Over the past few years, we’ve seen an increase in critically-acclaimed queer romance films such as Carol, Moonlight and Call Me By Your Name, but when it comes to the horror genre, LGBTQ people are still underrepresented.
Here, we present six incredible horror films with queer people at the helm that will leave you shaking in your motherfucking boots. Also, like all our lists, we’ll be updating this over time, so let us know if there are films that are worth a spot…
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Gay couple Marc and Fred (Bateman and Teale) embark on a weekend getaway to a bed and breakfast. They were turned away by the religious owner a year prior, sued for discrimination and won their case, so they’ve returned (for some weird reason) to embark on the romantic retreat they never had. However, their break is interrupted when a sinister stranger shows up…
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This underrated slasher flick follows a serial killer on a mission to butcher the entire gay community. Bit dramatic, but his main targets are gay men, so… It first premiered during gay and lesbian film festivals in 2004 and 2005 and has been credited with sparking a wave of “gay slasher” films. For those who love a good slasher movie with a “whodunnit” storyline, you’ll love Hellbent. The characters are fleshed out, the killer is terrifying, and the suspense… THE SUSPENSE! Ooh lord.
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This may be one of the most terrifying and clever horror films we’ve ever seen. High Tension follows a young woman who travels to her best friend’s home – which is in the middle of nowhere (classic) – for a weekend getaway. Soon after, a serial killer wakes them up in the night, butchers the family and kidnaps her best friend. Because she’s completely in love with her, she tries to track them down. There are some scenes which are, to be honest, hard to watch. However, all is not how it seems… We highly recommend.
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Get Out star Allison Williams returns to the horror genre as the talent but troubled cellist, Charlotte, who travels to Shanghai to reconnect with her former mentor Anton (Weber), who’s running a cello competition alongside his wife Paloma (Huffman). There, she meets another of Anton’s students Lizzie (Browning), and the two quickly become friends. Shortly after their relationships turns sexual, Charlotte agrees to accompany Lizzie across rural China. Sounds lovely right? Nah, what follows is pure terror. If you’re squeamish, don’t watch. If you’re not, enjoy!
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Velvet Buzzsaw stars Academy Award nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal as a queer snobby art critic who starts to experience supernatural events in relation to a dead artist’s paintings. The film is directed by Dan Gilroy, who previously collaborated with Gyllenhaal and Rene Russo on the critically-acclaimed thriller film, Nightcrawler.
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Canadian film What Keeps You Alive follows married couple Jackie (Anderson) and Jules (Allen) who visit a remote cabin in the woods to celebrate their one-year anniversary. There, Jackie discovers that her wife is harbouring a dark and murderous past, and her intentions of a cute queer weekend getaway were not entirely… pure.
