Queer Screams: A History of LGBTQ+ Survival Through the Lens of American Horror Cinema

Abigail Waldron

McFarland, Aug 17, 2022 - Performing Arts - 237 pages

The horror genre mirrors the American queer experience, both positively and negatively, overtly and subtextually, from the lumbering, flower-picking monster of Frankenstein (1931) to the fearless intersectional protagonist of the Fear Street Trilogy (2021). This is a historical look at the queer experiences of the horror genre's characters, performers, authors and filmmakers.

Offering a fresh look at the horror genre's queer roots, this book documents how diverse stories have provided an outlet for queer people--including transgender and non-binary people--to find catharsis and reclamation. Freaks, dolls, serial killers, telekinetic teenagers and Final Girls all have something to contribute to the historical examination of the American LGBTQ+ experience. Ranging from psychiatry to homophobic fear of HIV/AIDS spread and, most recently, the alienation and self-determination of queer America in the Trump era, this is a look into how terror may repair a shattered queer heart.

Contents

• Preface: 1
• Introduction: 7
• 1 The Queens of Hollywood: 21
• 2 Psychos Aliens and Ghosts: 44
• 3 Villainization: 65
• 4 Manifesting Monstrous Bodies: 95
• 5 Exposure: 119
• 6 Queer Resistance: 151
• 7 Catharsis as Revenge: 171
• For Your Viewing Pleasure: 185
• Chapter Notes: 191
• Bibliography: 205
• Index: 225

About the author

Abigail Waldron is a queer historian and horror film scholar whose work can be seen on horror sites such as Horror Press, Gayly Dreadful, and Rue Morgue. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Queer Screams: A History of LGBTQ+ Survival Through the Lens of American Horror Cinema
• Author: Abigail Waldron
• Publisher: McFarland, 2022
• ISBN: 1476647658, 9781476647654
• Length: 237 pages
• Subjects: Performing Arts / Film / Genres / Horror; Social Science / LGBTQ+ Studies / General