Queerness in Horror
Why no positive queerness in horror?
There are many questions to be asked when it comes to queerness in horror movies.
Was Mr Hyde simply a metaphor for Dr Jekyll coming out during the darkness and then returning to his high social status during the daytime? Did he need drugs to show his true self?
Was Lon Chaney Jr’s torment as ‘The Wolfman’ in 1941 simply him bursting to come out after spending so long pretending to be ‘normal' around his family and friends?
These historic horror movies can be further analysed as to why there was never any positive reference to queerness.
Coming out as Gay or Lesbian is far harder than coming out or portrayed as a monster. As a monster, it can be unpredictable or misunderstood what you stand for. For example, what the villagers will do to you when they storm the castle or bump into you in the woods unexpectedly. As a Gay man, the first thing someone thinks is that you go to bed with another man. Coming out as a monster conjures up many thoughts and ideas that would differ from person to person such as: where are you from, how did you come to be, will you hurt me?
What was the reason to film ‘The Creature From The Black Lagoon’ with shirtless men squeezed onto a small boat?
Julie Adams covered more of her flesh in her bathing costume than any of the men did in the same movie. Was this an attempt to sexualise men in horror? The constant fighting between the half naked male characters could be seen as homoerotic tension?
Is Baron Frankenstein queer and is that why he always has a male assistant so they can ‘conceive’ and give birth to their own creation? So when they die, they have something that carries on living in their image?
In many Frankenstein films, he always wants a big and strong creation as well as a ‘nice face’
Most queer characters in horror films are lesser character/parts or die early on in the film. Most recently depicted in ‘IT: part 2’. A young gay couple are having a night out at the fair and leave holding hands. A group of youths verbally and physically attack them and they get split up. The one is killed by Pennywise whilst the other half watches helplessly. Why can queer people not have major positive roles in horror films?
This can be seen again in ‘I Was A Teenage Frankenstein’; The creator goes out of his way to find a fit, buff handsome man who he can share time with. Was the script and direction aimed at showing homosexuality as older predatory men chasing younger men? The creation constantly calling Frankenstein “Sir,” was that referring to sexual dominance?
Ultimately, were homosexuals depicted as ‘the monster’ or having a monstrous condition in early horror movies? This manifesto will endeavour to capture this ideology that queerness is the monster. I will aim to capture these concepts and depict in a positive way.