The Daily Stream: 'Queer For Fear' Is A Stylish And Informative Deep Dive Into Horror History

Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.

The Movie: "Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror"

Where You Can Stream It: Shudder and AMC+

The Pitch: Shudder's four-episode docuseries tells the story of queer horror in cinema. It's not just a history lesson, though — it's also wildly entertaining, spicing up its talking-head style cultural commentary with deep-cut archival footage, illustrated readings of historical documents, and a fabulously catchy soundtrack from frequent RuPaul collaborator ShyBoy. It's also the only documentary out there inspired enough to cultivate a wide-ranging conversation that includes "Hannibal" creator Bryan Fuller (who executive produced), gay icon Jennifer Tilly, famed monster actor Doug Jones, author Carmen Maria Machado, roughly a third of the cast of "Yellowjackets," a blood-soaked Alaska Thunderf*** 5000, and /Film's own B.J. Colangelo, to name just a few of its participants.

Unlike many pop culture history docuseries, "Queer For Fear" digs deep into the roots of queer horror and stays there. It's not a "wow, cool!" series of familiar clips, but is packed with facts and clever textual interpretations. It's also a compelling counterargument to often ahistorical conversations about queer representation, one that provides ample evidence that horror, at its very core, was built by the gays. After taking viewers through foundational genre texts including "Dracula" and "Frankenstein," the doc takes an in-depth look at some of the hallmarks of queer horror, from Hitchcockian queer antiheroes to transformation narratives to lesbian vampires.

For as long as horror has existed, LGBTQ+ people have identified with the genre's stories of repressed fears and desires, misunderstood monsters, and outsiders of all sorts. "Queer For Fear" convincingly argues that queer culture doesn't just align well with horror, but that it does so purposely, as the genre has been a vessel through which authors can safely tell queer stories from its very inception. This docuseries isn't the first text to ever posit as much, but it's probably the most fun one. It's easy to breeze through all four episodes of the show, caught up in the charisma of the storytellers, the stylish presentation of the clips, and the seamless blend of cultural analysis, well-sourced history, and personal stories from the vast slate of commentators.

"Queer For Fear" also manages to be accessible to all audiences; you don't have to have any queer horror prerequisites to check this show out. It's cleverly edited, starting with an engrossing, fact-driven baseline history before relaxing and leaning into the humor and heart of its interviewees. At one point, they debate whether Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson) from "Rebecca" is a service top or bottom. At another, they all but turn into the eye emoji about a romantic letter Bram Stoker sent to Walt Whitman, while the author's yearning is brought to life via gorgeously illustrated animations (above). For all its variety and depth, "Queer For Fear" is mercifully lacking in the manufactured emotional moments or oversimplified calls to action that are common with talking head docs. Instead, it trusts real-life, queer horror history to be wild and thrilling enough to warrant our attention on its own — and it is.