It Came from the Closet
Queer Reflections on Horror
Joe Vallese, Joe Vallese
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
It Came from the Closet
Queer Reflections on Horror
Joe Vallese, Joe Vallese
About This Book
Through the lens of horrorâfrom Halloween to Hereditary âqueer and trans writers consider the films that deepened, amplified, and illuminated their own experiences.
Horror movies hold a complicated space in the hearts of the queer community: historically misogynist, and often homo- and transphobic, the genre has also been inadvertently feminist and open to subversive readings. Common tropesâsuch as the circumspect and resilient "final girl, " body possession, costumed villains, secret identities, and things that lurk in the closetâspark moments of eerie familiarity and affective connection. Still, viewers often remain tasked with reading themselves into beloved films, seeking out characters and set pieces that speak to, mirror, and parallel the unique ways queerness encounters the world.
It Came from the Closet features twenty-five essays by writers speaking to this relationship, through connections both empowering and oppressive. From Carmen Maria Machado on Jennifer's Body, Jude Ellison S. Doyle on In My Skin, Addie Tsai on Dead Ringers, and many more, these conversations convey the rich reciprocity between queerness and horror.