The horror genre has captured queer audiences like no other for decades, making us feel not as alone in such a big, strange world. This list of LGBTQ+ horror movies will discuss films that feature queer themes and characters that will be perfect to binge during Pride month.
As Pride parades start to occur all around the country, check out these eight queer horror films that feature parasitic drugs, a queer, angsty zombie, and a serial killer targeting the stars of a gay adult film.
What Keeps You Alive
What Keeps You Alive is a brutal survival horror film from 2018 that may make the viewer question their partner’s true intentions. The stylish indie follows newlywed lesbian couple Jackie and Jules (Hannah Emily Anderson and Brittany Allan), who decide to spend their honeymoon at Jackie’s cabin deep in the wilderness. As the joys of nature fade, shocking secrets between the couple soon come to the surface, leading to deadly consequences.
What Keeps You Alive is highly unpredictable, with twists and turns hiding at every corner. The film is unapologetic in its violence, but it also has a sentimental side, which is sometimes needed in survival horror. It’s a great start to our list of the best LGBTQ+ horror movies.
What Keeps You Alive is available to stream on AMC+.
Hypochondriac
Playing out like a queer version of Donnie Darko, Hypochondriac is a timely meditation on mental illness that contains a fairly non-traditional narrative style, à la David Lynch. The movie stars American Horror Story breakout Zach Villa as Will, a potter who begins to have terrifying hallucinations of a wolf-like creature. Will is unsure if these visions are real or just in his head, and it starts to majorly affect his relationship with his boyfriend Luke (Devon Graye).
Hypochondriac is a film that is frightening because it feels so relatable. The creature design is fantastic, and the movie also features the captivating theme of making friends with your demons, which is an idea that isn’t always explored in other similar films.
Hypochondriac is available to stream on Tubi.
Swallowed
Helmed by The Ruins director Carter Smith, Swallowed is a bizarre body horror film that plays out like a backwoods horror romp with a queer twist. Swallowed follows Benjamin and Dom (Cooper Koch and Jose Colon), two best friends out celebrating Benjamin’s move to LA to pursue a career as a gay adult film actor. However, the celebration goes awry when a dangerous drug dealer named Alice (Jena Malone) kidnaps them and forces them to carry mysterious drugs for her.
Swallowed is another film that evolves in surprising ways throughout its runtime. The body horror sequences are some of the most grotesque and memorable ever depicted on screen within the subgenre. The movie is also a crime thriller, further showing how dynamic the storytelling is. Also, LGBTQ icon Mark Patton shows up in the film’s second act as the true big bad, and it’s a career-making performance.
Swallowed is available to rent on Prime Video, YouTube, and Apple TV.
The Retreat
The Retreat is a frighteningly real descent into the world of bigotry that exists within North America. Released in 2021, The Retreat tells the tale of a lesbian couple experiencing difficulties in their relationship who decide to go on a retreat to an isolated cabin. As it turns out, the cabin was actually rented to the couple by homophobic murderers who film and livestream themselves killing gay couples.
The Retreat works so well because the two main characters fight back, proving themselves to be great heroines who should be remembered for a long time to come and deserving of a spot on our list of the best LGBTQ+ horror movies.
The Retreat is available to stream on Tubi.
Hellbent
One of the first horror films described as a “gay slasher,” Hellbent is a groundbreaking horror effort from 2004. Hellbent features a group of gay friends on Halloween being stalked by a killer dressed as the devil.
Hellbent is a campy and gory good time but is also a very important piece of low-budget filmmaking because it was a major catalyst for the creation of the subgenre known as queer horror.
Hellbent is available to stream on Prime Video with a premium subscription.
Otto; or, Up with Dead People
Otto; or, Up with Dead People is a 2008 absurdist queer take on a zombie film. This German film directed by prolific filmmaker Bruce LaBruce is controversial for many reasons, including its inclusion of graphic sex scenes involving zombies.
Otto concerns the title character, a goth zombie who ends up auditioning for a zombie film. Otto meets many colorful characters along the way in this grotesque yet hilarious staple in queer cinema.
Otto; or, Up with Dead People is available to stream on Tubi, or Prime Video with a premium subscription.
Knife + Heart
Equipped with a 70s Giallo aesthetic and a unique take on the slasher formula, Knife + Heart is a flashy, underrated French nightmare that will encapsulate its viewers. Knife + Heart stars Vanessa Paradis as a gay adult film director who sets out to discover the identity of a killer wiping out the actors on the set of her new film.
Knife + Heart contains brutal death scenes and an uncompromising narrative, but the film feels ethereal and artistic in a way that makes it stand out among other modern slashers.
Knife + Heart is available to stream on Prime Video, Shudder, AMC+, and Tubi.
Sleepaway Camp
Sleepaway Camp is a classic 80s slasher that may seem insensitive to some, but it has nevertheless impacted the inclusion of blatant queerness in horror. Sleepaway Camp revolves around Angela (Felissa Rose), who grew up with her Aunt Martha after losing her family in a boating accident. When Angela and her cousin Ricky go to sleepaway camp at Camp Arawak, the bodies start piling up.
Sleepaway Camp plays out like a standard 80s slasher, despite its elevated suspense, but the movie’s controversial twist ending turns the film into a classic that has remained influential for decades to come and a fitting end to our list of the best LGBTQ+ horror movies.
Sleepaway Camp is available to stream on Peacock, Tubi, Cackle, and Plex.
