dedicated to caring for the many predators on the city's streets.
Where to scream: Prime Video, Tubi, Freevee, Roku Channel
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The queer coding in the bizarre and hilarious Bride of Frankenstein is so over the top that you can barely call it subtext. There is too much gay stuff going on here to ignore. The story revolves around Dr. Septimus Pretorius (played by Ernest Thesiger), Victor Frankenstein's mentor when he was a student. A mentor from their student days, Victor swoops in on the eve of Victor's wedding night and drags him away (requiring only mild persuasion) so the two can conduct some experiments to determine whether they can live together. With this plot, and queer representation in front of and behind the camera (including Sessions and director James Whale), this is very much a gay horror fever dream.
What Screams: Digital Rental
Stranger by the Lake (2013)
A horror movie that echoes the sexy thrillers of yesteryear. Pierre Deladonchamps plays Franck here, a regular visitor to the nude beach and surrounding woods, both of which are popular cruising spots. Frank begins a passionate relationship (meaning: lots of pretty explicit sex in the woods) with Michelle (Christopher Pau), whom Frank later discovers drowned in a lake a person. Among them: Embarrassing. As the investigation into the incident heats up, Frank finds it difficult to let go of a good thing, even in the face of murder. Like the protagonist in any good erotic thriller, the better the sex, the more adventurous Frank becomes.
Screaming Place: Canopi
High Voltage (2003)
Arguably the best film in the "New French Extreme" canon, "High Tension" accomplishes the seemingly impossible: it's a horror movie that doesn't feel cliche, full of cruelty, tension, and unforgettable moments. Compromising, full of references to 1970s horror classics - and in French, so you can pretend it's noble. The film has a huge twist ending that makes its lesbian protagonist's perspective very complicated (to put it mildly), but complex, problematic characters are nothing new to queer horror fans.
Places to scream: Tubi, Roku Channel, Hoopla, Kanopy, Freevee, Plex, Pluto
Chucky Seed (2004)
Gay Child's Play creator Don Mancini, who has written, directed and/or produced every film in the main series, has been sneaking in queer subtext from the beginning. The casting of Bound star and icon Jennifer Tilly as the voice of the doll Tiffany in 1998's The Haunted Bride was a step in the right direction in terms of crafting subtext...but until Seed of Chucky really hits the ground running when Tiffany and Chucky (Brad Dourif) team up to raise their non-binary child, Glen or Glenda (a reference to the Ed Wood film ) while they attempted to possess the bodies of real-life Tilly and Redman (who played themselves). If that wasn't enough to get the camp's attention, John Waters himself showed up to provide the endorsement.
Where to scream: Starz
Corpse Corpse (2022)
Many queer horror films feature the challenges outside of heterosexuality, but Bodies Bodies Bodies features a queer couple front and center: Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and Bee (Maria Bakalova) are a perfectly normal couple who find themselves in a difficult situation. A very bad scene happens when Sofia brings her girlfriend home to meet her old friends. The murder-in-the-dark genre takes a turn when someone actually dies, and it quickly starts to look like Sophie and Bee are the most well-adjusted of the entire team.
Where to Scream: Netflix, Paramount+, Fubo, Showtime
Jessica Cabin (2022)
Okay, it's not scary - and it's not really that scary - but "Jessica's Cabin" is a light, slightly sad, but mostly charming ghost story if you're looking for something horror-related , but don’t like horror stories, then it’s perfect. Bloody mood. Couple Nicky (Chase Williamson) and Preston (Will Tranfort) were given the name "Airbnb" — a name we eventually learned was only discovered after one of them Named after the man who died there - and we soon find out that their relationship was less than ideal. They are also observed by best friends Jackson (Daniel Montgomery) and Tyler (Riley Rose Critchlow), two ghosts who haunt the cabin and live an afterlife of endless boredom and monotony— —at least until the dead Jackson becomes obsessed with the living Nikki. Like most of the best ghost stories, this is a lovely, low-budget tale of love and longing.
Where to scream: Prime Video
Daughter of Darkness (1971)
Erotic bisexual vampire movies were all the rage in the 1970s, but few (if any) were more successful and truly sexy than Daughter of Darkness . While others are very much into the hot lesbian straight vibe, Daughters has a look and feel that borders on art, with a grand and elegant style and a willingness to go deeper. Delphine Seyrig stars as Countess Elizabeth Báthory, who stumbles upon a newlywed couple honeymooning in a remote location and immediately begins seducing her wife away from human sexual and moral norms .
Scream locations: Shudder, Tubi, Vudu
Spiral (2019)
Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman stars as Malik, who moves to a new town with his white partner Aaron and their teenage daughter, each of whom hopes to To have a little peace and tranquility. Naturally, things get weird—first in recognizable ways (snarky comments, casual greetings without reply), and then in more shocking ways. Both Malik and Black are more confident and seem to be the only ones who really notice the worst of the situation and begin to question his relationship with his family and his sanity. (This is not to be confused with the 2021 film of the same name , Saw .)
Where to scream: Shudder, AMC+
The Lost Boys (1987)
Directed by openly gay director Joel Schumacher (who made the gayest superhero movie , Batman & Robin , a few years before), The Lost Boys finds brother Sam (Cory Haim) ) and Michael (Jason Patric) Emerson move with their family to sunny, sweaty Santa Clara, California, where Michael is lured into joining a sexy vampire gang by the blonde leader David (Kiefer Sutherland). Vamp seduces Michael with Star (Jamie Gertz), but his desire for the girl gives way to his obsession with David, which becomes apparent when a drunken Michael's opinion of Star slowly turns in favor of David It's very clear. Even the movie's theme song reminds us again and again that "love be with thy brother."
Where to scream: AMC+
The Babadook (2014)
The Babadook's place in the queer pantheon is a bit of a surprise: Netflix included the film in the LGBT section at one point, probably by accident, but it kind of stuck, even though "The Babadook was gay" initially Mainly just a joke. In this light, the film lends itself well to a queer fable: Well-meaning but busy widow Amelia (Essie Davis) is trying to raise her son Sam on her own and finds his behavior increasingly disturbing . The imaginary monster that quickly becomes real can represent grief because fighting it is far less effective than accepting it—but it’s also a very powerful metaphor for the experience of being a parent of queer children. The more Amelia tries to change her son and bury his behavior, the stronger the Babadook becomes and the more desperate he becomes to escape. Only by accepting and embracing the unchangeable reality is Amelia able to find peace for herself and her son.
Where to Scream: Netflix, Hulu, Shudder, AMC+
Rope (1948)
Picky, fussy roommates (if you know what I mean) are hosting a dinner party for their friends, but things take a turn: they've just strangled an old prep school friend and plan to serve the food with gorgeous antiques they've His body was hidden in a wooden box. Like the worst upper-class gays you've ever seen, Brandon and Philip (John Dahl and Farley Granger) do it just to prove their intellectual superiority. Hitchcock's claustrophobic atmosphere and sharp dialogue kick off the suspense nicely in one shot (well, sort of). The thriller is loosely based on a real-life murder committed by lovers Leopold and Loeb in the 1920s.
Where to scream: Prime Video
Scream (2022)
Jasmin Savoy Brown plays pop-culture-savvy anchor of 'Core Four' to star as Mindy Meeks-Martin in 'Scream' sequel , he may not know who the murderer is, but he definitely understands the murderer's rules. playing. She was also a closeted lesbian, adding the first quintessentially queer character to the series, which began with a pair of murderers based on lovers Leopold and Loeb. With humor and some brutal kills, the fifth Scream movie rebooted a franchise with a massive queer following, setting the stage for even better sequels.
Where to Scream: Paramount+, Hulu
Jennifer's Body (2009)
In 2009, when only real people knew what to do with Jennifer's body , the movie took so long to become a cult classic that it was probably destined to become. Here, popular teen Jennifer (Megan Fox) is turned into a succubus by her tormentor, gleefully murdering boys around school, much to the dismay of her friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried) There is a general feeling of fear. The film's main characters aren't explicitly gay, but its rejection of toxic masculinity and heterosexuality made it particularly popular among queer people. It also uses horror and violence to empower its teenage female characters.
What Screams: Digital Rental
ParaNorman (2012)
The stop-motion animated ParaNorman was, of course, well-received (it was awesome), but its box office success was limited. The story revolves around the titular Norman (Kodi Smit-McPhee), who is able to communicate with the dead. No one believed him and he was bullied for his abilities. Norman's best friend's older brother Mickey (Casey Affleck) is in many ways a classic goofy jock, but we discover that he and Norman's sister are both gay at the same time. In contrast to Norman, who struggles to find the best way to express himself in a hostile world, Mickey is completely content with who he is. There's no doubt this is a horror film suitable for all ages, but the film is surprisingly clever and creepy.
Where to Scream: Starz, Roku Channel
Fear Street Trilogy (2021)
We're doing three movies at the same time here because each movie in the trilogy is adapted from a book by R.L. Stine and has the same tone, quality, and direction (Leigh Janiak, known for Honeymoon before "Fear Street" ). They also share the same protagonists: Tina and Sam (Kiana Madeira and Olivia Scott Welch), a pair of star-crossed besties fighting an ancient curse across time and space. Fear Street Part 1: 1994 opens with an introduction to the town of Shadyside, known to local kids as "Shittyside," which has a dark history of multiple murders, most of which have been covered up. A group of teenagers overturn a witch's tomb, sparking a resurgence of a murderous cult. The vibe here is a bit Stranger Things , with some legitimate gore and scares (that's your thing, but definitely not kids' stuff) as Janiak pays homage to various horror films of the past. The series continues with Fear Street Part 2: 1978 and ends (for now) with Fear Street Part 3: 1666 .
Where to Scream: Netflix
Suddenly, last summer (1959)
If it seems far-fetched to think of this movie (based on the play by Tennessee Williams) as a horror film, consider that the entire plot revolves around the threat of cannibalism and forced lobotomies. This is a quirky Southern Gothic suspense novel about a young man, Violet Venable, son of Katharine Hepburn, who dies mysteriously while on vacation in Spain. While Violet is happy to be his lady-in-waiting and help him have sex with other men, she's not too keen on letting the world find out how he died. She was also more than happy to perform a lobotomy on one of her son's best friends to ensure she couldn't speak. It's a wild time until the unforgettably bizarre ending.
Where to scream: The Criterion Channel
Titan(2021)
In a sea of superhero movies, a film about a gender-fluid erotic dancer (Alexia/Adrian, played by Agathe Russell) who fucks a car and gets pregnant Lost, then taken away by a man (Vincent Linden) who believes he has found his long-lost son. Oh, and our protagonist is also a serial killer. There's a lot going on in writer-director Julia Ducournau's unconventional love story, but what's most striking is that Alexia/Adrian's gender incongruence isn't treated as a subject of horror, Rather, it is ultimately seen as a theme of love.
Where to Scream: Hulu
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
The subtext here is so strong that it can barely be considered subtext, but back in 1985, a lot of immediate viewers still missed it. The film's basic premise undergoes a role reversal, with Jesse (Mark Patton) in the "final girl" position of most horror movies at the time. Freddy plays with Jesse, at one point stroking his lips with his fingertips; Jesse runs from danger, and his girlfriend is equally in trouble, almost always half-naked. He met his gym teacher in a leather bar, and the bastard was later spanked to death in the locker room. As a metaphor for the torture of a closeted teen, you could do worse.
Where to Scream: Netflix
Perfect (2018)
When Charlotte Wilmore (Alison Williams) returns to her prestigious conservatory after an absence to find that another woman (Logan Browning) has taken her place as class president, There are hints of Suspiria (and Black Swan ) here, as the two embark on a sexual relationship - and if that sounds a little tame, the deliberately disjointed narrative quickly turns into deeply claustrophobic body horror. . This may not be the first film to mine dark thrills and gore from art education, but it's as good as any of them, if not beyond.
Where to Scream: Netflix
Latent Image (2022)
Latent Shadow makes the most of its budget, being a horror film about an isolated cabin in the woods, but with some clever and surreal twists. Ben (Joshua Tonks), a novelist in the throes of writer's block and away from his boyfriend, is visited by a stranger who might just need a place to spend the night (Jay K. Lift)? Ben's active imagination blurs the lines between reality and fiction, as well as the possibly-sexual/possibly-murderous chemistry between the two leads.
Scream locations: Tubi, Dekkoo, Vudu
Devil (1955)
The Devil follows a married woman and her husband's mistress as they conspire to murder the man and conceal his death - with sexual tension and a sense of a love triangle just beneath the surface. He's the former headmaster of a gossipy boarding school, and the two are forced to keep a low profile through a plot with twists and turns. Simone Signoret and Vera Clouzot star as one of cinema's most enduring couples, although their more explicit relationship in the original novel was cut from the film version. Still, the close relationship between Nicole and Christina was judged by students and teachers at the boarding school where the two lived. They travel together, share rooms, and even share a bed. The climactic moment plays out like a breakup scene. The film's gritty realism inspired Hitchcock to make Psycho .
Where to Scream: Max, The Criterion Channel
They/Them (2022)
Perhaps, it's a bit tamer than its explicit title (pronounced "They Slash Them") suggests, but that's only because it's committed to respecting its queer characters. But that doesn't mean it's all sunshine and flowers, at the conversion camp (led by Kevin Bacon's unpleasant Owen Whistler) a serial killer is stalking the woods, most likely... For bloody revenge.
Where to scream: Peacock
What keeps you alive (2018)
The story begins when a young couple, Jackie (Hannah Emily Anderson) and Jules (Brittany Allen), travel to a remote cabin owned by Jackie's family. Everything seemed fine until someone from her childhood called her "Megan." Jules has good reason to be suspicious and comes to learn that her wife may not be who she says she is and may not have her best interests at heart. The premise is ruthlessly executed.
Where to scream: AMC+
Pitchfork (2016)
Listen: Gay guys deserve silly knives too, and this stylish one is better than the ones above (ahem). What begins as a coming-of-age story about Hunter returning home to come out to his conservative father quickly turns bloody, as Hunter and his supportive friends are hunted through the woods by the Champ Killer.
Scream location: Tubi, Vudu
