Queer Fear: The Best LGBTQ+ Horror Films to Watch This Pride Month
(originally written on cafecrashdown.com)
June may be a time for rainbows and parades, but at Cafe Crashdown, we love to celebrate Pride Month with a deliciously dark twist. Horror has always been a safe haven for outsiders, and it’s no surprise that queer creators and characters have long thrived in its haunted hallways. This Pride Month, we’re spotlighting the best queer horror films, from cult classics to fresh frights, that embrace the eerie, the bold, and the beautifully weird.
Whether it’s a slasher with a queer twist or a gothic tale laced with subtext and sapphic tension, these films prove that horror is a genre where queer voices don’t just belong—they thrive.
A Brief History of Queer Horror in Cinema
For decades, queerness in horror hid in plain sight. From Dracula’s seductive otherness to mid-century coded villains, LGBTQ+ themes simmered beneath the surface. Films like The Picture of Dorian Gray and Rebecca hinted at queer desire with shadows and suggestion.
But horror has always been a genre of transformation, and over time, queer characters and creators stepped fully into the frame. What started as a metaphor has become a full-blown representation. Today, queer horror is loud, visible, and unapologetically powerful.
Classic & Cult Favorites
🩸 Hellbent (2004) – The first openly gay slasher, set during West Hollywood’s Halloween carnival. Camp, gore, and iconic leather harnesses.
🧛♀️ The Hunger (1983) – Glamorous vampires and a bisexual love triangle starring Catherine Deneuve, Susan Sarandon, and David Bowie. Need we say more?
🎬 Knife+Heart (2018) – A dreamy French giallo-slash-slasher with queer grief, gay porn, and stylish kills. Art-house horror at its finest.
🏊♂️ Stranger by the Lake (2013) – Erotic thriller meets existential dread. Desire turns deadly on a remote cruising beach.
👩👩👦 Lyle (2014) – A queer psychological horror gem often called the “lesbian Rosemary’s Baby.”
🦇 Bit (2019) – Trans representation meets vampire feminism. Gritty, glittery, and full of fangs.
🪓 High Tension (2003) – Brutal, relentless, and dripping with queer-coded obsession.
🎭 Sleepaway Camp (1983) – Controversial and endlessly debated for its gender-bending twist ending.
🎉 Midnight Kiss (2019) – A sleek, sexy, New Year’s Eve slasher with gay drama and leather masks.
🌈 They/Them (2022) – A conversion camp slasher with a queer ensemble cast. Ambitious and heavy with symbolism.
The New Era of Queer Horror: Fresh Frights (2020–2024)
🫀 Swallowed (2022) – Gritty body horror about queer friendship, survival, and some really disturbing drug mules.
🐺 My Animal (2023) – A haunting, romantic werewolf tale about a queer teen navigating first love and inner demons.
💔 Bones and All (2022) – Cannibals in love. Need we say more? Raw, tender, and dripping with metaphor.
👀 You Won’t Be Alone (2022) – Shape-shifting, body-swapping witches in a poetic exploration of gender and empathy.
💀 It Lives Inside (2023) – Queer-coded allegory about identity, repression, and cultural shame.
🩸 The First Omen (2024) – A prequel with heavy queer subtext, religious dread, and dreamy gothic visuals.
Queer Horror Isn’t Hiding Anymore
No more metaphors, no more monsters as code. Queer horror has fully arrived. These films aren’t just about survival, they’re about power, community, and finding beauty in the dark.
So light that black flame candle, grab your chosen family, and queue up something spooky. Queer horror is here, it’s loud, and it slays.
💬 What Are Your Favorite Queer Horror Films? Drop them in the comments and help us build the ultimate watchlist. And if you’re hosting a Pride horror night, tag us. We want an invite.
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