Aired Aug 4, 2022

Queer Horror Films to Keep You Up at Night

Queer characters and themes have always played an integral part in the telling of horror stories. And recent additions to the genre are finally allowing viewers to see LGBTQ+ characters as more than just the villain or homophobic tropes.

We hosted a conversation about this article as a part of PFLAG Connects and Something to Talk About Live on Thursday, August 4. Did you miss it? You can still watch it here!   

Article: The History of Queer Horror in 9 Movies

Source: A Little Bit Human

Author: Rachael Green

Questions for Discussion:

1. Have you ever thought about queer themes in mainstream horror movies before? If yes, which films emerge as good examples? If not, why do you think that’s the case?

2. The author of this week’s article writes that, “As a result, it’s not uncommon to see horror movies where the monster, rather than the protagonist, is queer-coded.” Thinking about horror movies you’ve seen, can you identify characters who fall into this category?

3. This week’s article notes a shift from queerness as the scary element in horror to queerness is no longer the horrific element, but in some cases, allowing queer characters to function as heroes. What do you think is driving this change? Queer content creators? More inclusive approaches to creativity? Something else completely?

Bonus Resources: Check out Shudder’s Queer for Fear Looks Thoughtful and Wildly Entertaining from Gizmodo by Cheryl Eddy and How They/Them Is Changing Horror for Queer People from The Advocate by Cara Glass. 

About Our Guests:

Lotti Pharriss Knowles – Producer, Actress, and Writer

Michael Varrati – Filmmaker, Screenwriter, Columnist, and Actor

Ways to Watch:

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Something to Talk About Live is a series designed by PFLAG National’s Straight for Equality program to create conversation about LGBTQ+ issues. Each week we offer an article on LGBTQ+ topics and suggest a few questions you can use to lead a discussion with your ERG, community group, or PFLAG chapter.