9 LGBTQ+ horror heroes who fill us with Pride
Hello and welcome to the latest Creepy Kiki, PRIDEs weekly dissection of all things that go bump in the (gay) night.From the horror genres very inception, queerness has played a major role in its various manifestations, whether that meant subtextual stories of otherness, queer-coded villains, or sapphic sanguisugas.There were rare exceptions, like Countess Zaleska (Gloria Holden) in Draculas Daughter from 1936 or The Hauntings lesbian character, Theodora (Claire Bloom) in 1963, but it took quite some time for out, proud, heroic, and textually LGBTQ+ characters to emerge. Miriam Blaylock (Catherine Deneuve) in The Hunger and Angela in Sleepaway Camp are some of the earliest examples of our characters, though neither is an example of heroism. Thankfully, finding queer characters in horror today is relatively easy. Queer horror has essentially become a subgenre all its own with films like I Saw the TV Glow, Knife + Heart, and Thelma not only featuring queer characters but unpacking the anxieties and fears specific to the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people. Some of these queer characters we love, some we love to hate, some we fear, and some we want to protect at all costs. A lucky few fill us with pride through their bravery, humanity, and depth. That being the case, to kick off this Pride month, I want to highlight and celebrate some of those queer heroes that took on the baddies, faced down fears both internal and external and triumphed. Characters that baby queerdos were introduced to from flickering screens in darkened theaters and on television, and recognized in them not only a portion of themselves, but perhaps even a vision of the future.On that note, lets get into it! Jesse Walsh in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's RevengeLet's kick things off with one of the most iconic queer final gays of all time, Jesse Walsh. Played by out actor Mark Patton in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, Jesse faced off with the ultimate dream-inhabiting monster, Freddy Kruger, and won!While this film from 1985 never explicitly outs Jessie, any queer person watching can recognize the subtext of his struggles with identity in his friendship with Ron Grady (Robert Rusler), who he turns to for comfort night rather than his girlfriend; his anxiety over the man trying to invade his body; and, of course, the now infamous leather bar scene. All this context was confirmed to be textual by Patton: "It just became undeniable," he told BuzzFeed in 2016. "I'm lying in bed and I'm a piet and the candles are dripping and they're bending like phalluses and white wax is dripping all over. It's like I'm the center of a [...] bukkake video." Jessie was a true queer horror pioneer. Emerald Haywood in NopeIn a film about spectacle, Keke Palmer still manages to steal the show as Emerald Em Haywood in Jordan Peeles incredible film Nope.In the film, Em and her brother, OJ (Daniel Kaluuya), own a horse ranch thats been training horses for Hollywood for generations. Following their father's unexpected and bizarre death, they come to learn that hovering nearby, out of sight, is a UFO-like creature lurking and looking to feed. The siblings become hellbent on finding a way to document the creature and prove that its real. The film is brilliant for many reasons, but right near the top is Em, who swaggers onto the screen with an infectious masc charm that is effortlessly, unquestionably queer. Em is everything; shes funny, tough, and becomes a bit of an action star by the end. Shes also Keke, so of course were obsessed.Gretchen in CuckooIn Cuckoo, Gretchen (Hunter Schaefer) joins her father and step-family on a work trip to the German Alps. She witnesses women behaving strangely at the resort where theyre lodging and is later stalked by a strange, human-like woman. To top it off, she is also in the throes of grief over the loss of her mother. Gretchen could easily have been just another angsty teen stereotype, and theres certainly some of that on display particularly when she meets an attractive woman and the two attempt to run off together. Instead, all that anger and grief is channeled into bravery and, ultimately, empathy, which is where her reserves of strength are found. This is the kind of nuanced queer character we cant get enough of.Mitch in ParaNormanQueer representation came in the form of a wonderful surprise in the stop-motion animated horror film Paranorman. This film, set in Salem, Massachusetts, follows Norman, an odd kid with the gift of seeing the dead, who uses those talents and the help of his friends to take on a witchs curse and her undead minions.One of those allies is Mitch, voiced by Casey Affleck. Mitch first presents as your prototypical dumb jock; in reality, hes anything but. Over the course of the film, Mitch serves as a loyal brother and protector to the crew, whose bravery is instrumental in Norman defeating the curse. Then he tops it all off with the chillest coming out ever! While his queerness wasnt central to the plot, its inclusion in a film geared toward family watching is important. Also, the way that its handled isn't as a punchline, plot twist, or source of angst. It's just woven into the world in a normalizing and graceful way. Hey Hollywood, more of this right here, please.Deena Johnson in the Fear Street' trilogyWhen the Fear Street trilogy kicked off in 2021, it was a surprise and a delight for queer audiences that the three-part epic, spanning centuries, centered around not one but two epic love stories and how homophobia was the root cause of a hundred-year-old curse.The lesson: Dont mess with the lesbians!While both Deena and Sam snatched our hearts as the couple in the first and final film (and the alternate couple they played in the third film), its Deena Johnson, played by Kiana Madeira, who snatches a spot on our list. Why? Well, because of how heroic she is in taking on genuinely terrifying and deadly supernatural forces in an effort to save her girlfriend and, spoiler alert, she succeeds.Byron in Tammy and the T-RexWhen it comes to cult classic faves, we can't help but have a major soft spot for Tammy and the T-Rex. This absolute oddity from 1994 stars young Denise Richards and Paul Walker as ill-fated lovers whose romance comes to an end when his brain is stolen and wired into an animatronic T-Rex. Just go with it, OK. Tammy (Richards) is on a quest to rescue the brain and her boyfriend, and helping her is her gay best Byron, played by Theo Forsett. At first blush, Byron might come off as your stereotypical flamboyant gay sidekick, but in a move thats surprising for an otherwise absurd and gory B-movie, Byron gets to have a much richer and nuanced role. Not only is he the comedic heart of the film, but he is a hero in his own right. Is the characterization perfect? No, of course not, but it's also leaps and bounds ahead of the way queer folks were largely characterized in the 90s.Josh Detmer in FreakySpeaking of queer heroes in body swap movies, Josh Detmer, played by nonbinary actor Misha Osherovich, is instrumental in saving the day in Freaky.The film, which is a comedic horror take on the Freaky Friday trope, sees teenager Millie (Kathryn Newton) accidentally body-swapping with a serial killer called the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn). While he uses her body to continue his bloody reign of terror, she has to recruit her friends to try and stop them. One of whom is Josh. In previous generations, a gay sidekick character like Josh would pretty much be guaranteed body count. But here, not only does he bravely take on the killer directly, but he survives, defying the standard bury your gays trope. Jake Wheeler & Devon Evans in ChuckyFinally, our last characters are a couple! For three gloriously gory and heartwarming seasons RIP season four, Im still not over that cancellation Jake Wheeler and Devon Evans (played by Zackary Arthur and Bjornvin Arnson, respectively) went toe-to-tiny-toe with a psychopathic possessed doll, and repeatedly won the day all while falling in love in Chucky. The series tracks their relationship from inception, when they are crushing from afar, and Jake, in particular, is struggling with his identity and his family life. Through the excitement of young love and eventually the physical expression of that connection, they are, all the while, joining forces to take on a murderous foe, homophobia, the church, and eventually an evil puppet master (literally).Chucky was a special show for many reasons, but not the least of which was the beautiful gay love story at its heart. And with that, this weeks Creepy Kiki is adjourned! Ill be back with more highlights on queer horror next week. 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