The 20 Best LGBTQ+ Horror Movies To Watch This Halloween

If you want chills with characters and themes that actually reflect queer lives, these movies deliver scares alongside stories centered on identity, desire, and community. You will find cult classics, indie gems, and recent hits that put LGBTQ+ characters at the heart of the terror rather than on the margins. Many of these films explore fear through code, subtext, or direct representation, which makes them fascinating time capsules as well as great watches. Queue them up, dim the lights, and let the horror do the talking.

‘A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge’ (1985)

This sequel follows teen Jesse Walsh as he becomes the target and vessel of Freddy Krueger after moving into Nancy’s old house. Director Jack Sholder leans into possession and repression as Jesse’s nightmares bleed into waking life. Mark Patton’s performance became a landmark for discussions of queer subtext in mainstream horror. The film’s gym scene, friendships, and fears around exposure turned it into a key text for LGBTQ+ horror history.

‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ (1975)

Newlyweds Brad and Janet stumble into a castle run by Dr. Frank-N-Furter and an entourage of eccentric guests on a stormy night. The story mixes sci-fi and gothic horror with camp musical numbers that celebrate fluid sexuality and self-expression. Tim Curry’s performance helped cement the film’s legacy as a safe space for midnight audiences. Its interactive screenings and costumes created a community ritual that has lasted for decades.

‘Hellbent’ (2004)

Set during a West Hollywood Halloween carnival, this slasher follows a group of friends stalked by a silent killer in a devil mask. Director Paul Etheredge-Ouzts foregrounds gay characters and spaces without treating them as novelty. Practical effects and street-level locations give the chase scenes a gritty energy. It is widely cited as the first modern slasher to center gay protagonists throughout the narrative.

‘The Hunger’ (1983)

A centuries-old vampire couple in Manhattan draws a young doctor into their orbit when one begins aging rapidly and seeks a cure. Tony Scott’s film blends horror with moody urban romance and striking production design. Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon drive a triangle of seduction, jealousy, and immortality. The result is a sleek tale of desire and decay anchored by a queer vampire lineage.

‘What Keeps You Alive’ (2018)

A married couple celebrates an anniversary at a remote lakeside house where survival instincts quickly replace romance. Writer-director Colin Minihan builds tension from shifting power dynamics and intimate knowledge between partners. The natural terrain becomes part of the trap as plans, weapons, and false assurances accumulate. It is a compact survival thriller that places a lesbian relationship at the center of every twist.

‘Knife+Heart’ (2018)

In late-1970s Paris, a producer of gay adult films grapples with a masked killer targeting her performers. Vanessa Paradis plays a woman balancing grief, obsession, and art while the investigation unfolds through giallo-style set pieces. The film uses neon-drenched visuals, elaborate kills, and genre references to examine community and memory. A score by M83 underscores its hypnotic mood and nightclub atmosphere.

‘Thelma’ (2017)

A first-year student leaves her religious home for university and finds herself drawn to a classmate as unexplained seizures begin. As she navigates attraction and guilt, suppressed abilities surface with destructive force. Director Joachim Trier uses supernatural elements to chart a coming-of-age marked by control and liberation. The film blends romance and psychic horror to explore identity formation.

‘Bit’ (2019)

A teenager arrives in Los Angeles and falls in with a tight-knit vampire crew that runs the night by strict rules. The group rejects turning men as a response to abuse of power within vampire myths. Nicole Maines leads a cast that treats transformation as both danger and empowerment. The story reframes immortality as a space to define yourself on your own terms.

‘Lyle’ (2014)

After a family tragedy in a Brooklyn brownstone, a pregnant woman begins to suspect that her neighbors are part of a conspiracy. Gaby Hoffmann plays a mother whose grief and paranoia turn every smile into a potential threat. The film uses intimate spaces, prying conversations, and nursery preparations to build dread. It echoes classic apartment horrors while centering a lesbian couple and their community.

‘Spiral’ (2019)

A gay couple and their teenage daughter move to a quiet town for a fresh start and encounter cryptic neighbors and strange rituals. The story uses home videos, parties, and small-town smiles to show how hostility can hide in plain sight. Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman’s character uncovers patterns of violence targeting outsiders. It links queer experience to folk-horror traditions about conformity and sacrifice.

‘The Retreat’ (2021)

A weekend getaway turns into a fight for survival when a couple is targeted by violent assailants in the countryside. The film refuses the usual helpless-victim setup by letting its leads plan, adapt, and push back. Tracking shots through cabins and fields create a clean geography for cat-and-mouse tension. It is a lean survival story that treats homophobia as a real-world monster.

‘They/Them’ (2022)

Campers arrive at a conversion program run by a charismatic director where therapy exercises share space with slasher mayhem. The film assembles a cast of queer and trans teens whose alliances shape the survival stakes. Games, cabin raids, and masked attacks expose the harm at the core of the camp’s mission. Veteran genre elements are repurposed to confront institutional abuse.

‘Fear Street: 1994’ (2021)

A string of killings in a cursed town pulls a group of teens into a centuries-long mystery tied to a past romance. The narrative balances mall mayhem, school hallways, and witch-hunt lore with a central love story. Needle drops and practical gore anchor the throwback vibe while moving the larger trilogy forward. It gives a queer couple the emotional spine of an old-school slasher.

‘Jennifer’s Body’ (2009)

After a botched ritual, a high school cheerleader develops a hunger that puts local boys in danger and strains her closest friendship. The script uses rumors, diaries, and school events to map how power circulates among teens. Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried play a bond tested by possession, jealousy, and small-town expectations. The film blends dark comedy and horror to examine exploitation and desire.

‘The Haunting’ (1963)

Researchers gather at a mansion with a troubled history and encounter phenomena that blur psychology and the supernatural. Theodora emerges as one of the earliest major queer characters in a studio horror film. Robert Wise emphasizes sound design, shadows, and ornate architecture over visible ghosts. The approach influenced decades of haunted-house cinema and character-driven fear.

‘Sleepaway Camp’ (1983)

Campers endure pranks and bullying as a series of murders disrupts summer activities and reveal a traumatic backstory. The film’s ending became infamous for its handling of gender identity. Despite controversy, it remains a reference point in conversations about representation in horror. Its low-budget style, practical effects, and mean-spirited tone helped solidify its cult following.

‘Nightbreed’ (1990)

A troubled man discovers a hidden city of monsters and finds kinship among those labeled as threats by the outside world. Clive Barker adapts his own novella to frame the creatures as a persecuted community. The conflict pits them against a fanatical psychiatrist and a violent human crackdown. Restorations and expanded cuts helped audiences rediscover its allegory and world-building.

‘Stranger by the Lake’ (2013)

At a lakeside cruising spot, a man witnesses a crime and continues pursuing a risky relationship with the prime suspect. The film observes routines, coded glances, and shifting alliances with documentary-like patience. Natural light and isolated locations heighten suspense without conventional jump scares. It builds erotic tension and danger into a single, unbroken environment.

‘The Lighthouse’ (2019)

Two keepers tend a remote lighthouse as isolation, power struggles, and superstition consume their sanity. Dialogue rhythms, close quarters, and ritualized labor sketch a relationship charged with longing and rivalry. The square frame and monochrome photography trap the characters with their secrets. Mythic imagery and storm sequences keep the pressure on until reality cracks.

‘Hypochondriac’ (2022)

A young artist’s life unravels when a childhood trauma resurfaces and a wolf-like figure begins haunting him. The story blends queer romance, family history, and cultural stigma around mental health. Practical effects and sound work track how symptoms invade daily routines. It treats horror imagery as a manifestation of pressure that needs to be named and faced.

Share your favorite LGBTQ+ horror picks in the comments and let everyone know what you are watching this Halloween.