Horror movies and the LGBTQ+ community have a complicated history. Sometimes, films can create LGBTQ+ characters simply to exploit them or kill them off or use their identities as the reason why they are the movie's main villain.
However, the genre has sometimes been able to portray LGBTQ+ themes better than any other. Since the LGBTQ+ community is often unjustly and incorrectly called unnatural or immoral by conservatives, it's understandable for them to empathize somewhat with the genre that explores the immoral and unnatural. There are a number of horror movies that even put LGBTQ+ themes and characters at the forefront.
The Hunger (1983) - Stream On HBO Max
This film is about a vampire, Miriam, and her desperate need for companionship. She finds love in an eighteenth-century cellist named John, but then seduces and has sex with a modern-day gerontologist named Sarah. Her and Sarah's relationship carries the film to its end, and it's tantalizing and intriguing to watch their dynamic.
An LGBTQ+ love triangle was something that a film hadn't really done by that point, and the film treats the sapphic pair with respect, especially considering the time it was released. Also, the film stars David Bowie, who has been considered an LGBTQ+ icon for a long time.
Cursed (2004) - Stream On HBO Max
While arguably not one of director Wes Craven's best films, this werewolf flick reinvents the classic horror movie monster. It also reinvents the classic school bully, since Bo, a character who consistently taunts protagonist Jimmy with homophobic slurs, later comes out as gay. He even reveals that he has feelings for Jimmy. Jimmy rejects him, but the two are able to reconcile and become friends after defeating the monster.
Obviously, the homophobe secretly being gay isn't a great trope, and the film doesn't really address LGBTQ+ themes all that well. Still, it is one of the few films where the gay character isn't killed off, which, for the genre in the early 2000s, is a depressingly big achievement.
The Craft: Legacy (2020) - Stream On Starz
2020's The Craft: Legacy is a sequel that follows a young group of witches as they attempt to build their powers and fight an evil warlock. While not as loved as its 1996 predecessor, the remake is a step above in LGBTQ+ themes as one of the members of the new coven is a trans girl named Lourdes.
The film shows her being proud of her identity, and she isn't demonized or infantilized by her friends or the film as a whole. Witchcraft is often associated with girl-power, so it's nice for a film to validate Loudres' female identity through her talent for magic.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - Stream On Hulu
The cult classic to end all cult classics, this horror-musical encourages all who watch it to let their freak flag fly. The film follows a couple as they shake off their inhibitions and experiment sexually, along with the help of some aliens, of course. The fabulously costumed Frank-N-Furter, otherwise known as the "Sweet Transvestite from Transexual Transylvania," has become one of horror's most iconic characters.
Being from the 1970s, obviously, a lot of the terms and themes of the film are considered pretty backward nowadays, but there is no denying how important this film has been to the community. It still dominates theatres every Halloween, and it's impossible to watch Tim Curry's fabulous performance without shivering with antici...pation.
Jennifer's Body (2009) - Stream On The Criterion Channel
2009's Jennifer's Body is a horror-comedy about two teenage girls, and how their dynamic changes when one is unwillingly turned into a murderous succubus. The film was misunderstood on its first release, as audiences had been led to believe that it was a queerbait film, with supposedly hot scenes of the amazingly casted Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried making out.
Instead, the film is a cutthroat look at female relationships, exploring where the lines blur between friendship and infatuation. Jennifer proudly claims that she swings both ways, and as she tears her way through her town while claiming that she is a god, the audience can't help but admire her. A Bi-con, indeed.
Interview With The Vampire (1994) - Rent On Vudu
As one of the great American Gothic films, Interview With The Vampire is, to some, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt's most iconic film. The two vampires that they play are often fighting with one another, but they have a relationship that spans centuries, and they become co-fathers to a young Kirsten Dunst's Claudia, creating a somewhat dysfunctional domestic life.
Brad Pitt's Louis has fascinating relationships with other men, including Tom Cruise's Lestat of course, but also another vampire named Armand. Vampires have been a trope for exploring sexuality since Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula, and this film provides a refreshing take on how vampirism affects companionship between men.
What Keeps You Alive (2018) - Stream On Netflix
Released in 2018, What Keeps You Alive involves Jules who, while on a cabin trip for her first wedding anniversary, is purposefully pushed off of a cliff. This psychological horror film features the rare female killer, Jackie, and her newest victim is Jules, who also happens to be her wife. Marital problems aren't just reserved for heterosexual couples, and the wives battle it out in a tense series of events that would have anyone doubting their spouse's intentions.
Actors Hannah Emily Anderson and Brittany Allen give great performances, and the relationship between them smartly changes from loving wives to murderous enemies, and occasionally to unwilling allies.
Fear Street Trilogy (2021) - Stream On Netflix
Netflix's Fear Street is a three-parter about the cursed town of Shadyside, and the running relationship throughout is between Samantha and Deena. The two girls are broken up by the trilogy's beginning, but the films' horrific events pull them back together, and their relationship explores the themes of bigotry and how it can be so damaging, but also how it can be overcome.
The third film even involves a flashback to the 1600s, in which their ancestors were also in love. Director Leigh Janiak stated to ComingSoon.net that she wanted the people that were often killed off first in horror movies (be they gay or people of color) to be the main characters of Fear Street, and she definitely succeeded.
The Perfection (2018) - Stream On Netflix
The Perfection focuses on two young women as they attempt to escape a music program that is actually a sexually abusive cult. Charlotte and Lizzie appear to start out as bitter rivals, with violent fights (and some sexual encounters) happening between the pair.
But in reality, the two are helping one another, and by working together they successfully defeat the cult and begin their own relationship. The film is ultimately an empowering tale on how female unanimity can help overcome abusive power structures, validating that love between two women is just as powerful as love between a man and a woman.
Bit (2019) - Stream On Prime
Vampires and girl groups? What's not to love? Bit is a great film that explores gender and power dynamics. It follows the story of Laurel, a transgender woman, who gets accepted into an all-female vampire coven while staying with her brother for the summer. Duke, the coven's leader, leads them all to find their own strength, and together, they fight off those who pose a threat to their power and safety.
The film encourages the idea of inclusivity, even amongst murderous vampire groups, and how including anyone can ultimately empower everyone. The film looks great, the performances are great, and it's just a great LGBTQ+ film overall.