Some of us feel that the spooky season never ends, but with the end of August and the beginning of September, it is finally time for ghosts and goblins. Shudder, the undisputed king of horror streaming, is generating a lot of buzz for its new docuseries Queer for Fear: History of Queer Horror as a counterpoint to the deluge of new scary movies and series that have just entered cinemas and streaming providers.
A brief teaser trailer was published on September 1st, revealing only a handful of the characters we’ll meet across the whole four-part series, and we can’t even look at it without gawking. Bryan Fuller, who has written for Star Trek: Discovery, Hannibal, American Gods, and many more, is an executive producer for the docuseries Queer for Fear. This series delves deeply into the LGBTQ+ community and its profound impact on the horror genre. Part four of Queer for Fear will discuss the ways in which the community’s work and experiences have shaped and pioneered the horror subgenre.
Gay for Fear will explore the classics that some fans may not realise were inspired by queer culture, from the literary brainchildren of LGBT authors like Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker to the social stigmas around queer people that shaped whole sub-genres. There are a few horror classics included in the new video that will be instantly recognisable to fans. Horror classic Psycho from 1960, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Anthony Perkins as the spooky Norman Bates, is one such picture. The trailer also features other films such as Ginger Snaps, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Wes Craven’s Scream (which was based on a novel by Stephen King).
The docuseries is predicated on the idea that “horror is interwoven with queerness,” as stated by journalist Emily St. James in the opening segment, and actress and comedian Lea DeLaria (Orange is the New Black) suggests that members of the LGBTQ+ community are drawn to horror because the genre always skirts the outside of society. In an interview, Justin Simien (Bad Hair) said that the LGBT community has always been drawn to the genre because it was a space where they “were permitted to have.” This is still mainly the case. If you’re a gay person in real life, simply being alive is thought to be pushing the limits, but in horror, everything goes.
Actress Harmony Colangelo says, “there’s a strength in being a monster,” implying that the LGBTQ+ community has accepted monsters despite being labelled as such for decades. If this is done on purpose or because the LGBT community can connect to the stories, horror provides a platform for queer people to express themselves through a lens that the broader public will perceive the way they want them to. Several artists who have contributed to the horror genre will be interviewed in Queer for Fear. Jennifer Body director Karyn Kusama, Kevin Williamson (Scream 1, 2, and 3; I Know What You Did Last Summer); Chucky franchise heroine Jennifer Tilly; Perkins’ son Oz Perkins (Nope); The Craft’s Rachel True; and many more got together for the docuseries. On Friday, September 30th, the first episode of Queer for Fear will debut on Shudder.
Synopsis
From its literary roots without queer authors like Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, & Oscar Wilde to the pansy craze of the 1920s that influenced Universal Monsters & Hitchcock; from the “lavender scare” alien invasion films of the mid-20th century to the AIDS-obsessed bloodletting of the 1980s vampire films; through genre-bending horrors from a new generation of queer creators; “Queer for Fear” re-examines genre stories through