Queer Horror: Fear, Prejudice, Struggle, and Otherness

Queer Fear of The Othering

By Camille

As many people may know, I am the worlds biggest fan of Horror movies. I am always in search of things that could actually make me affraid. I remember back when I was a child and we were living in Illinois, we had a nice movie room with very comfortable red leather movie theatre seats. We were eating popcorn and candy and watching a werewolf horror movie, and it truly scared me but I love it. I dont remember a time where I was actually affraid of horror movies. Now as an adult I use it as an escape by watching one every day and often have solo marathons. The only things that scare me now are dogs and my father. However, that doesn't diminish my enjoyment of watching horror films, including repeat viewings of "Jeepers Creepers." While the film may not induce the same level of fear it once did, it still holds a special place in my horror collection.

Throughout "Jeepers Creepers," the protagonists find themselves confronted by a relentless force that threatens their very existence. Similarly, queer individuals often face formidable obstacles in their quest for acceptance and equality. Whether it's the fear of rejection from loved ones or the struggle against societal prejudice, the experiences depicted in the film parallel the challenges endured by many LGBTQ+ individuals on a daily basis. "Jeepers Creepers" serves as a stark reminder of the real-world horrors that lurk just beneath the surface of society, and Jeepers Creepers legit lived in a layer underground filled with bodies that he was dumping in a sewer pipe.

Similarly, Pennywise, with its eerie clown guise and malevolent presence, embodies the very essence of fear. Its ability to shape-shift and exploit the deepest fears of its victims mirrors the way in which societal prejudices and discrimination prey upon the vulnerabilities of queer individuals. Like Pennywise, these fears often lurk beneath the surface, deep in the sewers, waiting to grab you by the cankle and torment those who dare to be different.

Throughout "It," the Losers' Club must confront not only the physical manifestations of Pennywise but also the internalized fears and struggles that plague their everyday lives. Similarly, queer individuals face a constant battle against prejudice, discrimination, and self-doubt as they navigate a world that often fails to accept them for who they are. Pennywise's relentless pursuit of the innocent serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle against societal forces that seek to marginalize and oppress.

There is a theme of power in numbers, there is power in speaking up and calling attention to the oppressor, making it kown that they are on the prowl and it is time to fight back. I recently joined the Oklahoma Action Chorus and one song that really speaks to this idea of fighting back is, "Leve Palestina" a song about Israeli condemnation and a refusal to stay silent and complicit in acts of violence. Music brings social cohesion and dismantles boundaries, that is the strong force of it, calling attention to oppressed voices and calling out the violent oppressors.

Before I "end" this I want to raise a concern that I had while watching the new "Omen" movie. I had seen the original one years ago, and I remember that it was pretty decent, but I also have a memory deficit so I may be wrong on that one. But I am not wrong on this when I say that "The Omen" that came out in 2024 is traumatizing. It doesn't show women being treated fairly. The graphic depiction of childbirth serves as a focal point that amplifies the horror and intensity of the narrative. This birthing process is shown in semi-explicit detail, the filmmakers immerse viewers in the visceral and harrowing experience of bringing forth the devil incarnate. However, this graphic portrayal raises ethical questions about the boundaries of storytelling and the treatment of sensitive subject matter, particularly when it involves women's bodies and experiences. While childbirth has long been a thematic staple in horror cinema, the explicitness of its depiction in the new Omen movie demands careful consideration of its impact on audiences and the broader discourse surrounding gender representation and storytelling ethics.

To further this point, when I attended the American Academy of Religion Conference in 2023 with a few others of OU Religious Studies Department, I went to the Catholicism, Exorcism and Horror Unit and one of the presenters were talking about Womens Abjected Bodies. I loved that presentation so much because I never thought about it, my love for horror movies ran shallow, but I will vaguely summarize her overarching theme. She was presenting about the sexualization of a young teenage girl in the Exorcist movie who was percieved as being demon possessed and was being exercized by a Catholic Priest, but she was saying two words over and over that were concering and insinuating an assult had taken place. Exploring the concept of abjected bodies of women in horror movies, such as "The Exorcist," unveils complex intersections of gender, power, and fear within the genre. But it also reflects societal fears and taboos surrounding femininity and motherhood. But over all highlighting the ways in which horror cinema often exploits and sensationalizes the female body for shock value is important to consider when it comes to viewing horror movies. 

The same consideration goes for those who watch serial killer documentaries, shows, and movies(which used to be me when I started off as a Psychology major, very typical, but I have since shut that door tight), you must consider that these are real people being depicted, real families who lost loved ones, real situations that took place on the same Earth that you tread. Over sensationalizing serial killers only repeat those behaviors blindly adapted by some of the public whenever Ted Bundy was alive and women were blindsided by his perceived good looks and even after his execution, because people in comment sections and some horror movie fanatics keep romanticizing this. Exploiting and sensationalizing the brutalities of innocent individuals is important to think about when researching Serial Killers.

Both queer identity and horror movies subverge the norms in efforts to show how multifaceted and dynamic life is and for some people it is like trying to survive a horror movie and Michael Meyers is chasing you with a chainsaw or IT is pop-lock-and dropping it in your head. One thing that those movies show is that those characters felt a sense of otherness and alienation and instead of using those feelings for good they used them for evil and resorted to extreme measures to exact revenge. But as a horror movie fanatic, I can change my viewing perspectives on horror movies to one that is perceptive to the possibility that there is a theme of feeling like an outsider, needing to hide who you are in the dark because of rejection, finding strength and resilience in your identity through the macabre overcasts and merging queer identity and the Earthly horrors for a more authentic representation that is not all just rainbows and sunshine.