Audience Guide
The Best Queer Horror Movies
Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans horror, ranked by how central the queerness is
Queer horror centers LGBTQ+ characters and the experience of being one. Sometimes that is explicit, a love story between two men or two women, or a trans character at the heart of the film. Sometimes it is coded, written into the subtext for viewers who recognize it even when the script never says the word. This guide counts both.
Below are the films in our catalog tagged queer, ranked with the ones where the queerness is most central at the top. They are not all the same kind of horror. You will find supernatural films, slashers, body horror, and romance here. What connects them is that the queer reading is part of what the film is about, not a detail you could lift out without changing the film.
The threat in a lot of queer horror stands in for something real, like conversion therapy or the fear of being found out. The monster gives that fear a shape. It is why a coded film from the 1980s, made when the subtext had to stay subtext, belongs on the same list as an explicit film from 2026.
New to it? Start near the top. The coded classics sit further down, where the queerness lives in the gaps.
- Curator Score 8.1
01The Skin I Live In 2011
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 1.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
- Intensity
- 8.0
A brilliant plastic surgeon creates a synthetic skin that withstands any kind of damage. His guinea pig: a mysterious and volatile woman who holds the key to his obsession.
- Not yet scored
02Titane 2021
A woman with a metal plate in her head from a childhood car accident embarks on a bizarre journey, bringing her into contact with a firefighter who's reunited with his missing son after 10 years.
- Not yet scored
03Jennifer's Body 2009
Jennifer, a gorgeous, seductive cheerleader takes evil to a whole new level after she's possessed by a sinister demon. Now it's up to her best friend to stop Jennifer's reign of terror before it's too late.
- Curator Score 7.3
04Leviticus 2026
- Fear
- 4.5
- Gore
- 4.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
- Intensity
- 6.5
Two teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other.
- Not yet scored
05Interview with the Vampire 1994
A vampire relates his epic life story of love, betrayal, loneliness, and dark hunger to an over-curious reporter.
- Curator Score 6.5
- Fear
- 4.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.5
- Intensity
- 6.0
A teenage boy is haunted in his dreams by deceased child murderer Freddy Krueger, who is out to possess him in order to continue his reign of terror in the real world.
- Curator Score 6.2
07Fear Street Part 1: 1994 2021
- Fear
- 3.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 4.0
After a series of brutal slayings, a teen and her friends take on an evil force that's plagued their notorious town for centuries.
- Not yet scored
08It's a Wonderful Knife 2023
Winnie's life is less than wonderful one year after saving her town from a psychotic killer on Christmas Eve. When she wishes she was never born, she finds herself magically transported to a nightmarish parallel universe. With the murderous maniac now back, she must team up with a misfit to identify the culprit and get back to her own reality.
- Curator Score 6.3
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.2
- Intensity
- 5.0
After years of slapdash sequels and waning fandom, the Camp Miasma slasher franchise is handed over to an enthusiastic young director for resurrection. But when she visits the original's star, a now-reclusive actress shrouded in mystery, the two women fall into a blood-soaked world of desire, fear, and delirium.
- Curator Score 7.6
10Fright Night 1985
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 3.8
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
- Intensity
- 4.0
Charley Brewster, a high school student, accidentally discovers the true and creepy nature of Jerry Dandrige, his dashing and enigmatic new neighbor; but no one seems willing to believe him.
- Curator Score 7.3
11Let the Right One In 2008
- Fear
- 5.5
- Gore
- 5.5
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
- Intensity
- 6.0
When Oskar, a sensitive, bullied 12-year-old boy, meets his new neighbor, the mysterious and moody Eli, they strike up a friendship. Initially reserved with each other, Oskar and Eli slowly form a close bond, but it soon becomes apparent that she is no ordinary young girl.
- Not yet scored
12Saint Maud 2019
Having recently found God, self-effacing young nurse Maud arrives at a plush home to care for Amanda, a hedonistic dancer left frail from a chronic illness. When a chance encounter with a former colleague throws up hints of a dark past, it becomes clear there is more to sweet Maud than meets the eye.
- Curator Score 7.1
13V/H/S 2012
- Fear
- 3.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
- Intensity
- 6.0
When a group of misfits is hired by an unknown third party to burglarize a desolate house and acquire one rare VHS tape, they discover more found footage than they had bargained for.
- Not yet scored
14The Hitcher 1986
On a stormy night, young Jim, who transports a luxury car from Chicago to California to deliver it to its owner, feeling tired and sleepy, picks up a mysterious hitchhiker, who has appeared out of nowhere, thinking that a good conversation will help him not to fall asleep. He will have enough time to deeply regret such an unmeditated decision.
- Not yet scored
15The Ranger 2018
After a run-in with the cops at a punk show goes sideways, Chelsea and her pals flee the city in search of a place to lay low. Running to the security of an old, abandoned family cabin in the woods, they fall under the watchful eye of an overzealous park ranger who holds a secret from Chelsea's past.
- Not yet scored
16Halloween Kills 2021
Michael manages to free himself from Laurie Strode's trap to resume his ritual bloodbath. As she fights for her life from injuries from their last encounter, she inspires her daughter Karen, her granddaughter Allyson, and all of Haddonfield to rise up against the unstoppable monster.
- Not yet scored
17Frontière(s) 2007
A gang of young thieves flee Paris during the violent aftermath of a political election, only to hole up at an Inn run by neo-Nazis.
- Curator Score 8.6
18Horror-adjacentThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 2011
- Fear
- 1.5
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 8.5
- Intensity
- 8.9
Adjacent horror. It is here for what it offers horror fans.
Disgraced journalist Mikael Blomkvist investigates the disappearance of a weary patriarch's niece from 40 years ago. He is aided by the pierced, tattooed, punk computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander. As they work together in the investigation, Blomkvist and Salander uncover immense corruption beyond anything they have ever imagined.
- Curator Score 8.0
19Hellraiser 1987
- Fear
- 6.0
- Gore
- 8.5
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
- Intensity
- 8.0
A hedonistic man finds a mysterious puzzle box that summons a group of gruesome beings known as the Cenobites. These otherworldly entities open the doors to a dominion where pain and pleasure are indivisible.
- Curator Score 7.8
20Talk to Me 2022
- Fear
- 7.7
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 8.5
- Intensity
- 7.0
When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.
- Curator Score 7.7
21Ghost in the Cell 2026
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 8.0
- Atmosphere
- 4.6
- Intensity
- 5.8
In a notorious prison, an invisible force begins killing inmates brutally, compelling enemy gangs and corrupt guards to work together as they try to survive the mounting bloodshed.
- Curator Score 7.6
22Tenebre 1982
- Fear
- 3.0
- Gore
- 6.5
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
- Intensity
- 6.0
A razor-wielding serial killer is on the loose, murdering those around Peter Neal, an American mystery author in Italy to promote his newest novel.
- Curator Score 7.6
23Scream 1996
- Fear
- 5.7
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.7
- Intensity
- 6.0
A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.
- Curator Score 7.3
24Together 2025
- Fear
- 4.0
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.0
- Intensity
- 6.7
Years into their relationship, Tim and Millie find themselves at a crossroads as they move to the country, abandoning all that is familiar in their lives except each other. With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love, and their flesh.
- Curator Score 7.2
25The Lost Boys 1987
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 3.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.6
- Intensity
- 3.0
When an unsuspecting town newcomer is drawn to local blood fiends, the Frog brothers and other unlikely heroes gear up to rescue him.
- Curator Score 7.1
26Alien: Resurrection 1997
- Fear
- 4.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.0
- Intensity
- 6.5
Two hundred years after Lt. Ripley died, a group of scientists clone her, hoping to breed the ultimate weapon. But the new Ripley is full of surprises … as are the new aliens. Ripley must team with a band of smugglers to keep the creatures from reaching Earth.
- Curator Score 7.0
27The End of Oak Street 2026
- Fear
- 2.0
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.0
- Intensity
- 4.0
After a mysterious cosmic event rips Oak Street from suburbia and transports their neighborhood to someplace unknown, the Platt family soon discovers that their very survival depends on them sticking together as they navigate their now unrecognizable surroundings.
- Curator Score 7.0
28Scream VI 2023
- Fear
- 6.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 8.0
- Intensity
- 5.5
Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.
- Curator Score 7.0
29Alien: Covenant 2017
- Fear
- 5.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 7.5
- Intensity
- 6.0
The crew of the colony ship Covenant, bound for a remote planet on the far side of the galaxy, discovers what they think is an uncharted paradise but is actually a dark, dangerous world.
- Curator Score 6.8
30Saccharine 2026
- Fear
- 4.7
- Gore
- 6.5
- Atmosphere
- 6.3
- Intensity
- 4.4
After succumbing to an obscure weight-loss craze involving the eating of human ashes, lovelorn medical student Hana finds herself haunted by the ghost of the person she's eating.
- Curator Score 6.6
31Scream 2022
- Fear
- 6.0
- Gore
- 7.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.8
- Intensity
- 5.0
Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past.
- Curator Score 6.6
32Scream 4 2011
- Fear
- 4.0
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 5.0
- Intensity
- 5.0
Fifteen years after the original Woodsboro murders, Sidney Prescott returns home to promote her new book about surviving trauma, only for a new Ghostface killer to emerge, targeting a new group of teens.
- Curator Score 6.4
33Faces of Death 2026
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 6.0
- Atmosphere
- 5.0
- Intensity
- 6.0
A moderator on an internet video-sharing platform stumbles across a potential snuff film ring hidden in the depths of the site's content.
- Curator Score 6.3
34The Craft 1996
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 2.0
- Atmosphere
- 6.0
- Intensity
- 2.0
A Catholic school newcomer falls in with a clique of teen witches who wield their powers against all who dare to cross them -- be they teachers, rivals or meddlesome parents.
- Curator Score 6.2
35Scream 2 1997
- Fear
- 4.0
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 5.0
- Intensity
- 5.0
Two years after the Woodsboro murders, Sidney Prescott acclimates to college life while someone donning the Ghostface costume begins a new string of killings.
- Curator Score 6.1
36Clown in a Cornfield 2025
- Fear
- 1.0
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 3.0
- Intensity
- 3.0
Quinn and her father have just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down. As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time.
- Curator Score 5.2
37Scream 7 2026
- Fear
- 2.5
- Gore
- 5.0
- Atmosphere
- 2.5
- Intensity
- 4.4
When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized as her daughter becomes the next target. Determined to protect her family, Sidney must face the horrors of her past to put an end to the bloodshed once and for all.
- Not yet scored
38The Shape of Water 2017
An other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, where a mute janitor working at a lab falls in love with an amphibious man being held captive there and devises a plan to help him escape.
- Not yet scored
39The Lighthouse 2019
Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity while living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.
Common questions
- What is queer horror?
- Queer horror is horror that centers LGBTQ+ characters, desire, and experience, whether the film states it outright or keeps it in the subtext. The horror itself can be supernatural, slasher, or psychological. What makes it queer horror is that the queerness is part of the film's subject, not a background detail.
- What is the difference between queer horror and gay horror?
- Gay horror usually points to films about gay men specifically. Queer is the broader term and covers lesbian, bisexual, and trans stories as well as coded films that were never explicit. We use queer as the umbrella so a lesbian film like Fear Street Part 1: 1994 and a trans-themed film like Titane sit alongside the gay-male classics.
- What are the best sapphic or lesbian horror movies?
- From this list, Fear Street Part 1: 1994 and It's a Wonderful Knife both build their story around women who love women, and the "Second Honeymoon" segment of V/H/S turns on a sapphic twist. Jennifer's Body belongs here too, with a bisexual lead. High Tension is a darker and more contested example.
- What does “bury your gays” mean?
- Bury your gays is a long-running pattern where queer characters are more likely to die than straight ones, often right after they find some happiness. Horror leaned on it for decades. Part of what makes recent queer horror notable is how often it now lets its queer characters survive.
- Can a film be queer horror if the queerness is only subtext?
- Yes. Some of the most influential queer horror is entirely coded. A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge is the clearest case, with a gay subtext its own writer has since confirmed. If a queer viewer would recognize themselves in the film, it earns a place here even when the script never says the word.
Changelog
- — Hub created. Plain-voice intro + FAQ drafted (curator revision pending).