‘Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror’ Recap – ‘Episode 1’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains minor spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror’.
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When one thinks of the bare beginnings of the horror genre as we know it today, specific stories come to mind. Such as Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, since that is widely regarded as the genesis point with its fascinating take on our fear of death and technology and man’s role in toying with the nature of the world. Or we think of the classic Universal films that featured characters like Frankenstein and Dracula and everything in between. And we of course, also think on the subtext that those films provide us with as well, since horror is the home of social commentary and deeper meaning across the board, and had those films not been host to said subtext, where would horror be?
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But what we absolutely never think about… is how those early stories might feature deeper meaning than what we already know. But it just so happens that they do. For the true origins of the horror genre are quite queer in nature, and we weren’t aware of that fact… simply because when horror came to life… being queer was nothing short of a cardinal sin. Granted, in the eyes of some misinformed individuals in this modern era… that is still the same, but it was far worse then, to the point where the LGBTQIA+ experience, was hidden within those early stories, waiting to be discovered. And thankfully, the time has come to properly unpack such matters. For today saw the debut of a brand-new series from Shudder, entitled Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror. Which is indeed a grand exploration into the queer origins of horror.

Such as how Mary Shelley’s sexuality played a big part in the creation of Frankenstein, since she buried the struggles of her own experiences into the depths of that story, to the point where this tale takes on a whole new light once you’ve watched this documentary and the power of such explorations doesn’t end there. Since this series premiere also takes the time to explore how Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Grey is rife with similar subtext and his experiences as a homosexual man in an era where being yourself and embracing your sexuality was more than frowned upon, it was career and life ending. But it is important to recognize what those writers were truly speaking to, so that we have a complete understanding of what those iconic stories are about and what those writers went through.

But this opening chapter to this incredible saga, didn’t stop there with its powerful dissections of how the queer experience is deeply tied to horror’s roots. For it also took a good long look at the bare beginnings of the modern vampire through Tod Browning’s Nosferatu and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and it really laid bare how both of those stories speak to said experience through and through. Shedding incredible new light on both stories. Since we now have incredible context regarding what Stoker and Browning wanted to accomplish with these tales and wanted to express about what it meant to be LGBTQIA+ at the turn of the 20th Century, and with the guidance of the experts in this documentary, we can finally see that context and ponder upon how far we’ve come and how much farther we have to go regarding equal rights.

However, at this point you’ve likely noticed… that we’ve kept the details to a minimum here, especially when it comes to how this series digs deep into such matters and what it reveals to us, and that was a conscious choice on our part. Simply because, this is a documentary you need to experience. You need to hear about the core pillars of these stories from queer voices, and you need that perspective to guide you for the entire hour. Simply because this is a chance to learn and listen and come to understand an aspect of our world that we don’t know enough about, and we should. Because LGBTQIA+ individuals aren’t some off-shoot of the human race, or some niche concept. They are human beings, whose voices and stories and knowledge are valuable and important and putting all of that on display here, is revolutionary and important, and it will be interesting and powerful, to learn more about how the queer experience is embedded deep within horror as this series continues along. Until next time.

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