A Preview of ‘Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

One thing that horror fans everywhere can outright agree upon, is that no other horror network out there offers better documentaries than Shudder. For their original documentaries and the ones, they bring into the fold, feature fascinating and powerful explorations on important topics in horror. The kind that takes the time to teach us something about horror we’ve never known before. For instance, Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror, truly offered us stunning perspective on the incredible contributions that Black people have made to the genre over the years, and the incredible subtext and commentary that Black creatives injected into the genre. All because Shudder wants everyone to really understand what makes horror, horror, and how it is the only genre out there that properly reflects the world and is totally inclusive.
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Which is why it should come as no surprise… that another quality, brand-new horror documentary from Shudder is about to debut on the network. One that once again explores contributions and aspects of the genre that people simply don’t pay any mind to. For Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror is a four-part documentary that will debut on the network on Friday, that finally takes the time to explore the contributions that LGBTQIA+ individuals have made to the genre, and we here at NTG had the distinct honor of being able to check this series out early and thought it would be supremely worthwhile to preview this series (in a spoiler-free manner, of course). In part because, we want you to be excited about this series and spread the word about it, but more so because… it is another brilliant and powerful documentary on an aspect of horror that few of us are properly educated upon, and that deserves to be recognized.

Because what we really haven’t ever given any thought to… is how supremely queer, horror actually is, and how it has been queer from the onset of its creation. For this is a series that truly looks at the origin of the genre and how its early days were filled with subtext about what it means to be queer and how that was brilliantly layered into scary storytelling at a time… where queer individuals were seen as nothing more than afterthought or a scourge upon our world. Which is an awful thing to write, but that is our history regarding LGBTQIA+ individuals and needs to be acknowledged. But that aside, such a truth offers stunning insight upon our favorite horror movies and allows for us to see them in a new light, the kind that immediately prompts a desire to rewatch those movies and see what we haven’t seen before.

But what makes this exploration of Queer Horror so incredibly worth our while, is that this isn’t some scripted download that just pours over facts that were learned by someone who stumbled upon this truth while exploring horror’s history in a casual manner. Instead, this is a journey that is handled in a similar manner to Horror Noire. Wherein, queer voices and creatives are the ones teaching us about this aspect of the genre. So that we are presented with honest learning, the kind that allows for the individuals that put these stories together to have agency at last. Plus, it helps so many of us who don’t understand what it means to be queer in the world and what it meant to be queer and creative at a time when it was even more dangerous than it is right now, to finally have perspective and insight. But above all… this is a documentary that allows for everyone that tunes in… to just learn.

Learn the true origins of the genre through queer individuals and how the perspective of those individuals that came before us, shaped so much of horror today in ways we simply weren’t aware of and how those perspectives persist today. But above all else, it allows for LGBTQIA+ individuals, to be seen. Something that is perhaps the greatest achievement of all in an era where so many don’t want queer individuals to be seen. But that is of course, the whole point. in that, LGBTQIA+ individuals NEED to be seen, and the stories that queer individuals have to tell or have told, need to be recognized for their power and their importance upon the pop-culture landscape and thankfully, we don’t have wait that much longer to enjoy this powerful journey. For Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror will debut on Shudder this Friday, September 30, 2022, and we here at NTG hope you give it a look and join us for our detailed breakdowns of this show. Because this is an important and groundbreaking documentary.   ​

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