10 Must-Watch Horror Films for Pride Month (and Beyond)

Since the month of June has been dubbed Pride Month, fellow horror writer Josh B. Taylor and I have decided to celebrate the LGBTQ community with our favorite LGBTQ horror films.

1. Notes On A Scandal
Release Date: 2006
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, Billy Nighy, Andrew Simpson, Juno Temple
Directed by: Richard Eyre
Available on: YouTube, Amazon Prime, GooglePlay, Vudu, iTunes.

Dame Judi Dench is absolutely terrifying as Barbara, an older woman with an obsessively psychotic crush on Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett). Sheba is having an affair with an underage student (Andrew Simpson) and confides in her new friend, Barbara, whose jealousy forces her to use this information against Sheba in order to bring her closer. -Ann Hale

2. May
Release Date: 2002
Starring: Angela Bettis, Chandler Riley Hecht, Jeremy Sisto, Anna Faris, Will Estes, James Duval, Nichole Marie Hiltz,
Directed by: Lucky McKee
Available on: YouTube, Amazon Prime, GooglePlay, Vudu, iTunes, Tubi.

Angela Bettis plays an outcast who has been friendless her entire life due to a lazy eye. As an adult, she has no idea how to interact with people normally and finds herself forced to make her own friend from her favorite parts of people that dismiss her.

May is my personal favorite on this list. May is so desperate for human interaction that she is willing to try anything with anyone to make them love her. She has one such interaction with her gay co-worker Polly (Anna Faris) that doesn’t end in the most positive way, resulting in quite a bit of blood. The film is dark and disturbing, but also thought provoking. How we treat people that are different than us has a bigger impact on their lives than we may ever know. -Ann Hale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x0zCqvOPv0

3. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Release Date: 1975
Starring: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O’Brien, Meatloaf.
Directed by: Jim Sharman
Available on: YouTube, Amazon Prime, GooglePlay, Vudu, iTunes.

Brad (Barry Bostwick) and Janet (Susan Sarandon) find themselves in the strange mansion of transsexual transvestite Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry) and his minions after their car breaks down. They find themselves forced to explore their sexuality and face pure horror in just one overnight stay. -Josh B. Taylor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VILL_K7rOk

4. A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
Release Date: 2006
Starring: Robert Englund, Mark Patton, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler.
Directed by: Richard Eyre
Available on: YouTube, Amazon Prime, GooglePlay, Vudu, iTunes.

Most often called “the gay nightmare,” A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 has quite a bit of gay overtones. Ignoring that the lead actor is obviously gay, there is quite a bit of sexual tension between Jesse (Mark Patton) and Freddy, but also between Jesse and his best friend Grady (Robert Rusler). We cannot forget to mention the gay BDSM gym teacher and Jesse’s obvious lack of desire to touch his girlfriend Lisa (Kim Myers). -Josh B. Taylor

5. High Tension
Release Date: 2003
Starring: Cecile de France, Maïwenn Le Besco, Philippe Nahon, Franck Khalfoun
Directed by: Richard Eyre
Available on: YouTube, Amazon Prime, Netflix, GooglePlay, Vudu, iTunes.

I didn’t get a chance to see this one in theaters, but when it was available to rent from Hollywood Video, I rented it and did not expect what was coming. What began as a weekend out to an old farmhouse, a cat and mouse game occurs where Marie (Cecile de France) follows a killer who brutal murdered her friend, Alexia’s (Maïwenn Le Besco) family, and kidnaps Alexia. Marie will stop at nothing to save her friend. For those who haven’t seen this movie yet (check it out) there’s a twist ending that caught me off guard. It’s one I revisit every other couple of years, and if you’re a fan of the genre, I recommend checking this one out! -Josh B. Taylor

6. Sleepaway Camp
Release Date: 1983
Starring: Felissa Rose, Jonathan Tiersen, Karen Fields, Christopher Collet, Frank Sorentino,
Directed by: Robert Hiltzik
Available on: YouTube, Amazon Prime, GooglePlay, Vudu, iTunes.

Years after a tragic boating accident kills young Peter (Frank Sorentino), Angela (Felissa Rose) is forced to go to Camp Arawak by her aunt. Angela is shy and basically a mute, which makes her a target by the meaner kids at the camp. When the bodies start to pile up, it becomes apparent that Angela is hiding something. Unfortunately, we cannot tell you why this movie fits into this category without spoiling the ending, so you’ll have to find out for yourself. -Josh B. Taylor

7. Planet Terror
Release Date: 2006
Starring: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Bruce Willis, Quentin Tarantino, Jeff Fahey, Michael Biehn, Naveen Andrews, Fergie, Tom Savini.
Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
Available on: Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, GooglePlay, Vudu, iTunes.

During a zombie apocalypse brought on by a military experiment gone wrong, a group on unlikely allies join together to defeat the zombie hoards. The group includes ex-con Wray (Freddy Rodriguez), stripper Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan), Dr. Dakota Block (Marley Shelton) and BBQ cook J.T. (Jeff Fahey). While trying to survive the zombies, they are also trying to survive Dakota’s husband, Dr. William Block (Josh Brolin), who is angry that his wife is leaving him for a woman. -Ann Hale

8. Black Swan
Release Date: 2009
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincet Cassel, Winona Ryder, Barbara Hershey, Sebastian Stan.
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Available on: Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Prime, GooglePlay, Vudu, iTunes.

Nina (Natalie Portman) feels her sanity begin to slip after winning the role of The Swan Queen in Tchaikovsky’s ballet, Swan Lake. She forms a friendship with her rival, Lily (Mila Kunis), aka The Black Swan, and begins to explore a darker side of herself. Nina becomes obsessed with Lily and starts to believe that she is out to get her. -Ann Hale

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPV-eMjQtCs

9. Contracted
Release Date: 2013
Starring: Najarra Towsend, Caroline Williams, Alice Macdonald, Matt Mercer, Dave Holmes.
Directed by: Richard Eyre
Available on: Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Amazon Prime, GooglePlay, Showtime, Showtime Anywhere.

Samantha (Najarra Townsend) is a lesbian that is drugged and raped at a party where she contracts what seems like a sexually transmitted disease. As the disease progresses, Samantha begins to exhibit certain changes to her body where it becomes apparent that she is rotting from the inside out. -Ann Hale

10. Curse of Chucky
Release Date: 2013
Starring: Fiona Dourif, Chantal Quesnelle, A Martinez, Daniel Bisutt,
Directed by: Richard Eyre
Available on: Netflix,YouTube, Amazon Prime, GooglePlay, Vudu, iTunes.

Nica (Fiona Dourif) receives a package in the mail containing Good Guy doll. After her mother mysteriously dies, her sister Barb (Danielle Bisutti) and her family come to visit, where her niece becomes attached to the doll. While Chucky is up to his usual murderous antics, Barb’s husband has discovered that she is sleeping with the female babysitter behind his back and is out for his own revenge. -Josh B. Taylor

Remember, this is just a short list of our favorites. You can still celebrate with dozens of other LGBTQ horror films or you can celebrate by supporting the many gay horror writers, directors and actors/actresses out there.

Happy Pride from all of us to all of you!