[Above: Otto; or, Up with Dead People]
By Stephanie Ornelas
The LGBTQ community continues to fight for authentic queer representation on screen - but that representation should manifest in characters as complex and interesting as their straight, cisgender counterparts. After all, members of the queer community experience the same struggles and joy as people who do not identify as LGBTQ . While the fight for equal representation continues, the horror genre has historically been a safe space for LGBTQ artists to tell stories that aren't solely centered on their queer identity - through an eerie yet comforting outlet.
In an article written for them.us, award-winning author, journalist, and trans advocate Samantha Allen explains why it's all too common for cinephiles in the LGBTQ community to relate to staple horror characters. Like so many marginalized groups, LGBTQ people know what it's like to be on society's perimeter, peering through the windows, trying to decide whether we want to be let into the party or continue living in the shadows, she writes. Is it any wonder that we see ourselves in vampires, werewolves, and other twisted creatures?
We are what society fears, she continues, But we are also what society is fascinated by, and horror resides at that painful intersection, simultaneously insisting that the monster must be slain to maintain the social order while remaining fixated on it to the very last frame.
And although there's still much work to be done, filmmakers and audiences alike are hopeful that there's a shift happening in the industry when it comes to the way LGBTQ stories are being told. Back in 2021, Frida Kempff, director of Knocking, spoke to the The Queer Review about her upcoming horror film centered on a grieving woman who becomes obsessed with an unrelenting knocking noise in her apartment building. In the novel the film is based on, the protagonist's grief stems from the loss of her best friend. Kempff decided to adjust the narrative to focus on the tragic loss of a romantic partner.
The relationship is just there, and that's the future of film I hope, says Kempff in the interview. Just because it happens to be a same-sex relationship, it doesn't have to be the topic of the film. This happens to be a gay couple, and it's just love.
As we continue to celebrate Pride throughout the month of June, we invite you to explore these 10 horror films that have screened at past Sundance Film Festivals - films featuring complex and engaging LGBTQ characters and centered on all our horror favorites, from vampires to zombies to werewolves to the supernatural:
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[Above: Otto; or, Up with Dead People]
