The Shudder documentary series Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror is still a month away, but the network is already giving us chills with their new alternative posters featuring several of our LGBTQ+ faves in looks inspired by classic monsters.
In the four-part docuseries, Bryan Fuller, creator of the horror-thriller television series, Hannibal, analyzes queerness in the genre and the history of the LGBTQ+ community’s role in horror starting all the way back with the genre’s queer pioneers Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker, and Oscar Wilde. And will touch on how queer horror has evolved over time from “the pansy craze of the 1920s that influenced Universal Monsters and Hitchcock; from the ‘lavender scare’ alien invasion films of the mid-20th century to the AIDS-obsessed bloodletting of '80s vampire films; through genre-bending horrors from a new generation of queer creators,” reads the press release.
In anticipation of the September 29 release Shudder has released new posters featuring beloved drag queens and queer icons who give a unique twist to some of horror’s most archetypal characters.
BenDeLACreme as “Wolf Teen”
Known for her iconic run in both the sixth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race: All Stars, BenDeLACreme takes on a whole new lewk: “Wolf Teen,” inspired by the 1957 film I Was a Teenage Werewolf.
Mayhem Miller as “Reanimated Bride”
Mayhem Miller takes a spin on Frankenstein's Bride in her look as the “Reanimated Bride.” Miller placed 10th on the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, and has become a prominent figure in the West Hollywood drag scene. Her look is inspired from one of cinema's most iconic horror films, The Bride of Frankenstein. Since the film’s release in 1935, it has been re-examined as a gay parable for its queer subtext.
Saturn Risin9 as “Painted Vampire”
Queer musician known for hit songs “The Cost” and “Venus Virgo,” Saturn Risin9, is featured as the “Painted Vampire” as inspired by Grace Jones' sanguine turn in Vamp. Vampires have been regarded as a symbol of erotica within the world of horror and have been queer all they back to the 1871 novella, “Carmilla.”
Orange Is the New Black's Lea DeLaria strikes the iconic pose of Alfred Hitchcock. The iconic director was responsible for such classics as Psycho and Marnie which both, like many of his works, when looked under a queer lens are filled with subtly veiled references that code as queer.
The truth is horror, a genre about outsiders and wierdos is innately queer. We can't wait to see the Shudder series tackle the subject when Queer For Fear: A History of Queer Horror premieres on the stream service on September 29.
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