From cults to vampires: The year’s best queer horror

Despite this year’s continuing challenges, folks have been able to look forward to and enjoy small things, including plenty of content for horror fans.

May the days of grasping at whatever we can get soon be over, but 2021 has given queer horror fans in particular the content we wholeheartedly deserve.

Here is some of the best horror that was released or concluded this year.

Van Helsing

For something different, this Syfy series has got you covered – in blood, because it is gory.

Neil LaBute’s genderbent Van Helsing is set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun with vampires.

The series focuses on Vanessa Van Helsing (Kelly Overton), a descendant of Abraham Van Helsing.

She’s humanity’s last hope due to her ability to change vampires back into humans.

Maybe surprisingly, Vanessa and a fair number of other major female characters are queer.

From protagonists to villains, these characters show a range in how queer people can be depicted.

Chucky

A dream for plenty of horror lovers is getting a series of one of their favorite film franchises.

Sometimes said series aren’t well-received, for various reasons – not every horror franchise is as consistent as Child’s Play.

The series Chucky is just as campy, queer, and fun as the films that came before it.

Its first season introduces fresh meat in the form of teenagers, including two queer boys.

Making it even more special, creator Don Mancini took a personal approach with the central character of gay teen Jake Wheeler (Zachary Arthur).

The series gives queer fans plenty – it has Jake and Devon (Björgvin Arnarson), Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) as an obsessing bisexual disaster, and Tiffany and Chucky (Brad Dourif)’s genderfluid child.

Available on Syfy and various other streaming services, and already renewed for a second season, who knows what the series will bring next.

The Girl in the Woods

Content tackling the topic of cults isn’t always easy to digest, but The Girl in the Woods is an interesting exception.

The web series centers around Carrie Ecker (Stefanie Scott), who escapes from a colony that’s guarding the world from monsters behind a secret door.

It’s an impressive series that manages to explore social issues in genuine ways, something many can’t seem to do.

All three lead characters are LGBTQ and very imperfect, which makes them easy to become invested in.

The series can be found on Peacock and other platforms.

Fear Street trilogy

Regardless of whether you’ve read the original R.L. Stine books, the Fear Street trilogy scratches a big horror itch.

The Netflix films, directed by Leigh Janiak, focus on teens aiming to break a curse that’s plagued their small town for centuries.

The trilogy has everything from supernatural horror to slasher madness, not to mention some refreshing queer representation.

The films feature a queer woman of color as a major character, a central queer romance, queer-coded characters, and exploration of how violent homophobia can be.

All three bring something to the horror table, and with queer writers involved, they don’t disappoint where queer topics are concerned.

Even more queer horror

Other horror series or films released this year with queer characters:

– Slumber Party Massacre (remake)

– There’s Someone Inside Your House (Netflix)

– Midnight Mass (Netflix)

– Brand New Cherry Flavour (Netflix)