A look at how queer horror films have evolved over time, asssg more than 50 films that span the gay ghosts of the early 20th century to The Babadook.
Contents:
THE BABADOOK: HOW THE HORROR MOVIE MONSTER BEME A GAY IN
* queer horror icons *
Given that homosexualy was nsired eher a physil or psychologil malady the early 20th century, the effectively legislated any limed queer prence out of existence. While homosexualy was not explicly banned the Hays’ text, was mandated that “no picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see .
It also doubl as a timele of the evolutn of queer horror: How LGBTQA them and characters went om hidg between the l movi wh “gay sensibili” the 1930s to breakg out as Pri mem almost a century later — gog om visible (lbian ghosts!
Top-hatted ghoul has been hailed as LGBT figure rners of social media after was jokgly floated on Tumblr that he was gay * queer horror icons *
Benshoff explas his book Monsters the Closet: Homosexualy the Horror Film, “Immediately before and durg the years of World War II, Universal Stud’s horror films began to employ a more humanistic pictn of their monsters, ” and the films of Val Lewton, like Cat People, reflected “a growg awarens of homosexualy, homosexual muni, and the dynamics of homosexual opprsn as was played out society and the ary.
The Old Dark Hoe (1932)It should e as no surprise that a known gay director, Jam Whale, brought to life some of the most inic Universal Monsters durg their peak the 1930s. Whale imbued his movi, often about the ultimate outsirs, wh a gay sensibily: In Dark Hoe, five people are brought together when they’re forced off the road by a storm and end up takg shelter the same isolated home. Taboo topics like homosexual behavr, androgyny, and sexual viance are all hted at throughout the movie.
This is an Ur-text for hnted-hoe cema — and one of the gayt films of s . Through Thiger’s high-mp portrayal, Pretori plays as one of the most intifiably gay characters an era where explicly acknowledgg that fact was banned.