'12 LGBTQ+ Horror Movies to Watch After Pride Month'

6/30/2022

Sexuality and gender have been thematically embedded into horror since the Gothic term originated sometime during the eighteenth century. Whether our on-screen heroes (and villains!) are just queer coded or they explicitly display some form of same-sex affection & gender variance, the fear-ridden environments that they live in often blur the lines between fiction and reality. Here is a list of twelve notable LGBTQ+ genre works to check out in this summer.

1). Vampyres (1974)

Directed by
José Ramón Larraz

Rooted in the trope of lesbian vampirism, this undervalued British production takes a bisexual turn, following two female lovers (Marianne Morris and Anulka Dziubinska) who are resurrected with a taste for blood, no matter where it comes from.

It’s sleazy from the start; both women shot to death in the opening minute, but quickly amps up the gore and erotica as they prey on others from sequence to sequence. Shot over a three week period at the iconic Hammer horror set, Oakley Court.

2. Cruising (1980)

Directed by
William Friedkin

Seven years after the release of his supernatural classic, The Exorcist, New Hollywood writer-director William Friedkin returns to the horror genre with this controversial crime-thriller.

Al Pacino leads as an undercover cop, posing as a gay man in order to track down a serial killer that is actively hunting those involved in Manhattan’s leather scene. With the ambiguity in its title and the open ending at hand, protests plagued the picture — yet it remains a brutal love letter all these years later.

3). Dressed to Kill (1980)

Directed by
Brian De Palma

With Psycho planting the very early seeds of the American slasher craze, many have tried and failed to replicate the impact of its subversions. This chilling neo-noir follows many of the same beats as that 1960 hallmark, from the leading lady switcheroo to the sexually confused villain.

Sparked controversy due to its depiction of violence against women and the seeming association between transitioning and mental illness. Faults aside, an incredible X-rated exercise in style.

4. Deadly Blessing (1981)

Directed by
Wes Craven

An often dismissed early work from the Sultan of Shock, telling the story of a young woman (Maren Jensen) left living isolated and accused of incubus activity by a puritanical religious group after the death of her husband.

It mostly feels like a clip show of concepts that Craven would perfect in his later supernatural slashers, and Deadly Blessing’s queer repression element only kicks in during the final act. It would be wrong to spoil it here — if you haven’t seen this, go in blind.

5. Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981)

Directed by
William Asher

Night Warning is a no brainer, really. It highlights homophobia on a more-than-casual level. As an audience, we see the final boy (yes, they offered up a twist on the final girl!) subjected to frequent bigotry by those around him, all based on a cruel assumption that so many of us face during our adolescent years.

In the end, Billy (Jimmy McNichol) might not even be gay. He has some coding in his softness, but the real homosexual hero of the story comes in the form of his football coach. Highly engaging.

6). Nightbreed (1990)

Directed by
Clive Barker

Originally marketed as a slasher film despite its status as a dark fantasy novella adaptation, Nightbreed was never given a fair chance to flourish upon release. What lies within this now cult classic is 102 minutes of queer coded monster movie madness.

I mean, it’s centered around a community and culture driven underground because the humans out and about want to destroy them for being different. If that isn’t gay, Craig Sheffer running around in that leather jacket sure is.

7). Poison (1991)

Directed by
Todd Haynes

Recognized as an early work in the New Queer Cinema movement, this Sundance hit (and directorial debut) has a lot to say about the AIDS crisis and repression in a society with hetero as the default.

Unlike most horror anthologies, these three tales are intercut; a young boy growing up in an abusive household (Hero), a doctor drinking his experimental sex serum (Horror), and a man attracted to a fellow prison inmate (Homo). Told with a unique stylization blending tabloid television and 60’s sci-fi.

8. May (2002)

Directed by
Lucky McKee

Given a limited theatrical release mere months before Angela Bettis stepped in as Carrie in the NBC re-imagining, she made her mark in this psychological heavy hitter.

This portrays a kind of isolation that feels very rarely explored, and even though the film builds up to be disturbingly twisted, it’s strangely beautiful at the same time. Featuring Bettis in a titular powerhouse performance, and Anna Faris as the lesbian colleague that she falls in love with.

9). High Tension / Haute tension (2003)

Directed by
Alexandre Aja

Yet another divisive flick amongst viewers, this bit of New French Extremity leans into the slasher category with enough torture that it was censored in six areas by the MPAA to secure an American release.

It’s quite an intense and transgressive horror film of the early 2000s that acts more so as a pastiche of the 70s. Controversial in its final act plot twist and perhaps offensive characterization of lesbianism, though worth watching under the guise of an unreliable narrator.

10. Hellbent (2004)

Directed by
Paul Etheredge

Possibly the most simplistic on this entire list, Hellbent is indeed a groundbreaking queer slasher that screened at about 30 LGBTQ film festivals before its home video release.

All of the main cast were heterosexual, though none of their characters were, and it successfully implements stock characteristics without letting them fall into LGBT stereotypes. Holds up today with its West Hollywood setting, Halloween atmosphere, scary sexy villain, and combination of gore and gay humor.

11. Knife+Heart / Un couteau dans le cœur (2018)

Directed by
Yann Gonzalez

Shot on 35mm to evoke an authentic 1979 feel, this ultra-stylish co-production between France, Mexico and Switzerland is well on its way to becoming recognized as a contemporary horror-thriller masterpiece. Set around a gay porn production, a man in a leather mask begins picking off cast members.

Balancing the tragic love story at its core with gritty giallo and exploitation film beats, this acts not only as a dreamy blood-soaked murder mystery, but an effective tribute to adult cinema.

12. Freaky (2020)

directed by
Christopher Landon

Written by queer creators Michael Kennedy and Christopher Landon, this slasher comedy twist on the Freaky Friday concept sees a seventeen year old girl (Kathryn Newton) switch bodies with a local serial killer (Vince Vaughn).

If that delightfully absurd premise didn’t sell it to you, the film is jam-packed with queer humor and never tokenizes the community. In a time where it can be so easy to feel misrepresented, this was a bloody breath of fresh air. Read our full review here!

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Author

Born a few towns over from the infamous Amityville Horror house, Steven Thomas has been fascinated with the genre for as long as he can remember. His love for horror stemmed from the likes of Goosebumps and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and was amplified with the release of Scream 4 in his elementary years. Between writing frequent capsule reviews on Letterboxd and plotting to become the next “master of horror”, Steven currently studies Film & Media at CUNY Queens College.

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