Full disclosure at the start of this rec list: neither me nor Anna are the biggest fans of horror, so these recs are really, what we have found that we’ve either a. started and not finished (mostly me, this one), or b. managed to get through without being hidden behind a sofa. There’s a variety of horror here: things you might consider more conventionally horror, some slashers, some horror-comedies, and some more paranormal things. Hopefully, then, something for everyone.
I just want to note here, before we start, that I’ve tried to put accurate CWs in each of these entries. However, having failed to watch all of the recs on this list, inevitably some of them will be lacking. So I’ll be coming back to update those (or, if you’ve watched, feel free to let me know what to add there).
Wreck (2022)
cr. Ryan J. Brown
IMDb
Rep: gay mc, gay li
CWs: suicide mentions, violence
Why Should I Watch It?
More horror-comedy than straight (no pun intended) horror, Wreck follows Jamie, working on a cruise ship and trying to discover what happened to his sister. So it’s a little more thriller-like, but with some horror aspects. It’s only a short series, though, so perfect to binge in a single afternoon.
The Craft: Legacy (2020)
dir. Zoe Lister-Jones
Letterboxd
Rep: trans mc, bi character
CWs: questionable consent, off-screen suicide, murder, snakes, misogyny
Why Should I Watch It?
If something more witchy and paranormal is the vibe you want to be going for, look no further than The Craft: Legacy. After all, who doesn’t want to watch a film about four girls casting a spell on a guy that goes kind of wrong. And one that features a trans actress as a trans character at that!
Fear Street (2021)
dir. Leigh Janiak
Letterboxd
Rep: sapphic mcs
CWs: blood, gore, violence
Why Should I Watch It?
R. L. Stine is, surely, a classic among horror writers, so of course the films based on the Fear Street series ought to be considered a classic too. If you’re looking for horror in the sense of it’s going to scare you out of your wits, then this would be the film and/or series for you.
The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020)
cr. Mike Flanagan
IMDb
Rep: lesbian mc, lesbian li
CWs: suicide
Why Should I Watch It?
Let’s be real: Mike Flanagan makes probably the most consistently high quality horror shows around at the minute. Hill House was incredible, and one I might equally have included on this list. However, in the end, I elected for Bly Manor, because who doesn’t love some ultimately tragic lesbians.
Reality Z (2020)
cr. Tatiana Bacal, João Costa Van Hombeeck & Rodrigo Monte
IMDb
Rep: Brazilian cast, trans mc, bi mc
CWs: violence, death
Why Should I Watch It?
This being one I didn’t manage to see, I feel I must apologise should the quality turn out to be less than optimal (I did see that the trans mc dies in this, so if that’s a dealbreaker for you, feel free to skip). On the other hand, what is a horror list without some zombies? Not worth very much, in my opinion.
Thelma (2017)
dir. Joachim Trier
Letterboxd
Rep: sapphic mc, sapphic li
CWs: religious homophobia, violence, gore
Why Should I Watch It?
Horror, but in the creeping sense of the unknown, powers you can’t control, and you, with no idea what’s going on. Also, how repressed lesbian of it all! Think similar kinds of vibes to the Haunting series, when it comes to cinematography and the beauty of the film, and you’ll have some kind of idea of this one.
The Exorcist (2016-2017)
cr. Jeremy Slater
IMDb
Rep: gay mc, sapphic characters
CWs: gore, body horror, blood
Why Should I Watch It?
Imagine you had an exorcist priest, and the exorcist priest was also a big ol’ fruit, is pretty much the synopsis of this show. I mean, sure there’s more to it than that (a haunted family and a haunted house, ghosts and exorcisms, orthodoxy within the church, genuinely terrifying horror), but let’s be honest. We’re here for the gay priest, aren’t we?
The Girl in the Mirror (2022)
cr. Sergio G. Sánchez
IMDb
Rep: gay mcs, sapphic mc
CWs: car crash, gore, eye injury
Why Should I Watch It?
This show is on my watch list, because it looks intriguing. As such, I can say I think it’s horror, although it might fall more closely into a thriller category. But there’s something uniquely scary about the thought of losing your memory and, perhaps, yourself. Or maybe that’s just me as a psychology grad.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
dir. Halina Reijn
Letterboxd
Rep: sapphic mc, Black sapphic mc
CWs: violence, gore, blood, drug use
Why Should I Watch It?
Up next are two films that, since they’ve almost-but-not-quite only just been released, I’ve not watched. You probably already know about them, but let me add them anyway. The first is Bodies, Bodies, Bodies which, having read the synopsis, I think sounds like enjoyable camp horror comedy. If you’re looking for something a little more slasher-esque, then this might be for you.
They/Them (2022)
dir. John Logan
Letterboxd
Rep: trans nonbinary mc, lesbian mc, Black trans mc, Black gay mc, Korean American bi mc, gay mc
CWs: conversion therapy, homophobia, transphobia, death of an animal
Why Should I Watch It?
Frankly, They/Them sounds like the kind of horror I might watch, noted scaredy cat that I am. I don’t quite know how to explain it (because, as mentioned more than once, I don’t do horror, and also the various rating sites are… not pretty), but in a so bad it’s good way? Maybe? And there’s also a certain catharsis about watching homophobes be the victims of the killer.
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