Because gay horror lovers need more than subtext and sad metaphors
Okay, look — being a queer horror fan is sometimes like begging for scraps at the world’s saddest buffet. “Oh, you want representation and good storytelling and maybe an actual scare or two? How dare you.” Most of the time we’re tossed haunted-conversion-camp metaphors (ugh) or that one tragic gay couple who predictably dies 25 minutes in so the straight characters can Feel Something.
But every so often, the horror gods slide a little gem under the door. The kind that makes you clutch the blanket _and_feel seen (not in the creepy ghost way, in the emotional oh-my-God-they’re-gay-like-me way). So here are the queer horror films that actually creeped me out and didn’t make me roll my eyes so hard I pulled a muscle.
Spiral (2019)
This one is basically “Get Out” but make it gay. We’ve got a queer couple and their daughter moving to a nice, quiet suburb (because that always goes well). Spoiler: it absolutely does not go well. The neighbors are super friendly…like too friendly. Things get culty. Paranoia builds. And the social commentary doesn’t feel shoehorned in — it’s woven through the dread in a way that feels way too real. I didn’t sleep great after watching it. So there’s that.
Hellbent (2004)
Yes, it’s campy. Yes, it’s very early-2000s (there is gelled hair, be warned). But it’s also one of the first slasher films with a group of openly gay characters who — imagine this — actually feel like human beings. Is it groundbreaking cinema? No. Does it deliver Halloween-night vibes, sexy costumes, and a masked killer stalking gay men at a West Hollywood carnival? Absolutely. And honestly, the kill scenes are genuinely tense. Like… I caught myself holding my breath a few times.
Lyle (2014)
This is basically Rosemary’s Baby, but lesbian and extremely low-budget. And somehow, that lo-fi vibe makes it even creepier? Gaby Hoffmann gives a performance that had me yelling at the screen at 2am. It’s slow burn, psychological paranoia, “everyone is against me” energy — but holy hell, it builds. By the end I was sweating like I’d done cardio. Which I had not.
They/Them (2022)
Okay please don’t run away — I know a lot of queer folks side-eyed this one because of the gimmicky title and the fact that queer trauma is already exhausting. But hear me out. It surprised me. Like, yes, it uses a conversion camp setting (sigh), but it also throws in an actual slasher and lets the queer characters have agency and personality. Also, Kevin Bacon is terrifying. Probably the scariest he’s been since Footloose.
Thelma (2017)
Not technically horror in the jump scare sense — it’s more supernatural/psychological — but the creepy tension is so thick you could spread it on toast. It’s about a sheltered Norwegian woman who realizes her repressed emotions (and sexuality) might be causing psychic weirdness. There are seizures. Birds crash into windows. Reality goes sideways. It’s gorgeous and unsettling. And yes, it’ll make you question whether you’re secretly telekinetic.
Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (2019)
Okay, technically this is a documentary, but hear me out — it’s basically real-life queer horror. It follows actor Mark Patton (the lead from A Nightmare on Elm Street 2) and explores how the film accidentally became a super-gay cult classic… and more importantly, how the homophobia of the 80s basically torpedoed his career. It’s fascinating, heartbreaking, and honestly kind of terrifying in a “society is the real monster” way.
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
Fine, it’s technically a series. But the slow-burn gothic horror and absolutely devastating queer love story makes it 100% worth including. Also, I still occasionally think about that faceless ghost at 2am and immediately regret my life decisions.
Raw (2016)
French coming-of-age cannibalism with a bisexual subtext so thick it might as well be plaintext. It’s not _explicitly_queer… but the sexual awakening angle and I-might-eat-you tension gives it a real sapphic energy. Also, it’s completely gross and unsettling in the best possible way. I legit had to look away a couple of times.
The Perfection (2018)
Two female cello prodigies. Intense sexual chemistry. Violent revenge. Body horror. Psychological mind games. It keeps reinventing itself every 20 minutes, and by the end you’re basically screaming “WHAT IS EVEN HAPPENING” — but in a good way. Queer chaos energy all the way through.
High Tension / Haute Tension (2003)
Classic French slasher with one of those endings people still argue about. Heavy queer subtext (some would say…text), ridiculously brutal kill scenes, and a lot of sweaty, nerve-shredding tension. It’s divisive, but it definitely doesn’t _suck_and it 100% scared me.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
Gen Z, bisexual chaos, murder in a mansion during a hurricane, and a very funny critique of fake-woke friend groups. It’s technically a horror-comedy, but it still has legit tension and one of the best “queer panic” fight sequences I’ve seen. Also, the ending? hilarious AND slightly traumatizing.
Why These Hit Different
There’s something deeply powerful about seeing queer characters in horror who aren’t just metaphors or jokes. These films basically say: your identity is not the horror — the world around you is. And let’s be honest, that’s way more terrifying than another sad coming-out allegory with ghost makeup.
Also, on a personal level? It’s nice not to have to interpret every shadowy figure as “the embodiment of internalized homophobia.” Sometimes a murderous cult is just a murderous cult. Love wins, but sometimes murder wins too, and that’s honestly kind of refreshing.
Honorable Mentions (Because I’m Incapable of Leaving Things Out)
- Knife+Heart — stylish AF, like if Dario Argento took a queer film class
- The Retreat — lesbians vs serial killers in the woods (yes, I said lesbians vs serial killers and yes, it’s as entertaining as it sounds)
- Bit — trans vampire girlboss supremacy
Anyway. If you’re a fellow queer horror fan who’s tired of subtext and tragic metaphors, put these on your “watch with lights off and snacks prepared” list. Then message me when you’re inevitably freaked out and yelling “NOPE” at the screen (especially during Spiral).
Stay spooky!