“I loved to sleep with the window open. Rainy nights were the best of all: I would open the window and put my head on the pillow and close my eyes and feel the wind on my face and listen to the trees sway and creak.”
“I’m in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we’ll ever have, and I am in love with you.”
The beauty of each new day begins the very instant that you open your eyes. So, let it be filled with laughter. With purity. With happiness. Remember how gifted you are to be living this life, and be grateful that another day has come to greet you.
“If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies; succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway… You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway.”
I’ve been wanting to compile a list like this for a while now, and what better time to finally do it than Pride Month!
I have sifted through many, many films in compiling this list, including reading through many synopses, and watching many trailers. I have made a strong effort to avoid films with unforgivably ignorant or maliciously negative portrayals of LGBT people (there are films here with LGBT villains/killers, but real life has shown us that we, too, can become corrupted by trauma and suffering). Of the films portraying LGBT characters as victims, they either triumph in the end, or are otherwise portrayed with proper humanity (i.e., their sexuality or identity is not blamed by the filmmaker as the cause for any problems they may have, except when facing villains motivated by bigotry). I felt it equally important that these films are listed based on canon, and not speculation or memery (sorry, Babadook!). Films with undertones have their own sub-lists.
Many, MANY more films came up while compiling this list that I felt didn’t quite meet the standards to be included, such as those whose LGBT content were relegated to minor background characters. If you’re still interested in finding these other films, you might want to check here, here, and here. If you’re interested in finding more LGBT directors, check here.
SUPER IMPORTANT: While I will try to add warnings when applicable, I’m afraid I have not seen every single film on this list, so there may be upsetting content that I’m not aware of. If you are unsure about a film’s content, and whether or not it will be right for you, please consider looking up the IMDB or Wikipedia listings beforehand. It is unlikely that most of these movies will have pages on places like “commonsensemedia.gov”.
Lastly, permanent link availability is NOT GUARANTEED. I wish I could have had more links to offer, but I’ve tried to rely only on free streaming sites and Youtube, so as to avoid sending anyone to any sites that might be untrustworthy. Tubi TV requires signing up, but it is still 100% free (and it’s also available as an app on Xbox Live, as are Frightpix and Popcornflix). I will do my best to update links when there are changes.
There are a few films here that veer more toward being thrillers, sci-fi, or dark fantasy, but I still felt they deserved to be included.
The Haunting (1963) - Robert Wise ⚢
Venus in Furs (1969) - Jesús Franco ⚢
Dorian Gray (1970) - Massimo Dallamano ⚥
Deep Red: The Hatchet Murders (1975) - Dario Argento ⚣ (on Tubi TV)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - Richard O’Brien ⚣ ⚢ ⚥
Prey (1977) - Norman J. Warren ⚢
Symptoms (1977) - José Ramón Larraz ⚢
Fascination (1979) - Jean Rollin ⚢
La Morte Vivante (aka The Living Dead Girl) (1982) - Jean Rollin ⚢ (on Tubi TV)
The Fourth Man (1983) - Paul Verhoeven ⚣
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) - Jack Sholder ⚣ (While the film does portray one negative stereotype character, the rest of the film is filled with subtext that has been confirmed to be intentional)
Monster in the Closet (1986) - Bob Dahlin
In a Glass Cage (aka Tras el cristal)(1987) - Agustí Villaronga ⚣ (No subtitles) (WARNING: This movie deals with some seriously fucked up psychological issues and social taboos. Definitely NOT FOR EVERYONE. Viewer discretion is heavily, HEAVILY advised!!!)
Apartment Zero (1989) - Martin Donovan ⚣
Naked Lunch (1991) - David Cronenberg ⚣
Poison (1991) - Todd Haynes ⚣
Interview with the Vampire (1994) - Neil Jordan ⚣
The Addiction (1995) - Abel Ferrara ⚢
Killer Condom (1996) - Martin Walz ⚣
Nowhere (1997) - Gregg Araki ⚣
Shopping for Fangs (1997) - Quentin Lee and Justin Lin ⚣ ⚢
Whispering Corridors 2: Memento Mori (1999) - Kim Tae-yong and Min Kyu-dong ⚢
Jesus Christ Vampire Hunter (2001) - Lee Demarbre ⚢
Dahmer (2002) - David Jacobson ⚣
Make a Wish (2002) - Sharon Ferranti ⚢
May (2002) - Lucky McKee ⚢ (on Tubi TV)
High Tension (2003) - Alexandre Aja ⚢ (on Tubi TV)
Monster (2003) - Patty Jenkins ⚢
Hellbent (2004) - Paul Etheredge-Ouzts ⚣
October Moon (2005) - Jason Paul Collum ⚣
Cannibal (2006) - Marian Dora ⚣ (STRONG content warning–NOT for those with weak stomachs! This film is based on the real-life case of cannibal and murderer Armin Meiwes, as is also the film Grimm Love (2006), though I did not feel as if that film was a good fit for this list)
Dead Boyz Don’t Scream (2006) - Mark Saltarelli ⚣
In a Dark Place (2006) - Donato Rotunno ⚢
Cthulhu (2007) - Dan Gildark ⚣
Ghost Station (2007) - Yuthlert Sippapak ⚣ (In Thai, no English subtitles)
Planet Terror (2007) - Robert Rodriguez ⚢
Room of Death (2007) - Alfred Lot ⚢
Socket (2007) - Sean Abley ⚣
Suffering Man’s Charity (2007) - Alan Cumming ⚣
Bathory (2008) - Juraj Jakubisko ⚢
Otto; Or Up With Death People (2008) - Bruce LaBruce ⚣
Grace (2009) - Paul Solet ⚢ ⚥ (on Tubi TV)
Black Swan (2010) - Darren Aronofsky ⚢
ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction (2010) - Kevin Hamedani ⚣ (on Tubi TV)
Bite Marks (2011) Mark Bessenger ⚣
Chillerama (2011) - Adam Green, Joe Lynch, Tim Sullivan, and Adam Rifkin ⚣
Father’s Day (2011) - Jeremy Gillespie, Conor Sweeney, Steven Kostanski, Adam Brooks, and Matthew Kennedy ⚣ (WARNING: This film is distributed by Troma. That should be warning enough that it’s not going to be to all tastes. Viewer discretion is advised) (RAPE WARNING)
The Roommate (2011) - Christian E. Christiansen ⚢
Vampires: Brighter in Darkness (2011) - Jason Davitt (on Tubi TV)
Jack and Diane (2012) - Bradley Rust Gray ⚢
All Cheerleaders Die (2013) - Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson ⚢
Compulsion (2013) - Egidio Coccimiglio ⚢ (This is essentially a remake of the Korean film, 301, 302 (1995) by Park Chul-soo, which I highly recommend)
Contracted (2013) - Eric England ⚢ (RAPE WARNING)
Cross Bearer (2013) - Adam Ahlbrandt ⚢
Darkness By Day (aka El día trajo la oscuridad)(2013) - Martín De Salvo ⚣
Love U Man (2013) - B.B Phuyal ⚣
Everlasting Love (aka Amor eterno)(2014) - Marçal Forès ⚣
Gekijô-ban: Zero (aka Fatal Frame)(2014) - Mari Asato ⚢
Kissing Darkness (2014) - James Townsend ⚣
Lyle (2014) - Stewart Thorndike ⚢
The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014) - Adam Robitel ⚢
The Blue Hour (aka Onthakan)(2015) - Anucha Boonyawatana ⚣
Drink Me (2015) - Daniel Mansfield ⚣
Mania (2015) - Jessica Cameron ⚢
You’re Killing Me (2015) - Jim Hansen ⚣
B&B (2017) - Joe Ahearne ⚣
Thelma (2017) - Joachim Trier ⚢
Lesbian Vampire Films (So prevalent, I felt it warranted a separate category. Warning: Some of these are considered “exploitation” films, and thus may come off as sleazy. Viewer discretion is advised):
Daughters of Darkness (1970) - Harry Kümel ⚢
The Vampire Lovers (1970) - Roy Ward Baker ⚢
Girl Slaves of Morgana Le Fay (1971) - Bruno Gantillon ⚢
Lust for a Vampire (1971) - Jimmy Sangster ⚢
Vampyros Lesbos (1971) - Jesús Franco ⚢
The Blood Spattered Bride (1972) - Vicente Aranda ⚢
Vampyres (1974) - José Ramón Larraz ⚢
Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary (1975) - Juan López Moctezuma ⚢
Alucarda (1977) - Juan López Moctezuma ⚢
The Hunger (1983) - Tony Scott ⚢ ⚥
Nadja (1994) - Michael Almereyda ⚢
Vampire Diary (2006) - Mark James and Phil O'Shea ⚢
Life Blood (2009) - Ron Carlson ⚢
We Are the Night (2011) - Dennis Gansel ⚢
Horror Films with Trans Characters, Actors, or Themes:
Homicidal (1961) - William Castle ⚧
Sleepaway Camp (1983) - Robert Hiltzik ⚧ (on Tubi TV)
Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers (1988) - Michael A. Simpson ⚧
Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland (1989) - Michael A. Simpson ⚧
The Attack of the Giant Moussaka (1999) - Panos H. Koutras ⚢ ⚣ ⚧
Wild Zero (1999) - Tetsuro Takeuchi ⚧
Haunting Me (2007) - Poj Arnon ⚧ (on Tubi TV)
Sick Nurses (2007) - Piraphan Laoyont and Thodsapol Siriwiwat ⚧
Let the Right One In (2008) - Tomas Alfredson ⚧
Return to Sleepaway Camp (2008) - Robert Hiltzik ⚧
Denizen (2010) - J.A. Steel ⚧
Ticked-Off ████████ with Knives (2010) - Israel Luna ⚧ (PLEASE NOTE: In spite of a title (censored above) that many may rightfully deem offensive, this film was made not only as an homage to 70′s revenge/exploitation pictures, but also to shed light upon violence against transgender women. In the director’s own words, “Whose story do you never see on the news these days?’. Luna wanted to create a film in which trans women become empowered, and fight back against their attackers. While it was heavily criticized by GLAAD (despite the organization having given media advice to the producer, director, and cast), lead actress Krystal Summers was quoted as saying, “Our film does not promote hate or violence against transgender women. It is not a documentary, but a work of fiction and a revenge fantasy.” Israel Luna is a gay man, and the cast features two trans women (Krystal Summers, and the late Erica Andrews), and drag performers Kelexis Davenport and Willam Belli) (RAPE WARNING)
Kalpana (2012) - Ram Narayan ⚧
LGBT Horror Films with Pornographic Content (While containing explicit content, these films also contain legitimate horror elements and actual plots, making them worth noting):
Evil Come, Evil Go (1971) - Walt Davis ⚢ XXX
Thundercrack! (1975) - Curt McDowell ⚣ ⚤ XXX
Crash (1996) - David Cronenberg ⚢ ⚣ ⚤ (While most may not consider it hardcore pornography, there does exist an NC-17 cut of this film)
Moan (1999) - David Thompson ⚣ XXX
Bonesaw (2006) - Jett Blakk ⚣ XXX
L.A. Zombie (2010) - Bruce LaBruce ⚣ XXX
LGBT Horror Short Films:
Bugcrush (2006) - Carter Smith ⚣
Gay Zombie (2007) - Michael Simon ⚣
Cowboy (2008) - Till Kleinert ⚣
Love Bite (2008) - Craig Boreham ⚣
In the Closet (2009) - Jody Wheeler ⚣
Watch Over Me (2010) - Mysh Rozanov ⚣
Boys Village (2011) - Till Kleinert ⚣
Together (2013) - James Cook ⚣
The Last Time I Saw Richard (2014) - Nicholas Verso ⚣
Pyotr495 (2016) - Blake Mawson ⚣
Sauna the Dead: A Fairy Tale (2016) - Tom Frederic ⚣
Horror Films Spotlighting Drag Performers (while some may disagree with this category, drag culture is still an undeniable part of LGBT history):
Multiple Maniacs (1970) - John Waters
Baby Jane? (2010) - Billy Clift
Psycho Beach Party (2000) - Robert Lee King
Horror Films with LGBT Undertones:
The Seventh Victim (1943) - Mark Robson ⚢
Lemora (1975) - Richard Blackburn ⚢
The Sacrifice (2005) - James Fessenden ⚣
The Moth Diaries (2011) - Mary Harron ⚢
David DeCoteau Horror Films (while many are not explicitly LGBT, DeCoteau is well-known for imbuing his films with extremely strong homoerotic undertones). DeCoteau is one of the most prolific directors working in the low-budget horror genre, and this is only a sampling of his work. I’m sure his filmography contains more films that could qualify:
Now that it’s October–the time for all things spooky–I wanted to put this list out there again. Both Pride and the love of horror/spookiness shouldn’t have to stay relegated to their own individual months of the year. Whether you’re LGBT+, spooky, or both, I hope these fright films help liven up your Halloween!
romaincrisis
tangentwithtanner
areudirty
turnnoffyourmind
prguitarman
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
