Queerness is as essential to horror as any monster or twisted killer, and a new four-part documentary series coming to Shudder sets out to explain why.
Queer for Fear re-examines genre stories through a queer lens, seeing them not as violent, murderous narratives, but as tales of survival that resonate thematically with queer audiences everywhere.
Tracing the history of the LGBTQ+ community’s influence on and relationship with the horror and thriller genres, from its literary origins with queer authors Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde to the pansy craze of the 1920s that influenced Universal Monsters and Hitchcock; to the “lavender scare” alien invasion films of the mid-20th century and the AIDS obsessed bloodletting of 80s vampire films.
Along with plenty of film clips and animation, a collection of queer horror experts, creators and actors add colour to the docuseries created by Bryan Fuller (Hannibal).
Queer for Fear features interviews with series consultant Renée “Nay” Bever (Attack of the Queerwolf Podcast co-host), Mark Gatiss (Co-Creator, Writer & Actor, Sherlock and Dracula on BBC), Kimberly Peirce (Writer and Director, Boys Don’t Cry, Carrie (2013), Lea DeLaria (Actor, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (2000), Orange is the New Black), Jennifer Tilly (Actor, Child’s Play franchise), Karyn Kusama (Director, Jennifer’s Body, Yellowjackets), Leslye Headland (Creator, Russian Doll), Oz Perkins (Writer & Director, Gretel & Hansel), and more.
Queer for Fear premieres Friday, September 30 on Shudder, with a new episode streaming every week. Check out the trailer below!
