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(Photo by © Altered Innocence / Courtesy: Everett Collection)
As long as there have been horror films, there have been queer horror films. Before homosexuality was formally legislated out of existence in Hollywood by the Production Code — commonly referred to as the Hays Code, which established mandates for “moral standards” in motion pictures and banned depictions of “sexual perversity” — the legendary filmmaker James Whale was building the foundation for American genre cinema with films like Frankenstein, The Old Dark House, and The Invisible Man. Here was Whale, a gay man, building horror in his own image and having astounding box office success as some groups were lobbying Hollywood to censor queerness out of existence. Fortunately, they weren’t creative enough to drive the big bad Other away.
In the century since America became the world’s leader in horror film production, the genre became a bastion for the outsiders, the marginalized, the people made monsters by self-appointed adjudicators of sin, and who saw themselves in the supposed “villains” at the center of stories like Dracula’s Daughter. On rare occasion, queer folks were given real protagonists to root for, like Theo in The Haunting, but it wasn’t until the Hays Code was abandoned in the late 1960s that sexuality outside the bounds of heteronormativity became more overt. (Not to say it was all positive representation, but the lesbian vampire wave of the 1970s certainly signified that the puritans were losing the culture wars in genre.)
The Moral Majority reign of the Reagan Era slammed up against the AIDS crisis, and the excess and tumult of the ’80s gave rise to ultra-stylish and sexualized gore in movies like The Hunger and Hellraiser. The indie cinema boom at the turn of turn of the millennium coincided with the emergence of New Queer Cinema, and eccentric coming-of-age darlings like May and Ginger Snaps provided an alternative to the glossy studio slashers of the time.
Now in 2020, we can choose from a lesbian domestic drama involving a baby werewolf in Good Manners, a transfeminist vampire movie in Bit, or a French slasher set in a gay porn community with Knife + Heart. The monsters are out of the closet, and they’re never going back in.
Here are our 30 essential LGBTQ horror movies, in order of release. – Jordan Crucchiola
#29
Adjusted Score: 58.496%
Critics Consensus: Dracula’s Daughter extends the Universal horror myth in an interesting direction, but the talky script and mild atmosphere undermine its ambition.
#28
Adjusted Score: 91.251%
Critics Consensus: Both psychological and supernatural, The Haunting is a chilling character study.
#27
Adjusted Score: 90.046%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#26
Adjusted Score: 54.242%
Critics Consensus: Stylish yet hollow, The Hunger is a well-cast vampire thriller that mistakes erotic moments for a satisfying story.
#25
Adjusted Score: 53.613%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#24
Adjusted Score: 43.839%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#23
Adjusted Score: 73.175%
Critics Consensus: Elevated by writer-director Clive Barker’s fiendishly unique vision, Hellraiser offers a disquieting – and sadistically smart – alternative to mindless gore.
#22
Adjusted Score: 20.796%
Critics Consensus: As disposable as its predecessor is indispensable, The Rage: Carrie 2 mimics the arc of Stephen King’s classic story without adding anything of value.
#21
Adjusted Score: 90.19%
Critics Consensus: The strong female cast and biting satire of teenage life makes Ginger Snaps far more memorable than your average werewolf movie — or teen flick.
#20
Adjusted Score: 69.212%
Critics Consensus: Above average slasher flick.
#19
Adjusted Score: 34.489%
Critics Consensus: Give Seed of Chucky credit for embracing the increasing absurdity of the franchise — even if the end results really aren’t all that funny or entertaining.
#18
Adjusted Score: 5.84%
Critics Consensus: The Covenant plays out like a teen soap opera, full of pretty faces, wooden acting, laughable dialogue, and little suspense.
#17
Adjusted Score: 104.98%
Critics Consensus: Let the Right One In reinvigorates the seemingly tired vampire genre by effectively mixing scares with intelligent storytelling.
#16
Adjusted Score: 42.295%
Critics Consensus: Otto, or Up with Dead People plays to writer-director Bruce LaBruce’s provocative strengths, but proves frustratingly less than the sum of its parts.
#15
Adjusted Score: 50.208%
Critics Consensus: Jennifer’s Body features occasionally clever dialogue, but its horror/comedy premise ultimately fails to be consistently funny or scary enough to satisfy.
#14
Adjusted Score: 49.78%
Critics Consensus: All Cheerleaders Die sets out to subvert horror tropes, but ends up falling victim to many of the same trashy cliches it’s trying to mock.
#13
Adjusted Score: 97.168%
Critics Consensus: Sexy, smart, and darkly humorous, Stranger by the Lake offers rewarding viewing for adult filmgoers in search of thought-provoking drama.
#12
Adjusted Score: 43.416%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#11
Adjusted Score: 99.538%
Critics Consensus: Raw’s lurid violence and sexuality live up to its title, but they’re anchored with an immersive atmosphere and deep symbolism that linger long after the provocative visuals fade.
#10
Adjusted Score: 77.193%
Critics Consensus: A coming-of-age drama with unexpected twists, Blue My Mind transcends some clunky moments with fully realized characters brought to life by strong performances.
#9
Adjusted Score: 59.766%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#8
Adjusted Score: 98.748%
Critics Consensus: Thelma plays with genre tropes in unexpected ways, delivering a thoughtfully twisty supernatural thriller with a lingering impact.
#7
Adjusted Score: 84.167%
Critics Consensus: Smart, stylish, and well-acted, What Keeps You Alive proves it’s still possible to spin an engrossing horror yarn without fundamentally altering established formula.
#7
Adjusted Score: 84.793%
Critics Consensus: Debuting writer-director Bertrand Mandico’s The Wild Boys impresses with the breadth of its ambitions — and the skill with which they’re often triumphantly realized.
#6
Adjusted Score: 96.026%
Critics Consensus: Good Manners adroitly juggles disparate tonal shifts while taking a uniquely smart and sensitive look at female relationships.
#5
Adjusted Score: 79.886%
Critics Consensus: Suspiria attacks heady themes with garish vigor, offering a viewing experience that’s daringly confrontational – and definitely not for everyone.
#4
Adjusted Score: 76.373%
Critics Consensus: Challenging and rewarding in equal measure, Climax captures writer-director Gaspar Noé working near his technically brilliant and visually distinctive peak.
#3
Adjusted Score: 83.561%
Critics Consensus: Knife + Heart wrings giallo-inspired thrills out of a boldly challenging story that defiantly succeeds on its own stylish merits.
#2
Adjusted Score: 43.307%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#1
Adjusted Score: 76.379%
Critics Consensus: Led by a pair of compelling performances, The Perfection is a smart, gripping thriller that barbs its wild twists with cutting wit.
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