The Bloodlist: Ranking the Best Queer Horror Films

#1

🔪 RANK 01: KNIFE+HEART (2018)

2018 Film

“Love is a killer.”

VIBE CHECK:
Neo-Giallo / Slasher / 70s Porn Chic / Melancholic Horror

THE BLOOD SPECS:

THE PLOT: Set in 1979 Paris, Vanessa Paradis stars as Anne, a producer of low-budget gay porn. When her actors begin to be systematically murdered by a masked killer with a uniquely "phallic" weapon, Anne decides to turn the investigation into her next film. It’s a dizzying descent into a world of leather, lace, and a broken heart that refuses to heal.

THE QUEER ANGLE: This isn't just a horror movie with queer characters; it’s a film about the queer community as a chosen family. It explores the heartbreak of a lost love (between Anne and her editor, Loïs) against a backdrop of pure, stylized terror.

THE AESTHETIC: Think neon reds, deep blues, and a soundtrack by M83 that will make you want to cry and run for your life at the same time. It’s a visual and auditory masterpiece.

WHY IT KILLS:
It’s a brutal slasher that isn't afraid to be deeply emotional. It pays homage to masters like Dario Argento while carving out its own identity. It’s camp, it’s gore, and it’s devastatingly beautiful.

BLOODY VERDICT: 8.8 / 10 🩸👑

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#2

❄️ RANK 02: THELMA (2017)

2017 Film

“The most dangerous thing is the truth.”

THE BLOOD SPECS:

THE PLOT: Thelma, a shy student from a strictly religious family, moves to Oslo for university. As she begins to fall for her classmate Anja, she experiences violent, unexplained seizures. These aren't just medical episodes—they are the manifestation of psychokinetic powers that have been buried since childhood. The more she desires Anja, the more the world around her starts to break.

THE QUEER ANGLE: The film uses "supernatural horror" as a literal metaphor for coming out. Thelma’s struggle to control her powers is a direct reflection of her struggle to accept her sexuality in the face of religious guilt. It’s "Lesbian Carrie," but colder, sleeker, and more psychological.

THE AESTHETIC: Scandi-noir at its finest. It’s clinical, snowy, and hauntingly quiet, making the moments of supernatural chaos feel even more explosive.

WHY IT KILLS:
It’s a slow-burn that builds to an absolute heart-stopper of an ending. It explores the idea that our "monstrous" parts are often just the parts of ourselves we weren't allowed to love. It’s intellectual, beautiful, and deeply unsettling.

BLOODY VERDICT: 9.2 / 10 🩸👑

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#3

💅 RANK 03: BODIES BODIES BODIES (2022)

2022 Film

“This is not even a joke.”

VIBE CHECK:
Gen Z Satire / Slasher / Gaslighting / Neon-Noir

THE BLOOD SPECS:

THE PLOT: When a group of rich 20-somethings plans a "hurricane party" at a remote family mansion, they decide to play a murder-in-the-dark game called "Bodies Bodies Bodies." The game turns terrifyingly real when a dead body is actually discovered. As the power goes out and the paranoia goes up, the "friends" turn on each other in a whirlwind of accusations, backstabbing, and accidental carnage.

THE QUEER ANGLE: The central couple, Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) and Bee (Maria Bakalova), anchors the emotional chaos. The film brilliantly explores the "performative" nature of modern relationships and how quickly trust dissolves when you're trapped in a house with people who value their "brand" more than your life.

THE VIBE: Glow sticks, iPhone flashlights, and a killer soundtrack by Charli XCX. It’s a neon-soaked nightmare that feels like a group chat gone horribly wrong.

WHY IT KILLS:
The ending is one of the most brilliant, "face-palm" twists in modern horror history. It mocks our obsession with drama and the way we weaponize therapy-speak to hurt the people we love. It’s a slasher where the "final girl" isn't fighting a monster—she's fighting a lifestyle.

BLOODY VERDICT: 8.5 / 10 🩸👑

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#4

🪓 RANK 04: FEAR STREET TRILOGY (2021)

2021 Series

“It’s not a curse. It’s Shadyside.”

VIBE CHECK:
Slasher Throwback / Historical Horror / Supernatural Epic / 90s & 70s Nostalgia

THE BLOOD SPECS:

THE PLOT: Across three films (1994, 1978, and 1666), we follow the cursed town of Shadyside, where a "witch’s curse" has been causing massacres for centuries. At the center is Deena and her girlfriend Sam. To save Sam from a relentless supernatural hit-squad, Deena has to uncover the truth about Sarah Fier—the woman accused of witchcraft 300 years ago.

THE QUEER ANGLE: This is a rare horror masterpiece where the central romance is queer and driving the entire plot. Deena’s love for Sam is the catalyst for everything. It’s a middle finger to the "Bury Your Gays" trope—here, the queer characters fight, survive, and rewrite history.

THE GORE: It’s brutal. From the infamous bread-slicer scene in 1994 to the summer camp carnage of 1978, these movies do not hold back on the creative kills.

WHY IT KILLS:
It’s a love letter to horror history—shifting from Scream-style meta-slasher to Friday the 13th camp vibes, and finally to The Witch-style folk horror. It’s ambitious, colorful, and features one of the most satisfying endings in the genre.

BLOODY VERDICT: 9.3 / 10 🩸👑

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#5

🥗 RANK 05: EXCESS FLESH (2015)

2015 Film

“You are what you eat.”

VIBE CHECK:
Body Horror / Psychological Torture / Gross-out Indie / Toxic Femininity

THE BLOOD SPECS:

THE PLOT: Jill is obsessed with her roommate, Jennifer. Jennifer is everything Jill isn't: thin, popular, promiscuous, and cruel. As Jill’s jealousy spirals into a full-blown psychotic break, she traps Jennifer in their apartment, leading to a claustrophobic nightmare of binge-eating, self-loathing, and physical mutilation. It is a slow-motion car crash of two lives colliding in a tiny, filthy kitchen.

THE QUEER ANGLE: The obsession between Jill and Jennifer is coded with a dark, repressed eroticism. It’s the "Fatal Attraction" of roommate dynamics—a desperate, distorted need to be someone else that blurs the line between admiration and violent possession.

THE SENSORY OVERLOAD: This film uses "ASMR from hell." The sounds of chewing, swallowing, and skin stretching are cranked up to 100. It’s designed to make you feel physically ill.

WHY IT KILLS:
It’s a brutal satire of the pressure women feel to be perfect. It takes the "internalized monster" of an eating disorder and turns it into a literal, externalized horror show. It’s ugly, it’s mean, and it’s impossible to forget.

BLOODY VERDICT: 7.9 / 10 🩸👑 (10/10 on the "I need a shower" scale)

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#6

🧛‍♀️ RANK 06: THERESA & ALLISON (2019)

2019 Film

“Forever is a long time to be hungry.”

VIBE CHECK:
Gritty Indie / Lesbian Vampires / Urban Horror / Nihilism

THE BLOOD SPECS:

THE PLOT: After a messy breakup and a one-night stand gone wrong, Theresa is turned into a vampire. Lost and starving in a cold, uncaring city, she is taken under the wing of Allison—a seasoned, cynical vampire who has long since given up on her humanity. Allison teaches Theresa how to hunt, how to survive, and how to embrace the monster within, leading to a dark, co-dependent relationship where blood is the only currency.

THE QUEER ANGLE: The film leans heavily into the "vampirism as a metaphor for outsider status" theme. The bond between the two women is intense, toxic, and fueled by a shared isolation from the "normal" world. It’s a raw look at two women finding solace in each other’s shadows.

THE GRIT: This isn't a glossy Hollywood production. It’s dirty, it’s shot on the streets, and the gore feels wet and uncomfortably close. It captures the loneliness of the night in a way that feels very real.

WHY IT KILLS:
It strips away the romance of the vampire mythos. There are no capes or castles here—just cheap apartments, dark alleys, and a desperate need to feed. It’s a "mumblecore" horror movie that isn't afraid to get its teeth bloody.

BLOODY VERDICT: 6.5 / 10 🩸👑

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#7

🪦 RANK 07: CARRION (2020)

2020 Film

“Some things are better left buried.”

VIBE CHECK:
Atmospheric Horror / Grief-Stricken / Psychological / Visceral

THE BLOOD SPECS:

THE PLOT: A young woman returns to her childhood home after the death of her mother. But the house isn't empty—it’s filled with memories that have started to decay. As she struggles with her grief and a fractured relationship, she begins to physically and mentally unravel. The line between her internal trauma and a literal, rotting presence in the house becomes terrifyingly thin.

THE QUEER ANGLE: The film explores the nuances of queer identity through the lens of family trauma and the feeling of being an "other" in one's own home. It’s a quiet, brooding look at the baggage we carry and how it can eventually turn predatory.

THE AESTHETIC: It’s tactile horror. You can almost smell the damp wood and the stagnant air. Every frame feels heavy, like a lungful of smoke.

WHY IT KILLS:
It’s a masterclass in tension. It doesn't rely on jump scares; it relies on a crushing sense of dread. It’s "Elevated Horror" in its purest, most concentrated form. It leaves you with more questions than answers, which is exactly where the true horror lives.

BLOODY VERDICT: 7.8 / 10 🩸👑

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#8

🏰 RANK 08: BATHORY: COUNTESS OF BLOOD (2008)

2008 Film

“The blood is the life.”

VIBE CHECK:
Gothic Epic / Historical Horror / Dark Fantasy / Grand Guignol

THE BLOOD SPECS:

THE PLOT: The film chronicles the life of Erzsébet Báthory, a 16th-century Hungarian noblewoman rumored to have murdered hundreds of girls to bathe in their blood and preserve her youth. But is she a serial killer, or the victim of a political conspiracy in a man’s world? It’s a lavish, chaotic journey through castles, torture chambers, and Renaissance court intrigue.

THE QUEER ANGLE: The film leans into the intense, often homoerotic bonds Elizabeth shares with her female companions and "witches." It explores a world where power and sisterhood are inextricably linked, and where the "monstrous female" is often just a woman who refuses to be controlled by the Church or the State.

THE SCALE: This is "Big Budget Macabre." Massive sets, thousands of costumes, and enough stage blood to fill... well, a bathtub. It feels like a dark opera.

WHY IT KILLS:
It’s a massive, ambitious film that challenges the myth of the "Blood Countess" while still delivering the Gothic atmosphere horror fans crave. Anna Friel gives a towering performance as a woman descending into madness (or perhaps just into history).

BLOODY VERDICT: 8.2 / 10 🩸👑

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#9

✡️ RANK 09 (THE CROWN): ATTACHMENT (2022)

2022 Film

“Love is a dybbuk.”

VIBE CHECK:
Jewish Folklore / Psychological Possession / Romantic Dread / Slow-Burn Horror

THE BLOOD SPECS:

THE PLOT: Maja, a washed-up Danish actress, falls fast and hard for Leah, a Jewish academic from London. When Leah suffers a mysterious seizure, Maja follows her back to the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Stamford Hill. There, she meets Leah’s mother, Chana—a woman who is overprotective, secretive, and deeply suspicious. Maja soon realizes that the "seizures" might be something ancient and malevolent, and the "attachment" between mother and daughter is more literal than she ever imagined.

THE QUEER ANGLE: The romance between Maja and Leah is beautiful and grounded, which makes the encroaching horror feel like a personal violation. It explores how new love can be blinded by red flags when those flags are wrapped in trauma and folklore.

THE FOLK HORROR: This is one of the best cinematic explorations of Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah). It uses the concept of the Dybbuk—a malicious possessing spirit—to tell a story about family secrets and the weight of the past.

WHY IT KILLS:
It’s a "horror of the hearth." There are no cheap jump-scares here—only a mounting sense of claustrophobia and the terrifying realization that the person you love might not be entirely "theirs." The chemistry is electric, the atmosphere is thick with incense and dread, and the ending will stay with you long after the credits roll.

BLOODY VERDICT: 9.8 / 10 🩸👑

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#10

🇸🇪 RANK 10: ALENA (2015)

2015 Film

“True friends never leave you.”

VIBE CHECK:
Swedish Noir / Psychological Horror / High School Gothic / Revenge

THE BLOOD SPECS:

THE PLOT: Alena has just started at an elite boarding school, but she’s carrying a heavy secret. She is constantly followed by Josefin—a volatile, protective, and violent friend who refuses to let anyone get close to Alena. When the school’s "queen bee" starts bullying her and a sweet classmate named Fabienne shows romantic interest, Josefin’s jealousy turns lethal. But the real horror lies in the truth about who Josefin actually is.

THE QUEER ANGLE: The film is a haunting exploration of "Sapphic tragedy." It deals with the trauma of a past relationship that won't stay buried and the terrifying way that love can turn into a haunting. The tension between Alena and Fabienne is the light in an otherwise pitch-black story.

THE SCANDI-STYLE: It’s sleek, cold, and minimalist. The violence, when it happens, is sudden and shocking, cutting through the quiet hallways like a razor blade.

WHY IT KILLS:
It’s a "Mean Girls" slasher reimagined as a moody, psychological character study. It captures the isolation of being the "weird girl" at a boarding school and pushes it to a bloody, tragic extreme. It’s a slow-burn mystery with a payoff that feels like a punch to the heart.

BLOODY VERDICT: 8.4 / 10 🩸👑

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THE BLOODLIST: The Queer Horror Royalty

Why these films matter

Ranking Overview

The ranking

🔪 RANK 01: KNIFE+HEART (2018)

❄️ RANK 02: THELMA (2017)

💅 RANK 03: BODIES BODIES BODIES (2022)

🪓 RANK 04: FEAR STREET TRILOGY (2021)

🥗 RANK 05: EXCESS FLESH (2015)

🧛‍♀️ RANK 06: THERESA & ALLISON (2019)

🪦 RANK 07: CARRION (2020)

🏰 RANK 08: BATHORY: COUNTESS OF BLOOD (2008)

✡️ RANK 09 (THE CROWN): ATTACHMENT (2022)

🇸🇪 RANK 10: ALENA (2015)

Editorial notes

Why these films matter

Ranking Overview

The ranking

🔪 RANK 01: KNIFE+HEART (2018)

❄️ RANK 02: THELMA (2017)

💅 RANK 03: BODIES BODIES BODIES (2022)

🪓 RANK 04: FEAR STREET TRILOGY (2021)

🥗 RANK 05: EXCESS FLESH (2015)

🧛‍♀️ RANK 06: THERESA & ALLISON (2019)

🪦 RANK 07: CARRION (2020)

🏰 RANK 08: BATHORY: COUNTESS OF BLOOD (2008)

✡️ RANK 09 (THE CROWN): ATTACHMENT (2022)

🇸🇪 RANK 10: ALENA (2015)

Editorial notes

Related queer film guides