It’s that time of year where you can feel a chill in the air, and a certain subsection of queers sense their powers growing in the lead-up to Halloween—or, as we like to call it, “Gay Christmas.”
Yes, Halloween is a big deal for us. Aside from the excuse to wear ridiculous outfits in public, it’s also the perfect time to cozy up on the couch to watch some frightening film favorites, camp classics, and anything that falls into the large middle of the Venn Diagram where those two intersect.
And we’re excited to report that there’s an awful lot of future favorites on the way, with some queer and queer-adjacent spooky movies and television series dropping over the next few months.
To help you keep track, we’ve assembled a special trailer round-up of all the notable Halloween-season treats to help you have a very Merry Scary Gay Christmas this year.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Hocus Pocus 2
For so many gays, Hocus Pocus is Halloween. Yes, this millennial favorite put a spell on us back in 1993, with its trio of bewitching performances and its giddy blend of the magical and the macabre. Perhaps that’s why fans have been calling for a sequel for what feels like centuries. Well, now they’re getting their wish as Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy all return to play the Sanderson Sisters, back to haunt and delight us with their witchy ways. And this time, they’re bringing drag queens!
Streams September 30 exclusively on Disney+.
Related: Bette Midler is single-handedly tanking ‘Hocus Pocus 2’ with her tweets and OMFG what a disaster
My Best Friend’s Exorcism
Based on Grady Hendrix’s acclaimed novel, this eerie tale of friendship blends ’80s nostalgia with satanic panic for a one-of-a-kind horror-comedy. Eighth Grade‘s Elsie Fisher stars as Abby a teen whose BFF Gretchen (Amiah Miller) starts acting strange after a creepy late-night encounter—could it be a case of classic teen hormones, or something more… demonic? Many picked up on queer subtext in the novel, so we’re curious to see if this adaptation will bring it to the forefront.
Premieres September 30 on Amazon Prime Video
Interview With The Vampire
If you found yourself watching 1994’s Interview With A Vampire, waiting for Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt’s brooding bloodsuckers to kiss, then have we got a show for you! The upcoming AMC adaptation revisits the story of Anne Rice’s classic gothic novel but leans into the queer subtext to delightful effect. Sam Reid fills in for Cruise as the fearsome Lestat, with Game Of Thrones‘ Jacob Anderson as conflicted newbie vampire Louie. We’re happy to report their on-screen chemistry is to die for!
Premieres October 2 on AMC and its streaming service, AMC+
Related: ‘Freddy’s Revenge’, and 10 other screamingly sexy queer Halloween horror films
The Midnight Club
It’s become a seasonal tradition for Netflix to offer up a scary new series every year from Mike Flanagan, the creator behind The Haunting Of Hill House and Midnight Mass. And, this year, Flanagan and the streamer have two tricks up their sleeve, the first of which is the slightly younger-skewing—but no less freaky—The Midnight Club. Based on a popular YA novel, it follows a group of terminally ill teens who pass time in hospice by swapping scary stories… until they find out they’re actually living one.
Premieres October 7 on Netflix.
Hellraiser
One of the signature frights of gay horror maestro Clive Barker will come screaming back to life in this remake from rising director David Bruckner (The Ritual, The Night House). Plot details have been hard to scare up, but we know the supernatural Cenobites—horrifying faces both new and old—will return to our earthly realm for some sadistic pleasure-seeking. We also know that this Hellraiser has a pretty awesome, queer-friendly cast including trans actress Jamie Clayton (Sense8) as the demonic and iconic Pinhead.
Premieres October 7 on Hulu.
Chucky
Wanna play? First introduced in 1988’s Child’s Play, Chucky just keeps managing to slash his way back into our hearts. Spearheaded by original filmmaker Don Mancini, this TV adaptation of the demented doll’s ongoing misadventures was one of the surprise delights of last year—particularly for the way it told a thoughtful, gay coming-of-age story amid all the bloody mayhem. So we’re pretty thrilled for season two, especially because the new episodes promise more Jennifer Tilly and the return of genderfluid icon, Glen/da!
Season 2 premieres October 9 on Syfy and USA.
Related: ‘Chucky’ series’ same-sex teen kiss is all sorts of adorable
Halloween Ends
No amount of Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer, or Real Housewives‘ Kyle Richards could save Halloween Kills from being a disappointment, but that doesn’t quell our anticipation for Halloween Ends, the conclusion to David Gordon Green’s “legacyquel” slasher trilogy. Curtis is back with a vengeance as original scream queen Laurie Strode, ready to put an end to the specter that’s haunted her for decades, Michael Myers. We can’t help but squeal when she says, “Come and get me, motherf*cker!”
Hits theaters everywhere on October 14.
Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet Of Curiosities
Filmmaking Teddy Bear Guillermo del Toro has a way with stories that scare us and fill us with wonder at the same time. That principal is at the core of his new horror anthology series, Cabinet Of Curiosities, which assembles a thrilling roster of filmmakers (including The Babadook‘s Jennifer Kent and Mandy‘s Panos Cosmatos) for eight original tales that showcase the horror and the beauty of the world, with that distinctive del Toro flair for creatures that’ll haunt your nightmares.
Begins streaming October 25 on Netflix.
Wednesday
Though the creepy, kooky, and all-together “ooky” Addams Family has been around, in some form, since 1938, certain generations will always remember their two ’90s movies, which featured—among many iconic roles—Christina Ricci as the Wednesday Addams. It’s wild to think that anyone could fill her shoes, but it sure looks like Netflix found a worthy successor in new scream queen Jenna Ortega (Scream, X), who plays the eponymous teens as she heads off to the mysterious Nevermore Academy. With Tim Burton behind the scenes, Ortega will be joined by Gwendoline Christie, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Luis Guzmán, and, yes, the O.G. herself, Ricci.
This Netflix original is slated to debut some time this fall.
Also be on the lookout for…
They don’t have trailers yet, but there are few other titles that have us biting our nails in fear and anticipation.
- Hellraiser: One of the signature scares of gay horror maestro Clive Barker will come screaming back to life in this remake, which notably features trans actress Jamie Clayton as the demonic and iconic Pinhead. Expected to hit Hulu this fall.
bachy
I’m super looking forward to Wednesday Addams. There was a young artist who was writing and performing her own series of Wednesday Addams skits on YouTube a number of years ago. Her skits were very dark, witty, combining dating with murder and other gruesome activities. Very creative and hilarious, capturing Wednesday’s dry delivery. I think the franchise eventually shut her down for legal reasons. Glad to see the concept has been resurrected. Hoping they hired that young writer/director/actress for some of the material – she was really good.
SFMike
It’s 2022 and I guess we have to expect there will be a race change in all characters in an Anne Rice series to make it PC for AMC. I was looking forward to this but it looks very cheap and thrown together. I’ll give it a chance, but my high hopes have been squelched. Sad.
missvamp
agreed. i was hoping for more, since anne’s soon was so heavily involved. but it doesn’t look promising. they waited so long & shopped it to so many networks. i think they choose poorly. it should have been any other network. hbo, prime or even netflix would have let them go with more gore & def more sex. the fact it will be shown on network cable, as well as streaming says it’s going to be watered down.
LAGuy
I agree too. This looks more like a CW inspired Vampire Diaries or the horrible offshoot of it…The Originals.
SumSay
After seeing the behind the scenes doc of creating AMC’s Interview With the Vampire, I’ll be watching it. It’s getting a lot of undeserved hate. It’s not the books page for page, but the producers and showrunner’s reasons for doing it this way makes total sense.