The horror genre mirrors the American queer experience, both positively and negatively, overtly and subtextually, from the lumbering, flower-picking monster of Frankenstein (1931) to the fearless intersectional protagonist of the Fear Street Trilogy (2021). This is a historical look at the queer experiences of the horror genre’s characters, performers, authors and filmmakers.
Offering a fresh look at the horror genre’s queer roots, this book documents how diverse stories have provided an outlet for queer people—including transgender and non-binary people—to find catharsis and reclamation. Freaks, dolls, serial killers, telekinetic teenagers and Final Girls all have something to contribute to the historical examination of the American LGBTQ+ experience. Ranging from psychiatry to homophobic fear of HIV/AIDS spread and, most recently, the alienation and self-determination of queer America in the Trump era, this is a look into how terror may repair a shattered queer heart.

Abigail Waldron is a queer historian and horror film scholar whose work can be seen on horror sites such as Rue Morgue and Gayly Dreadful. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Abigail Waldron
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages:
Bibliographic Info: ca. 25 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8742-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4765-4
Imprint: McFarland

• “One of the most engaging, well-informed analyses of queer representations in North American horror films.”—Rob Cover, Professor of Digital Communication

• “A nuanced understanding of the importance of horror to queer audiences, especially with regards to the politics of representation.”—Natasha Patterson, Simon Fraser University