Horror is Queer 

Why do queers love horror so much?

Horror is the genre of the social outcasts. So, of course we’ve always related more to the monsters in the genre because we know exactly how it feels to be excluded and portrayed as the “other” in society. This genre offered a platform and a voice to those who have been long excluded in this space to turn their pain into power.

Horror is the genre that created a safe space for queer artists to reclaim their identity and tell their stories from their own perspective. The evolution of queerness in horror parallels the socio-political climate because this genre is political. It evolved from queer-coded metaphors like werewolves and vampires to a medium where queer creatives unapologetically tell their stories proving to the world that this whole time we weren’t the monsters. The true monster we should all be fighting is hate. Of course, nothing is perfect but we’re definitely making significant progress.

In the eighties, the AIDS crisis led to a massive rise in homophobia and the stigmatization of the queer community. As always, horror was the genre to address this discrimination with a trans-coded film like Sleepaway Camp that sparked a wave of controversy at the time. The film follows the story of Angela who goes on a murder spree against her bullies. The ending shocked the audience revealing that Angela was Peter and he was forced into this gender identity by his troubled aunt. The monster here is not transness. The true monster is the aunt and society that constantly marginalizes those who don’t comply with heteronormativity. The only way Peter could process his pain and trauma was by eliminating those who hurt him. This twist was absolutely revolutionary at the time.

Third wave feminism in the 90s and early 00s, paved the way for the rise of more queer-coded films likeThe Craft and Ginger Snaps (Go Canada!), that still felt too shy to represent queerness explicitly until the world was blessed with Jennifer’s Body, a cult classic. Though the political climate was different: post-DOMA. For context, in 1996, Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, a law defining marriage as between a man and a woman, leading to further discrimination against the queer community.

Jennifer’s Body was a queer awakening for a lot us Millennials (or was just me?).There was no ambiguity, subtlety or undertones, this was an explicit representation of queer identity on the big screen. I grew up under censorship so I sadly missed out on the kissing scene. TRAGIC! I know. But I felt this film was catered for a straight male audience. Women kissing on the big screen has always been fetishized. Queer audiences craved more presence but this was a great beginning to the evolution and the wider visibility that followed.

I have a lot to say about queer horror and I think I need to write this in multiple parts. I removed the whole section about indie queer horror because that one needs to be its own article. My intention behind this piece is to show that it is truly a big deal when mainstream cinema starts shifting from its heteronormative lens that dominated this field much longer than it should have.

Despite the progress made, there is still one crucial element missing in queer horror: melanin. Yes, horror is the genre of the outcasts, but it is also the genre that excluded Blackness until very recently. Yes, we have a long way to go but change isn’t instant. Impactful change happens in those small moments through baby steps and gradual progress. I am grateful to be living in a time when I finally see people who look like me thrive in my favourite genre of all times.