What's So Gay About Horror Movies?

Jason Lively (left) & Steve Carpenter

The oft-overlooked 1986 horror/sci-fi comedy Night of the Creeps also deserves some attention for its handling of an unexpected bromance between lead friends Chris (Jason Lively, brother to Gossip Girl’s Blake) and JC (Steve Carpenter). In the emotional centerpiece of the film, JC learns that he has been invaded by alien slugs, and leaves a taped message to Chris telling him that he loves him. 

The trailer for Night of the Creeps

In Bride of Chucky, the heroine’s best friend is gay, and he helps the star-crossed lovers escape their disapproving parents … until a certain killer doll gets in the way. It’s also worth noting that gay ally Katherine Heigl had her first leading lady part in this gay-friendly flick … and Nick Stabile washes his car shirtless! 

Nick Stabile in Bride of Chucky

Neo-slasher Cherry Falls (2000) finds Brittany Murphy and her virtuous friends targeted by a killer who only kills virgins … and for once it would have served her gay BFF (played by Keram Malicki-Sanchez) to whore it up a bit to avoid being on the business end of something pointy. But the film is careful not to suggest that the character is killed because he’s gay … it’s just the unfortunate side effect of being “the only gay in the village” that he also happened to be a virgin, too. And to top it off, the killer’s in drag! 

Brittany Murphy in Cherry Falls

In 2003 Victor Salva followed up his breakout horror sleeper with the entertaining romp Jeepers Creepers 2, or as I like to call it, “Shirtless teen guys on a bus getting eaten”. Seriously, it’s the most homoerotic thing since Freddy’s Revenge … and it also has a closeted gay character named Izzy (“… or isn’t he?”) whose sexuality is a bone of contention with some of the other boys. 

A scene from Jeepers Creepers 2

Wes Craven’s 2005 flop Cursed (with a script by gay writer Kevin Williamson) used the werewolf double-identity shtick to play with sexual identity when the recently-bitten Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg) finds himself awkwardly come out to by school bully Bo (pre-Heroes Milo Ventimiglia). Bo remains gay and survives the film, and we’re led to believe he’s going to lead a happy, out life.

Not quite so lucky is Grady (Rocky Marquette), the gay teen in Tobe Hooper’s wacky horror comedy Mortuary (2005). A heroic gay kid, Grady sadly dies while helping his friend, but we’re at least encouraged to like the kid and his friends clearly mourn his passing … for as long as they have themselves, anyway!