Horror is a queer genre through and through and has been since the early days of the genre — thank you, James Whale — but sadly, most movies are still overwhelmingly straight.
But fear not, because while heteronormativity may win out most of the time, in horror, there are plenty of sapphic, trans, and gay horror movies to choose from.
Not only are there movies brimming with gay subtext, but now, the genre is full of queer text, openly gay characters, and LGBTQ+ themes.
So now that there are so many gay scary movies to choose from, which ones do you need to put on your spooky season watch list?
Swallowed
Starring Cooper Koch before he shot to superstardom, Swallowed is a low-budget gay body horror movie that follows Ben (Koch) as he sets out for Los Angeles to become a gay porn star. Once there, he and his friend get caught up with some criminals and are forced to swallow what they think are drugs inside condoms, but turn out to be something far stranger that have aphrodisiac properties. The film also features gay horror icon Mark Patton, but more on him later…
Where to watch: Prime Video
Midnight Kiss
Midnight Kiss
This fun slasher movie is part of Hulu’s Into the Dark series and follows a group of gay besties who gather to celebrate New Year’s Eve only to be stalked by a dangerous killer hellbent on ruining their good time. It also stars Lukas Gage and features a killer wearing a leather pup play mask to disguise his identity.
Where to watch: Hulu
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
New Line Cinema
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 might not have an out gay character — it came out in 1985 — but it is widely considered to be a gay horror film because of the film’s overt gay subtext, homoerotic undertones, queer imagery, and the fact that final boy Mark Patton was closeted at the time of filming, but came out later.
Where to watch: HBO Max
ParaNorman
ParaNorman
ParaNorman is a sweet and funny animated horror movie that is perfect for kids and people looking for Halloween vibes without the nightmare fuel. It’s about a young kid with the ability to speak to the dead who has to save his town from a witch’s curse. In the final act, you find out that the popular quarterback is actually gay and has a boyfriend, making him the first canonically LGBTQ+ character in a mainstream American animated film.
Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video
Death Drop Gorgeous
Death Drop Gorgeous
Death Drop Gorgeous is another drag queen horror movie that you have to watch asap. It’s a low-budget, campy ride that is full of offensive, trashy humor that will have you cackling. It follows a deranged maniac who stalks and kills drag queens using a dating app to lure them out.
Where to watch: Tubi
Summoning Sylvia
Summoning Sylvia
Michael Urie and Frankie Grande (Ariana’s brother) star in this darkly comedic horror movie. Summoning Sylvia is about a gay bachelor party that goes wrong when the sinister spirit of a woman who murdered her son a century ago is summoned during a séance. This may be horror movie, but it’s also campy, sassy, and gay as hell.
Where to watch: Starz
Rope
Rope
While Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope is never explicitly queer, it is the gayest film the auteur director ever made. Based on the true story of Leopold and Loeb, Hitchcock’s Haye’s Code dodging adaptation is full of homosexual subtext. There is even a murder early in the movie that was filmed to act as a stand-in for a sex scene between the two main characters, who were played by Farley Granger and John Dall, both of whom were queer in real life.
Where to watch: Rent on Prime Video
Companion
Companion
One of 2025’s best horror movies, the satirical horror comedy Companion follows a group of friends on a weekend getaway at a remote cabin that goes wrong when Josh’s (Jack Quaid) subservient android companion (Sophie Thatcher) turns violent. Anytime sexual and societal norms are subverted in film it feels queer-coded, but this film also features a gay couple played by none other than Harvey Guillén and Lukas Gage, who are central to the plot of the film, and not just queer set dressing.
Where to watch: HBO Max
