Queer Horror Recs For Pride

JUNE 16, 2024

Happy Pride, Queer Fear blog readers! To start the month off, I wanted to offer a quick list of unique queer horror recommendations for your viewing pleasure. As much as I love to sing the praises of queer horror classics like The Rocky Horror Picture Show or Sleepaway Camp, there’s only so many ways to discuss them. There’s plenty of new, underappreciated, or under-discussed films in the queer horror canon, and that’s what I’d like to highlight. These films cover all manner of subgenres, budgets, and tones in the hopes that something on here will interest everyone. 

The Vampire Lovers (1970)

The late 1960s and early 1970s saw a short but strong burst of erotic vampire films prominently featuring lesbian eroticism. Most of these films were either semi-adaptations of the 1876 novel Carmilla or the legend of Elizabeth Bathory meant to titillate late night audiences. The Vampire Lovers, the second of Hammer Studio’s Karnstein Trilogy, is certainly one of the better outings in lesbian vampire erotica. It has all the charm one would expect from a Hammer Horror film with the slightly exaggerated performances by Pippa Steel and Ingrid Pitt as the lesbians in question. The framing of their relationship still has a bit of the “wicked, predatory lesbian” fearmongering, expected from a film based on Carmilla from the 1970s. However, the Gothic aesthetics and solid vampiric lesbian eroticism certainly brings a lot of charm. 

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)

The red-headed stepchild of the Nightmare franchise, Freddy’s Revenge holds a very weird spot in the queer horror pantheon. Instead of the dream demon that Wes Craven originally painted him as, Freddy becomes a representation of Jesse’s (Mark Patton) repressed homosexuality. Stories from the production vary in how much the gay subtext of the film was intentional; the director David Chaskin says it was incidental, Mark Patton says it wasn’t. Considering Jesse gets cruised, Freddy kills a man through aggressive BDSM practices, and Jesse seems more preoccupied with the hot guy in his gym class rather than his nice neighbor, I’m inclined to agree with Patton. I’d also recommend Patton’s documentary Scream, Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street as a companion watch.

Gothic (1986)

The origins of modern horror, as is often repeated, can be traced back to a stormy and drug-fueled night between Lord Byron and Mary and Percy Shelley, and John Polidori. Ken Russell, creator of such sleazy classics as The Devils and Lair of the White Wyrm, decided to adapt this night into a raunchy, campy horror film. With Russell’s long, long history of eroticism (of both homo and hetero varieties), he takes the opportunity to play up the homoeroticism. Gabriel Byrne absolutely lays into the role of Lord Byron in all his well-documented, messy bisexual glory. The film does deal with the dark aftermath of that night, including miscarriages and death by suicide, but it does handle these topics with a fair amount of sensitivity. However, the bulk of the film is a fun and sexy haunted house story full of innuendo.

964 Pinocchio (1991)

While this whole list is self-indulgent, 964 Pinocchio is a particularly indulgent pick. It’s a semi-plotless cyberpunk gore show (I say that as a huge compliment) that covers the absolute worst of human depravity. Like any fetish you can think of is in this. It’s also plenty goopy and bloody as cyberpunk media often want to do. Its relative plotlessness and gross nature may be a turn-off, but it’s not just a mindless gorefest. But, beyond that, it’s a story of raging against the machine. Pinocchio, like his predecessors in other cyborg media or even further back in Frankenstein, is a creation stripped of his autonomy and rebuked by his creators. He and his fellow It’s the grimy, futuristic extent of the Creature’s rage from Shelley’s novel.

Hellbent (2004)

Honestly, adding Cruising to this list would be too much of a stretch. However, the micro budget slasher Hellbent is definitely a fun horror twist on the Friedkin classic. It sparked a small wave of independent queer slashers in the early 2000s, and for good reason. It’s a fun, unabashedly gay slasher that leans heavily into gay party culture. It really plays into the queer community’s love for Halloween with a classic slasher twist. Devil Mask may not have the same icon status as Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees, but he’s perfectly menacing. The characters may be a bit stereotypical and the low budget is certainly visible, there’s a certain palpable charm to the film.

All About Evil (2010)

This is the directorial debut of Peaches Christ–drag icon and frequent Boulet Brothers collaborator. As to be expected, the film is appropriately campy, referential, and hilarious. Although the title apes the camp classic All About Eve, the film is much more of an homage to the horror films that Peaches Christ and co-writer Darren Stein grew up with. Throw in Natasha Lyonne, queer icon, giving a perfectly exaggerated performance as the leading role and it’s a damn fun watch. It’s especially fulfilling for those familiar with the inner workings of independent movie theaters, B-movies, and cameos from queer horror icons like Mink Stole and Elvira. It’s a quick and breezy watch, perfect for 

Stranger by the Lake (2013)

And on the opposite end of the spectrum is Stranger by the Lake: a slow, dreadful thriller. The film explores the complications of desire and desirability through an incredibly tense romp on a nude beach. While certainly the least bombastic film on this list, there’s a lot to love. While not strictly a character study, the long conversations between Franck (Pierre Deladonchamps) and Henri ( Patrick d’Assumçao) provide an interesting level of depth without being boring. The intentional monotony of the first third of the film helps build tension masterfully before the “erotic thriller” aspect of the film really kicks in. The latter half of the film consistently builds the tension again, although the pacing remains quite slow and repetitive. It’s a solid balance of eroticism, introspection, and tension.

The Lure (2015)

Finally is one of the incredibly rare examples of musical horror. The Lure, a twist on the also very queer classic The Little Mermaid, takes more beats from the very grim Hans Christian Andersen tale and mixes it with a sometimes-punk, sometimes-Europop soundtrack. As the film is so strongly based on Andersen’s story, which is infamously Andersen venting about the unrequited love of another man, there’s inherently queer undertones baked in. The twin mermaids embody different aspects of navigating young love: one changes themselves, repressing their nature while the other embraces their monstrosity and otherness. The inherent allure of mermaids, or sirens in this case, also means they’re objects of attraction to almost anyone they come across, regardless of gender. It’s a fun musical time filled with offputting seductive energy and plenty of gore. 

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Whatever you watch this month, keep it queer and spooky.

Right now, our Queer Fear screeners are in the middle of watching some amazing submissions, and can’t wait to bring you a festival full of the best new queer horror shorts and features this fall. Happy Pride!

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Red Broadwell is a first-year film studies MA student at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Their other work can be found at https://redbroadwell.journoportfolio.com

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Are you a queer horror or dark genre filmmaker? Our 2024 call for entries is now open! Check us out on FilmFreeway.

Stay spooky!