5 Obscure Queer Horror Movies to Watch During Pride Month This June
These recent queer horror movies went under the radar.
June is Pride Month, an annual month-long celebration of LGBTQ individuals, which makes it a great time to watch horror movies made by and for queer people. Sexual identity is an obvious subject for horror movies to explore because horror is about what society considers “monstrous”. Any group of people on the margins are at risk of being labelled monstrous, because they are seen as a threat to normalcy. These recent queer horror movies went under the radar but deserve a viewing by any fan of the genre:
Knife + Heart (2018)
Vanessa Paradis stars in this French horror movie as a gay adult movie producer whose actors become the target of masked killer. She uses the murders as inspiration for her art despite drawing suspicion from investigators. Knife + Heart is an incredible queer horror movie that has heart, scares and a killer wielding a dildo knife.
The Perfection (2018)
Allison Williams stars as Charlotte Willmore, a gifted cellist who studied at the prestigious Bachoff school before leaving to care for her terminally ill mother. After her mother dies, Charlotte travels to Shanghai to visit with her former professors and befriends their new protégé Lizzie (Logan Browning). Charlotte and Lizzie begin a sexual relationship and decide to travel through China together. At this point a wild twist takes place and the entire movie changes direction.
What Keeps You Alive (2018)
A psychological horror movie following a married lesbian couple celebrating their first anniversary at a cabin in the woods. When they bump into one of the women’s childhood friend, someone’s duplicity is revealed. A quiet anniversary holiday in the woods quickly devolves into a fight for survival.
Swallowed (2022)
Ben (Cooper Koch) is about to leave small town Maine to become a gay adult movie actor in Los Angeles. On his last night, best friend Dom (Jose Colon) has a special surprise planned. Unfortunately, things do not go well and what could be a steamy film about male friendship and intimacy turns into a body horror nightmare. Swallowed also features stellar performances by Mark Patton and Jena Malone.
Femme (2023)
A British thriller about a drag performer, Jules, who is beat up by a homophobic man, Preston. Months later, Preston does not recognize Jules (who has stopped dressing in drag) and expresses interest in him. Jules decides he will get revenge by filming the two having sex and posting it online, where Preston’s homophobic friends will see.
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