Must-watch LGBTQ+ Halloween Movies: Gory Horror

We’re fast approaching Halloween, AKA Gay Christmas. So, we’ve come up with a list of must-watch LGBTQ+ horror movies, that will cater for all tastes to keep you entertained. With a fast-growing repertoire of queer Halloween films over the last few years, there are so many terrorific movies to choose from. So we’ve selected a few of our spooky LGBTQ+ favorites to suit practically every mood this upcoming freakend.

So whether you’re looking for gory horror, a creepy classic, or a dark and mysterious thriller, our lists which we will be publishing every day this week, in the lead up to Halloween 2021 have got it covered. We’ve even thrown in a few supernatural treats for our vampire-loving queer community, as well as a few Halloween comedies for those spending time with family and children.

Today, we are featuring our favorite selection of gory gay horror slasher options. They include:

Hellbent (2004)

This horror movie was the first “gay slasher” genre horror film aimed at LGBTQ+ audiences. Set over a single tumultuous Halloween night in West Hollywood, the film follows a group of five gay & bisexual men – Joey, Chaz, Tobey, Eddie, and Jake – who dress up in quintessential gay costumes (cop, cowboy, leather, drag) and set out for a night of drinking and partying, only to find themselves stalked and murdered by a masked killer. Hellbent played the gay and lesbian film festival circuit throughout 2004 and 2005 before a limited theatrical release in September 2005 and is reported to have sparked a wave of "gay slasher" horror films.

Jennifer’s Body (2009)

This queer cult horror movie stars Megan Fox as Jennifer, the popular girl at high school who gets possessed by a demon, seduces men, kills them and then devours their flesh. She also makes out with her best friend Needy (played by Amanda Seyfried). Jennifer’s Body was a rare and courageous effort to capture the complexity of female relationships, bisexuality, and methods of coping with male abuse within the horror genre well before the #MeToo movement. In an interview with the NY Times, Fox described Jennifer as a “cannibalistic lesbian cheerleader”.

Raw (2017)

For those hungry for gory queer horror, then Raw will not disappoint. Like Jennifer’s Body, this movie also explores cannibalism. This French coming-of-age movie is a story about a strict vegetarian college student who develops a voracious appetite for human flesh after a hazing ritual at her veterinary school. The once introverted young girl then starts to explore her body — and other people’s, thanks to her gay roommate, Adrien. This film, however, is not for the faint of heart, as some US theatres were reported to be handing out sick bags with tickets after too many people in the audience started to throw up.

Psycho (1960)

Norman Bates, the lead character in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho, is an effeminate, cross-dressing serial killer who murders women that stay at his motel, after getting into arguments with his dead mother’s skeleton. Bates was driven mad by his mother and gender confusion, which ultimately led him to kill his female guests. Although Bates was never explicitly gay, there were plenty of clues that pointed towards his sexuality. In fact, Anthony Perkins, who played the lead role of Norman, was known to be gay, although he was not officially out.

High Tension (2003)

High Tension is another terrifying, yet clever French queer horror movie that does not hold back on the gore. It follows the story of two young women, Marie and Alex, who travel to Alex’s secluded farmhouse in the middle of nowhere for a weekend getaway. Soon after, a serial killer wakes them up in the middle of the night, butchers the family and kidnaps Alex. Marie, who managed to hide her presence from the madman, follows him to save her best friend, and the girl she is in love with. Terrifying and full of suspense, all is not how it seems. Intrigued? Watch it if you like a gory horror film packed with splattering blood.

Tomorrow we’ll be covering our list of favorite queer creepy classic movies, so watch this space!