Queerness and horror have always been intertwined.

Although LGBTQIA+ characters and storylines have historically been scarce in mainstream horror, queer audiences have long been drawn to the genre’s fascination with otherness, outsiders and those who refuse to conform. From monstrous figures who challenge society’s ideas of normality to villains dripping in camp and gender-bending glamour, queer-coded subtext has haunted horror for decades.

Oh, and newsflash: let’s not forget the genre’s abundance of formidable women — Sidney Prescott, Laurie Strode, Ellen Ripley and [insert any Sarah Michelle Gellar character here, really], to name a few. Horror has given queer audiences an endless supply of Mothers to cherish, champion and base their entire personality around. (Me.) (Justice for Helen Shivers!)

Thankfully, queer horror is no longer confined to subtext. Today, LGBTQIA+ stories are pushing beyond coded villains and whispered innuendos, putting queer desire, identity and lived experience at the very heart of the nightmare.

So... dim the lights and prepare to scream: these are the best LGBTQIA+ horror films of all time.

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) 

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge doesn’t feature any openly queer characters, because queer people were notably extinct in the 80s (...) , but it’s camp personified. Case in point: the homoerotic leather bar and locker room scenes, plus sweaty, shirtless men trying to escape the wrath of Freddy’s perfectly manicured talons. (I am suddenly remembering my sexual awakening...)

The slasher received meh reviews upon release, but it’s since become a cult classic among LGBTQIA+ audiences – particularly, erm, horny men.

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) 

A witty whodunnit in the vein of Scream, Bodies Bodies Bodies pairs Gen Z commentary with a subversive take on horror tropes and a razor-sharp satire of class and privilege, making it one of the best queer horrors of the decade so far.

The slasher comedy follows Bee (Maria Bakalova), a working-class woman from Eastern Europe who accompanies her wealthy girlfriend Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) to a "hurricane party" at a mansion owned by Sophie’s childhood friend David (Pete Davidson). What follows is a hilarious, blood-soaked game of suspicion, paranoia and iconic temper tantrums from Rachel Sennott. Honestly, her one-liners alone are worth the watch.