| Queer Horror |
Article Index for Queer |
Website Links For Queer |
Information AboutQueer Horror |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT QUEER HORROR | |
| horror | |
| lgbt culture | |
| sexuality and society | |
| lgbt literature | |
| lgbt-related films | |
| lgbt history | |
| shapeshifting | |
| vampires | |
|
OVERVIEW Queer Horror grew out of a combination of the Horror Fiction and Romantic fiction. In turn, both of these areas developed from the Gothic Novel . Many of the earliest examples of gothic literature were either created by queer authors or had same-sex attraction as subtext within them. One of the earliest works by Sheridan Le Fanu is the Vampire Novella '' Carmilla '' printed in the collection ''In a Glass Darkly'' in 1872. However, the lesbian vampire in '' Carmilla '' was adapted from an even earlier narritive poem entitled '' Christabel '' by Samuel Taylor Coleridge , in 1797 (and 1800). The first gay vampire story was published by the first gay rights pioneers, Karl Heinrich Ulrichs . In Matrosengeschichten (Sailor Stories) the story ''Manor'' describes a relationship between two young boys, one of whom is a vampire. Other early pioneers of the queer horror genre include John Polidori , Lord Byron , Henry James , Algernon Blackwood , Matthew Gregory Lewis and Oscar Wilde . Books were generally controlled by larger publishers and this made it very difficult for queers to get their message out. Queer Horror got a boost with the advent of the the pulp novel, a cheap way to manufacture paperback novels that became popularlized during WWII. The war also provided another unanticipated side effect, many gay or lesbian military personelle were discharged when their same-sex desires were discovered. They were dropped off in the nearest port, and generally chose to stay there rather than go back home. This gave rise to gay ghettos, where GLBT folks began to learn that they weren't alone and began to reach out. The pulp novel gave them a good way to start. ''Three on a Broomstick'' by Don Holliday is the earliest example of the gay horror pulp. The advent of the movie provided a new way to start reaching out to people and exploring new subject matter, and brought forth another wave of queers making horror, such as F.W. Murnau , Ed Wood, Jr. and James Whale . Unfortunately, the fear of the times caused society to enforce morality and sensorship. In Hollywood this was seen with the start of the Production Code , which limited what was allowed to be seen onscreen. Amongst many other things, this included onscreen portrayals of homosexuality. While this prevented overt displays of homosexuality from being shown, films like Dracula's Daughter and The Haunting pushed the envelope by showing what they could, coding it so that other gays and lesbians could see it, but those that wanted to ignore it still could. But the gay community had started to find its voice, and in 1968, the Stonewall Riots occurred, forcing America to accept that the modern queer was visible, and was not going to be ignored. This change in morality, along with declining movie sales due to the popularization of the television, began to loosten the Production Code, allowing gays to be seen on screen and eventually to tell their stories. BIBLIOGRAPHY
FILMOGRAPHY
AWARDS
SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|