‘Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror’ Recap: ‘Episode 3’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It is definitely safe to say, that the Shudder documentary series, Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror, has done a phenomenal job of opening our eyes to how horror is supremely representative. For not only is it origins steeped in the queer experience, but it also has helped for us to gain some perspective on what it is like to be an LGBTQIA+ individual in the world… without us being the wiser. Since those perspectives and thoughts have been beautifully woven into the subtext of classic horror stories. But while it has been powerful to learn of the genre’s queer origins and what queer individuals have dealt with throughout the years, one would think that such observations are really as far as this documentary can go.

After all, there’s really no way for a documentary series to really hammer home the emotions that come with those experiences or be able to truly give us a full understanding of what it feels like to be an LGBTQIA+ individual, right? Well as it turns out, a documentary most certainly can. For this week's episode taught us, that as the genre continued to evolve throughout history, the daring nature of the stories horror has told… put the emotions of queer individuals on display for us to discover in such a brilliant manner… that we can feel what queer people have felt throughout the years and really step into their shoes and understand how scary it can be to be queer and such feats were accomplished… in the simplest manner possible, believe it or not. 

Because a lot of the more modern horror stories, feature monsters and characters that we outright sympathize with because they are ostracized for who and what they are. Like the werewolf for instance, since on the surface, these creatures of the night were once everyday people who were transformed into these beings through means they simply could not control in the slightest. And of course, they are feared and ostracized for being something that did not involve choice and well… that’s how you experience what it is like to walk a mile in a queer individuals’ shoes. Because in the real world, the LGBTQIA+ community is viewed akin to werewolves and ostracized and they are often feared, because they are seen as monstrous.

Which is… a disgusting sentence to put down, but it is  the unfortunate truth and there are more films in horror’s history that explore such matters. Since the genre is rife with tales that speak to the outsider feelings that come with being out and how sometimes there seems to be no escape from the judgments or the fear or the belief that something is wrong with a queer individual. And all of that… allows for us the viewer… to finally get a true idea and understanding, of the fear that comes with being LGBTQIA+ and how hard a day can be when eyes are upon a person for just being who they are and this… this made for a powerful and eye-opening chapter in this journey, one that truly gives the viewer great pause.

Simply because for the first time ever… a documentary has cracked the code and truly immersed the audience in what others feel and experience, all while still educating us on how horror and the LGBTQIA+ community continue to go hand in hand throughout the course of horror’s history… since we learned so much about these ties in the science fiction fusion era of horror and well, all of those elements make this the show’s most powerful entry to date and this is one that will undoubtedly be examined in great detail for years to come. For creating empathy in a manner that few documentaries can, and it will be quite interesting to see what other impactful learning awaits us as this series comes to a close. Until next time.

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