Horror films have been a staple in the film industry for decades. While these films have historically tended to portray heterosexual couples as protagonists, that is changing. More and more horror films are beginning to show homosexual characters as protagonists and antagonists.
In recent years, gay horror films have become increasingly popular. Gay audiences are tired of gay lives being portrayed as either tragic or comedic and they want to see themselves reflected on screen.
There are many different types of horror films: psychological (which deals with the mind), slasher (which deals with stalkers or serial killers), gore (which deals with violence), intensity (which deals with the supernatural) and finally, post-modern horror which is a combination of all four previous types.
Here are five of the best gay horror films:
1)“Videodrome” by David Cronenberg
“Videodrome” is a 1983 film which follows the story of James Woods as he explores the world of Videodrome. As he delves deeper into this new world, he realizes that it is an all-encompassing media input that appears to be controlling his life.
2) “A Dangerous Method” by David Cronenberg
With films like Shivers, Videodrome, Naked Lunch, and his adaptation of The Fly, David Cronenberg has long been recognized as a leading exponent of the psychological horror subgenre known as body horror movies. These are tales of terror that feature parasites, diseases, metamorphoses, decomposition, and physical wounds. He was once an enfant terrible turned cinematic elder statesman working from the periphery of Canadian culture. As he gets closer to 70, he has stepped back from the visceral conflict.
A Dangerous Method, his captivating and skillfully performed new film, takes an objective, historical look at the early years of psychoanalysis and the individuals who, most notably Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, gave us the conceptual framework and language for discussing the phenomena and experiences he has been dramatizing for the past 40 years.
3) “Queer Theory” by Derek Jarman
The movie “Queer Theory” is a gay horror movie that you will love. It revolves around gay community members and is very horrible and funny movie that everyone should watch. It is also a made-for-tv movie. .The movie is about “something terrifying that starts happening to gay men in a small town.” After a few of them die, the police suspect it is a hate crime. But things only get worse when more men start dying and there are no break-ins or any other signs of what killed them. The entire movie revolves around trying to figure out what exactly happened and why so many people died without any evidence behind it but just some rumors which are not confirmed by anyone.
4) “Hellraiser trilogy” by Clive Barker
Barker made his directing debut with the movie. In its story, a mysterious puzzle box summons the Cenobites, a race of extraterrestrial sadomasochists who are unable of distinguishing between pleasure and pain. Doug Bradley plays the role of the Cenobites’ leader, who is referred to as “Pinhead” in the sequels. The gay love story also progresses as the movie proceeds.
There is a whole niche of films that not many people know about and that mostly consists of horror movies. And among these films there are plenty that have been made by LGBTQ+ directors or actors with the intention of exploring their sexuality while also scaring the audience at the same time.
