Courtesy of Universal Pictures; Paramount Pictures; Momentum Pictures
As the year comes to an end it's a time of reflection about what it brought into our lives and what we want to leave behind. One thing the year of our lord 2023 did give us, in spades, was horror films that centered queer folks and made by queer filmmakers. While other genres may be lagging behind, no surprise horror is the vanguard of queer rep in all its transgressive — sometimes erotic — and poignant glory.
From haunted love stories to erotic monster films to queer friends facing off from the beyond, these films were unapologetically gay and all the better for it.
Scroll through to see which horror films resonated with us and got under our skin in 2023, and where you can watch them, too.
Stewart Thorndike (Lyle) asks the question, what if The Shining was queer and made for our modern sensibilities, in her isolated hotel set mind twister. A group of queer friends head to one of their number’s family hotel and discover that it's inhabited by a darkness that threatens their relationships and their lives.
Where to watch: Shudder
Directed by trans horror wunderkind Alice Maio Mackay (So Vam) Bad Girl Boogey sees a group of queer teens facing off with an ancient relic targeting LTBTQ+ folks. The film continues Mackay’s streak of punk, DIY, queer, and Gen-Z horror and reminds us why she’s such an exciting filmmaker.
Where to watch: On VOD
It's gay dads (Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge) versus cultist home invaders when a group of weapon-wielding true believers break into their cabin and demand sacrifices to prevent the end of the world. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan and adapted from the novel Paul G. Tremblay the film softens the blow of the final act from its source material and suffers slightly with that choice, but remains a potent tale of queer folks fighting back in support of their family.
Where to watch: Prime Video
This horror comedy was just a fluffy delight all around! When Larry and his best Judys head to an Airbnb for a bachelor party the festivities are interrupted twice, first by his future (homophobic) brother-in-law’s arrival and by the ghosts inhabiting the home. It's light, silly, and there’s even a drag number. What’s not to love?
Where to watch: Starz
The always fascinating and unapologetically feminist filmmaker Jennifer Reeder (Knives & Skin) offered horror fans a new twist on the serial killer and monstrous female tropes. It’s camp, noir, surreal, and wonderfully queer.
Where to watch: Shudder
Something strange and unexplainable is happening to Billie, she's blacking out, losing time, and experiencing a kind of deja vu. In the midst of this, she meets a mysterious new woman, who is either her savior or her doom. Steamy, Sapphic, and mysterious Jagged Mind makes for a creepy cozy watch — though it may have you side-eying your girlfriend by the end.
Where to watch: Hulu
Holidays and horror make for disturbing bedfellows, but this take on the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life is a way more fun and spookier way to ring in the season. The film follows Winnie, a young woman who is attacked by a masked killer but survives only to see her life destroyed anyway. One errant wish that she was never born leads to a spiral of gruesome slasher (and queer) action. This is a fun one y’all.
Where to watch: Shudder
Ironically this film from out director Carter Smith is not for the weak of stomach. Swallowed is however for anyone with an appreciation for body horror, micro-budget filmmaking, and a love of horror icon Mark Patton (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge). Gay porn star-to-be Benjamin finds himself in a true nightmare when drug smuggling goes very very wrong.
Where to watch: On VOD
Lush visuals and a thumping synth-wave score elevate this aching lesbian werewolf story set in the icy isolation of small-town Canada. In My Animal, when Heather met new girl Jonny everything changed — the problem is, so does she, every full moon.
Where to watch: On VOD
Jasmin Savoy Brown revises her role as Mindy Meeks-Martin in the latest chapter of the Scream saga and this time around she also got a girlfriend. While the future of the series feels VERY up in the air at the moment, this film felt like a return to form in part because of Brown’s expanded role. Perhaps moving forward we center the series around her character? Just sayin’.
Where to watch: Paramount+
The Blackening was the horror comedy of the year (just edging out Cocaine Bear, which is also great but not gay, so moving on). This film plays with the classic horror tropes of a group of friends in a remote cabin (Evil Dead) and adds modern influences like Saw to both revel in and comment on the genre through a Black lens. The result is a hilarious, thought-provoking, and joyful watch. We are crossing our fingers for a sequel.
Where to watch: Starz
Anytime nonbinary actor Zoe Tarakes is on our screen we take notice, and in this genuinely terrifying film, they prove to be a scene stealer. Of all the films on this list, Talk To Me manages to balance the poignancy with genuine scares the most effectively. The result is a film that gets under your skin and sticks with you — especially when the lights are out.
Where to watch: On VOD
Queer love, and disability, are at the center of this unique and chilling story which leans into Jewish mysticism. The film follows two women who following a chance meeting fall quickly into a passionate romance, however, when one of them experiences a shocking seizure and has to return home, things take a sinister turn. It’s mysterious and sweet, but also haunting and features one of our favorite performances this year from Sofie Gråbøl as the menacing mother.
Where to watch: Shudder
From out director Michelle Garza Cervera comes a fresh and terrifying take on monstrous motherhood horror. In it, Valeria has always imagined she would be a mother, but when she becomes pregnant she begins to not only question her choice, but her identity, and her sanity as a creepy, bone-snapping woman begins haunting her. Erotic, subversive, and hypnotic this folk horror tale serves as a bold statement about freedom, reproductive rights, and queerness.
Where to watch: Shudder
No movie got under our skin and shook us to our core quite like this take on the Frankenstein mythology from nonbinary filmmaker Laura Moss. In Birth/Rebirth, a nurse and a morgue technician’s lives cross paths following a tragedy and become inextricably linked into a rat king of increasingly darker moral and ethical choices all in the quest for immortality. Both Marin Ireland and Judy Reyes give career-defining performances in one of the darkest and most boundary-pushing films of the year. It’s bleak, dangerous, and utterly unforgettable.
Where to watch: Shudder
