Summary
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LGBTQ+ horror films and television shows provide entertainment, representation, and excitement, serving as an important part of queer culture.
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While some horrors deal with harmful tropes, there are now more directors and writers offering queer horror stories that aren’t demonizing.
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There are many examples of queer horror stories in movies and TV shows offering diverse LGBTQ+ characters and storylines that transcend their queer identities.
There are tons of great LGBTQ+ horror movies out there movies and TV shows that provide entertainment, performance and excitement. The horror genre is one of the backbones of queer culture. This intersection exists for many reasons. Queer culture and the horror genre often reject conventional societal standards. Furthermore, even before moving pictures existed, horror novels provide some of the earliest examples of queer representation. As the genre adapted to film and television screens, horror continued to play an important role in queer expression, with many shows even making direct comments on LGBTQ+ issues.
While horror is an important part of LGBTQ+ culture, not everything in the genre is good for the community. Some horrors deal with harmful tropes like the predatory transperson, “burying your gays” and the obsessive sapphic woman. However, that’s less common lately, with more directors and writers delivering quirky horror stories that aren’t demonic. As such, many great examples of weird horror stories exist in movies and TV shows.
13 Spiral (2019)
To Curtis David Harder Spiral — not to be confused with 2021 Saw sequel of the same name – follows a gay couple who move to a Chicago suburb to raise their teenage daughter. However, they soon discover a dark secret about the picturesque neighborhood, as Shudder’s original film leans on both survivalism and psychological horror, weaving together an interesting plot. Spiral is like a strange companion to horrors Get outas it makes social commentary on the intersection of racism and homophobia in the United States.
12 Chucky (2021–present)
The TV sequel of Child’s play franchise leans on the quirkiness of the character Glenn/Glenda from Chucky’s seed. In the show’s first season, Chucky mentions his genderfluid child to Jake, making it clear that he supports the LGBTQ+ community. Glenn and Glenda eventually appear in the series as non-binary twins of different genders. As a sign of their identity, they drive around a car with “they/them” on the registration number. In addition to a well-written non-binary plot, Chucky cast non-binary actor Lachlan Watson as the twins, respecting the need for trans actors to play trans roles.
11 The Espookys (2018-2022)
The Spanish-language horror series The Espooky Family tells the story of a group of friends who decide to make a business that breathes life into terror for customers. One of the main characters, Andres, is a gay man who is haunted by a demon. The series also hints at another character, Renaldo, who is asexual, an identity often overlooked in television representation. The Espooky Family provides an excellent example of LGBTQ+ characters whose storylines do not center around their queer identities.
10 Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
The satirical slasher film Bodies Bodies Bodies follows a group of rich kids who decide to party in a mansion while they wait out a hurricane. They decide to play a game where one person is an assassin and has to try to kill everyone without anyone revealing their identity. This movie centers around the lesbian couple Sophie and Bea who are too cute to handle. Their sexuality is never challenged or addressed Bodies Bodies Bodies, normalizing their identity. Sophie is played by non-binary and bisexual actress Amandla Stenberg.
9 The Haunting Of Bly Manor (2020)
The miniseries The Haunting of Bly Manor tells the story of an American nanny named Danny who comes to look after two children at Bligh Manor. She soon begins to experience supernatural occurrences that prompt her to learn about the property’s dark history. At the center of this series is a beautiful romance between two women: Dani and Jamie. While The Haunting of Bly Manor sets the story in the 1980s, the relationship exists outside the confines of the story, providing a utopia where an interracial lesbian couple can have an open relationship without judgment.
8 M3GAN (2022)
In the horror movie M3GAN, the titular AI doll turns murderous when she follows her prime directive to protect a girl named Cady from emotional or physical harm. Even before the movie was released, M3GAN went viral online with some memes featuring the title character as a strange icon. The doll is fierce and protective of Cady, and the two characters are seen as chosen family—an important concept in the LGBTQ+ community, where people are often ostracized by their families of birth. While the film doesn’t technically feature queer characters, it’s a must-see for any LGBTQ+ horror marathon.
7 Dracula’s Daughter (1936)
The black and white film Dracula’s daughter is one of the earliest examples of LGBTQ+ representation in horror films. The plot involves a vampire named Countess Maria Zaleska who is searching for a cure for her condition. While Dracula’s daughter may seem harmful because of the predatory gay stereotype, it can also be restored. I’m looking at Dracula’s daughter through a modern lens, Zaleska is a complex sapphic anti-hero struggling to come to grips with his identity. She is in a society that views LGBTQ+ identities as a psychological aberration that needs treatment. At the end of the film, however, Zaleska accepts her identity, no longer desiring it.
6 Hellbent (2004)
The slasher horror movie Hellbent follows a group of gay men in West Hollywood who try to escape a masked killer who uses a sickle as a weapon. This film started a wave of gay slasher films, but remains one of the best of all time. Hellbent has a cult classic due to its entertaining plot and dialogue. The jokes hit just right, providing moments of relief that subsequently heighten the tension. Each actor delivers a stellar performance, making their character feel real, compelling and fleshed out.
5 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
The Rocky Horror Show centers on a couple whose car breaks down near a castle where they encounter a group of aliens led by Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite mad scientist from the planet Transsexual in the Transylvania galaxy. The Rocky Horror Show is the epitome of LGBTQ+ horror. Dr. Frank-N-Furter dresses up and becomes sexually involved with the two main characters. Instead of stigmatizing or shaming queerness, The Rocky Horror Show celebrates it.
4 Jennifer’s Body (2009)
The teenage horror movie Jennifer’s body follows Jennifer Check, a cheerleader who begins killing boys at her school after being possessed by a demon. Jennifer’s body bombed when it was released in theaters in 2009, but has since been hailed as an iconic queer film. Although never canonically confirmed, this film offers a clear bisexual representation through the main character, Jennifer. The relationship between Jennifer and Needy is gloriously sapphic, with the pair even sharing a kiss. Jennifer’s bodyThe LGBTQ+ representation is further enhanced by the fact that she is played by bisexual actress Megan Fox.
3 No (2022)
Like all great Jordan Peele movies, no features important social commentary, including underlying messages about the way queer black women are treated. no follows OJ Haywood and his sister Emerald as they discover something alien and dangerous in the skies above their horse ranch. Emerald is an openly black lesbian played by queer actress Keke Palmer. She is not forced into “bury your gays” trope that queer characters — but especially black queer characters — encounter on a regular basis. Instead, Emerald is front and center throughout the story of no.
2 Interview with the Vampire (2022-present)
Interview with the vampire begins in the modern day with Louis de Pointe du Lac telling the story of his early 20th century life to journalist Daniel Molloy. AMC’s television adaptation of Anne Rice Interview with the vampire may have started out as simple homoerotics, but it has grown into a full-fledged horror series full of gay sex and romance. Louis de Pointe du Lac and Lestat de Lioncourt have a sweet and sultry relationship that builds with each interaction. Unlike many sexual LGBTQ+ stories, however, Interview with the vampire the miniseries was written with a queer audience in mind, rather than turning the central relationship into a spectacle.
1 Scream (2022)
The Vik franchise follows the iconic serial killer Ghostface as he attempts to take down a group of friends. While Vik movies have always had a weird subtext, Vik 2022 introduces the franchise’s first canonical LGBTQ+ main character: Mindy Meeks-Martin. In this sequel, Mindy is a horror-obsessed character who dates women. in Vic VI, it was revealed that Mindy uses they/she pronouns, indicating that she may identify as non-binary. Her relationships are treated no differently than others depicted in Vik franchise, a nice change of pace from the tragic coming out narratives. Plus, Mindy is played by pansexual actor Jasmine Savoy Brown, which brings an extra air of authenticity to the horror character.