Fortunately for all of us in the queer community, whether we know it or not, many of our favourite horror franchises have been graced by LGBTQ+ actors. Such franchises include Scream, Hellraiser, It, Candyman, Child’s Play, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Evil Dead, Friday the 13th, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Final Destination, Alien, and of course, A Nightmare on Elm St (we’ll get to the mistreatment of Mark Patton later). Modern-day entries of the Scream, Hellraiser, It, and Candyman franchises even feature canonically queer characters, which, while it is the least we can ask for in terms of progress, is exciting and validating in a genre we hold so close to our hearts.
Despite our wide reach and the undeniable influence that the LGBTQ+ community has always had on the horror genre, it seems there are few, if any, comprehensive lists celebrating queer actors in the genre, which is a shame. In honour of Pride Month, this changes today.
LGBTQ Actors In Horror
This list of LGBTQ actors in horror movies starts with horror newcomers and goes back to classic horror actors from previous generations, from the 80s to the 2020s, in both lead and supporting roles.
Editor’s Note: This list features only those who are confirmed to be in the LGBTQ+ community—no speculation here (sorry, queer conspiracists of Florence Pugh and Margaret Qualley!)
For the record, we do not condone the media or fans demanding that actors come out; However, as part of the queer community, we understand the catch-22 of wanting to speculate on a celebrity’s sexual orientation due to our inherent, deep-seated need to search for relatability, while also wanting to respect said actors’ right to privacy and to come out on their own timeline. It’s easy to wonder if the actors who we know and love are just like us—and the good news is, some of them are!
This list is in no particular order, but numbered for list purposes.
1. Hayden Panettiere
Bonus: She plays a queer (coded) character!
Breaking news: on May 6th, Hayden Panettiere confirmed she is bisexual after coming out in her new memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning (Amazon CA, $30.00; Amazon US, $21.00). Horror fans know her as the beloved scary movie buff Kirby Reed from the Scream franchise (debuting in Scream 4), who, while not canonically queer, has been widely embraced by LGBTQ+ fans as a queer-coded character. Moreover, early drafts of Scream 4 apparently implied that her character was queer, so perhaps fans who clocked a flirty undertone in the banter between Kirby and openly-queer Mindy Meeks-Martin (see entry #2) in Scream 2022 may be right. Between fan speculation and Hayden Panettiere’s recent coming out, Kirby Reed is queer in our books.
2. Jasmin Savoy Brown
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Jasmin Savoy Brown uses she/they pronouns and identifies as queer just like her character, horror nerd extraordinaire, Mindy Meeks-Martin in the Scream sequels (2022’s Scream [5], Scream 6, and Scream 7). Jasmin also co-produced Shudder’s 2022 LGBTQ+ horror docuseries Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror.
Fun Fact: Jasmin co-hosted a queer news podcast called Today In Gay (which Them describes as “a queer and trans version of The Daily”) from 2024 to 2025, which included Bex Taylor-Klaus (who is also on this list!) as a former co-host.
3. Megan Fox
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Atop many a queer awakening movie list is 2009’s Jennifer’s Body. Megan Fox, who plays the titular Jennifer Check, identifies as bixsexual, not unlike her character, who also happens to “go both ways.”
4. Jenna Kanell
Jenna Kanell is best known in the horror community for her role as Tara in Terrifier, but you may also recognize her as Carol from Renfield. While those characters’ respective orientations are unknown, Jenna herself identifies as queer and uses she/they pronouns.
You can still see her playing a queer character in Faceless After Dark, where she portrays a meta version of herself.
5. Hunter Schafer
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Hunter Schafer is best known for her role in the hit TV series Euphoria, but she truly slays as Gretchen in Cuckoo. Gretchen is a queer teenager who is forced to move in with her parents and stay at a creepy hotel in the Bavarian Alps. You can also catch Hunter in a supporting role as Hilda in A24’s Mother Mary, a thriller released earlier this year. Although Hilda’s sexuality is undisclosed, the actress herself is a transgender woman and identifies as “bi or pan or something.”
6. Lili Reinhart
Bonus: She plays a queer (coded) character!
Beloved Gen-Z LGBTQ icon Lili Reinhart identifies as bisexual and, while not explicitly defined as queer, her character, Apple, is certainly contributing to the witchy lesbian vibes of Forbidden Fruits. After all, the film is produced by the iconic Diablo Cody, the writer behind Jennifer’s Body, which could explain the Jennifer/Needy energy between Apple and Cherry (Victoria Pedretti).
7. Alexandra Shipp
Bonus: She plays a queer (coded) character!
Also starring in Forbidden Fruits is Alexandra Shipp. Alexandra plays Fig, whose orientation, while not explicitly stated, seems bisexual, as viewers might pick up on a flirty undertone between Fig and Pumpkin (Lola Tung) before it is revealed that Fig has a secret boyfriend. The actress herself identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community and has publicly come out as gay on her Instagram.
Alexandra also stars in the horror-comedy Tragedy Girls (which is featured later on this list).
8. Inde Navarrette
Inde Navarrette was formerly known for her role in the TV series 13 Reasons Why, but after her Oscar-worthy performance as Nikki in the smash hit Obsession, she has now cemented a well-deserved spot in the horror hall of fame. While Nikki’s orientation was not disclosed in the film, Inde herself identifies as bisexual and has been proudly out since 2020, long before her meteoric rise to fame with Obsession.
9. Michael Johnston
Michael Johnston is best known for playing Corey Bryant, a queer character on the MTV series Teen Wolf, but horror fans will forever recognize him from the previously mentioned It horror movie of the summer, Obsession. While his character, Bear, is by all accounts the quintessential hetero “nice guy”, Michael himself actually identifies as gay.
10. Lukita Maxwell
You may recognize Lukita Maxwell from A24’s recent release Backrooms. While her character, Kat, is by all appearances straight, as she is in a heterosexual relationship in the film, Lukita identifies as queer.
11. Amandla Stenberg
Bonus: They play a queer character!
Amandla Stenberg is nonbinary and identifies as gay. Meanwhile, their character Sophie in Bodies Bodies Bodies is queer, and her queer relationship is at the forefront of the film.
12. Myha’la Herrold
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Rounding out the cast of LGBTQ actors in Bodies Bodies Bodies is Myha’la Herrold. Myha’la plays Jordan, the troublemaker of the friend group. Jordan is characterized as being a lesbian or at least queer. Similarly to her character, Myha’la herself identifies as queer.
You can also catch Myha’la in They Will Kill You, released last March.
13. Lee Pace
Another LGBTQ actor featured in Bodies Bodies Bodies is Lee Pace, who plays everyone’s favourite vet (IYKYK), Craig. While Craig’s sexual orientation is assumed straight (he’s playing opposite Rachel Sennott as Alice’s boyfriend), Lee identifies as a member of the queer community.
14. Ayo Edebiri
You may recognize Ayo Edebiri from 2023’s iconic queer Gen-Z film Bottoms (it’s like queer Superbad), but Ayo has also dipped her toes into horror with A24’s Opus last year. While the sexual orientation of her character Ariel is unspecified, Ayo herself identifies as queer.
15. Hannah Einbinder
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Hannah Einbinder stars as Kris, a queer horror film director in the upcoming queer slasher Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma. Slated for release in August, the film is co-produced by Jane Schoenbrun, the executive director of I Saw The TV Glow (which is also on this list). Similarly to her character, Hannah is also on the LGBTQ+ spectrum and identifies as bisexual.
16. Aubrey Plaza
Aubrey Plaza portrays Andy’s mom in 2019’s Child’s Play, whose sexual orientation is undisclosed, but IRL, Aubrey is bisexual.
You can also catch her in the dark, psychological drama and meta-thriller, Black Bear.
17. Alison Brie
Alison Brie is no stranger to the horror genre, and while her characters’ respective orientations in Scream 4, The Rental, Promising Young Woman, and the 2025 body horror hit Together are either unknown or by all appearances heterosexual, off-screen she identifies as bisexual.
18. Keke Palmer
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Keke Palmer doesn’t identify as straight or gay, but rather “a little bit of everything.”. Keke has a few horror titles under her belt, like a leading role in Ryan Murphy’s TV series Scream Queens and a few episodes of MTV’s Scream TV series, but she really shone on the big screen in Jordan Peele’s sci-fi horror blockbuster, Nope, where she plays the badass lesbian final girl of our dreams.
19. Sophia Bush
Although her character, Grace’s, heterosexual relationship is at the centre of the 2007 remake of The Hitcher, Sophia Bush herself identifies as queer (she came out in 2024—in case you didn’t hear the breaking news in the gay community).
Fun fact: You can also catch her in the lesser-known, video game-themed popcorn horror flick Stay Alive from the early aughts, where she plays October (another presumed straight character, but she looks bi as hell).
20. Anna Paquin
Anna Paquin has been proudly out as a bisexual woman since 2010. While perhaps best known for her lead role in the TV series True Blood, we in the horror community know and love her as Laurie from Trick ‘r Treat, whose sexual orientation was undefined. Some might also remember her brief but iconic appearance in the memorable opening sequence of Scream 4 alongside Kristen Bell, whose characters’ relationship to each other is left ambiguous as to whether they are platonic girlfriends or a couple. You be the judge.
21. Jamie Clayton
Jamie Clayton is a transgender woman and advocate fighting for transgender representation in the entertainment industry. As for her iconic portrayal of “The Priest” (aka Pinhead) in the 2022 Hellraiser reboot, who’s to say this Pinhead isn’t queer?
22. Adam Faison
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
Also featured in the 2022 Hellraiser reboot is Adam Faison. Adam identifies as gay, just like his character Colin, who stars as half of a gay couple opposite Brandon Flynn (see next entry), who are fighting for their lives when the Cenobites are unleashed.
23. Brandon Flynn
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
As previously mentioned, Brandon Flynn stars in 2022’s Hellraiser as Matt, a canonically gay man in a relationship with Colin, played by Adam Faison. Likewise, Brandon himself also identifies as gay.
24. Jojo T. Gibbs
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Jojo (Jonica) T. Gibbs is openly gay and plays the badass best friend we all need, Molly, in Fresh. Molly is also in the LGBTQ+ community as her character is implied to be bisexual.
25. Matt Bomer
Matt Bomer’s character, Eric, in 2006’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning may be assumed straight as he is in a hetero relationship with Jordana Brewster’s character Chrissie, but the actor himself is gay.
26. Clea DuVall
While Clea Duvall’s character, Stokely, in the late-90s teen horror classic The Faculty was, by all appearances, “straight,” the actor herself is a longtime icon in the LGBTQ+ community and identifies as a lesbian.
27. Heather Matarazzo
Heather Matarazzo is primarily known in the horror community from brief appearances in the Scream franchise as Randy’s sister, Martha Meeks (debuting in Scream 3), and in her starring role as an unlucky tourist, Lorna, in Eli Roth’s Hostel: Part II. While both characters’ respective sexual orientations are undefined, Heather herself identifies as a lesbian.
Outside of these roles, she has enthusiastically represented the LGBTQ+ community in numerous acting projects, including a small role on the popular TV series The L Word.
28. Morgan Davies
While Morgan Davies’ character, Danny, in Evil Dead Rise is a cisgender male whose gender identity and sexuality are never explicitly addressed, Morgan is a trans man.
29. Hunter Doohan
In speaking of Evil Dead, Hunter Doohan is set to star in the newest entry in the franchise, Evil Dead Burn, in theatres next month. While we don’t yet know whether his character, Joseph, is queer, Hunter himself identifies as gay.
30. Zoe Terakes
Zoe Terakes identifies as nonbinary and trans masculine and stars as Hayley in the highly rated supernatural horror hit Talk to Me. While their character is not explicitly portrayed as nonbinary, nor is their sexuality ever addressed, the film was egregiously banned in Kuwait simply for including a trans actor. Zoe responded to the Hollywood Reporter headline in an Instagram post stating, “Our film doesn’t actually ever mention my transness, or my queerness. I am a trans actor who happened to get the role. I’m not a theme. I’m a person. Kuwait has banned this film due to my identity alone. Reportedly, this is a first. This is a new precedent. It is targeted and dehumanizing and means to harm us.” Amen to that.
31. Miles Gutierrez-Riley
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
Miles Gutierrez-Riley identifies as queer and is well known for portraying characters across the LGBTQ+ spectrum, including his 2022 horror debut in Smile 2, in which he plays a gay character.
32. Barbie Ferreira
While everyone knows Barbie Ferreira for her role in HBO’s hit TV series Euphoria, she is making her big horror debut in the upcoming splatter horror film Faces of Death (released on streaming last May). She plays the lead heroine, Margot, and while her character’s sexuality is left ambiguous, Barbie calls herself “gay as hell.”
You can also see her make a brief appearance in Jordan Peele’s previously mentioned film Nope.
33. Josie Totah
Josie Totah is a transgender actress also starring in Faces of Death as Samantha, an influencer targeted by the movie’s serial killer. Her character’s gender identity is not referenced in the film.
34. Jonathan Groff
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
Jonathan Groff plays Eric, one half of a gay couple staying at the eponymous cabin in M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock At The Cabin. Likewise, Jonathan also identifies as gay.
35. Ben Aldridge
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
As the other half of the above-mentioned gay couple at the centre of M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock At The Cabin is Andrew, played by Ben Aldridge. Like his character, Ben also identifies as gay.
36. Lukas Gage
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
Lukas Gage plays Patrick, half of another iconic gay couple in Companion opposite Harvey Guillén (see next entry). While his character is gay, Lukas describes his own sexuality as “mostly gay”, saying, “I think I’m queer. Gay 90 percent, 10 percent straight.” In addition to Companion, Lukas has played numerous roles across the LGBTQ+ spectrum, including TV thrillers like You and The White Lotus.
37. Harvey Guillén
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
Horror fans may recognize Harvey Guillén from the TV series What We Do in the Shadows, where he plays a queer character, Guillermo de la Cruz. But he also stars in Companion as Eli, the boyfriend of Lukas Gage’s Patrick. Like some of his characters, Harvey identifies as queer, too.
38. Emma Corrin
While Emma Corrin’s character, Anna Harding, in Nosferatu is, by all appearances, heterosexual, as Anna is in a relationship with one of the male protagonists, offscreen Emma is nonbinary, uses they/them pronouns, and identifies as queer.
39. Justice Smith
Bonus: They play a queer character!
Justice Smith is nonbinary and identifies as queer, similar to his character, Owen, in A24’s groundbreaking film I Saw the TV Glow. Owen is also queer, as he is widely interpreted as transgender in the film.
40. Jack Haven
Bonus: They play a queer character!
Jack Haven also stars in A24’s I Saw the TV Glow alongside Justice Smith, as Owen’s best friend Maddy. While Maddy is a lesbian, Jack is nonbinary, uses they/them pronouns, and identifies as queer.
41. Isabela Merced
Isabela Merced’s character, Kay, may be heterosexual in the Alien: Romulus universe, but IRL Isabela identifies as queer.
42. Zoey Luna
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
While nothing is explicitly queer about the OG 1996 The Craft, 2020’s The Craft: Legacy got a healthy dose of queer representation with the inclusion of the transgender character Lourdes, played by Zoey Luna. The film strikes a fine balance by letting the audience know Lourdes is trans without focusing her entire plotline on her trans identity. Like her character, Zoey is also a trans woman.
43. Bex Taylor-Klaus
Bex Taylor-Klaus is well known for many LGBTQ roles, including bisexual high schooler Audrey in MTV’s Scream TV series. While Bex’s character in Hellfest, Taylor, is seemingly straight, Bex is transgender and identifies as nonbinary and gay.
44. Bella Thorne
Bella Thorne has more than a few contributions to the horror genre in her filmography, including The Babysitter, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, and Saint Clare, where she plays a morally complex serial killer. She has also appeared in TV series such as MTV’s Scream and a season 2 episode of American Horror Stories. As of last Friday, you can also catch Bella in the thriller Find Your Friends, streaming on Shudder. While the sexual orientation of her characters in these movies and shows is either undisclosed or assumed straight (although she did share a kiss with Samara Weaving’s character in The Babysitter), Bella herself identifies as pansexual.
Fun Fact: Adapted from Don Roff’s 2021 novel Clare at 16, Saint Clare was co-screenwritten by Guinevere Turner, who is also on this list!
45. Zión Moreno
In speaking of Find Your Friends, transgender actress Zión Moreno also stars in this Shudder Original film (released last Friday) and in the horror-comedy Corporate Retreat. In both films, the actress’s trans identity is not relevant to her characters, and her orientation is not disclosed.
46. Misha Osherovich
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Misha Osherovich is well known for her role as the iconic gay bestie, Josh, in Freaky. Since her role in Freaky, she has come out as transgender. Misha identifies as queer and uses she/they pronouns.
47. Corey Fogelmanis
Corey Fogelmanis is well known for playing queer characters, some of which are in the YA horror genre, but he is best known to horror fans for his role as Andy in Ma. While he plays a presumably straight character (as he is in a heterosexual relationship with a female character), Corey himself identifies as queer.
48. Luke Evans
Luke Evans also appears in Ma, playing the father to Corey Fogelmanis’s character and a high school acquaintance of the titular Ma. While his character in Ma is presumed straight since he is in a heterosexual relationship with a woman, the actor himself is gay.
49. Theo Germaine
Bonus: They play a queer character!
It’s no surprise that the conversion camp horror movie They/Them would feature several actors that span the LGBTQ+ spectrum (as they should, given the subject matter!) Theo Germaine’s character, Jordan, emerged as a natural leader at the camp. Like their character, Theo is transgender, identifies as nonbinary, and uses they/them pronouns.
50. Cooper Koch
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
Cooper Koch is well-known for playing Erik Menendez in the TV series Monster, but his horror debut was in They/Them as a closeted jock, Stu, forced to face the horrors of a conversion camp. Like Stu, Cooper is also gay.
51. Quei Tann
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Quei Tann is not only an actress but a producer, comedian, and transgender activist. She is no stranger to horror, with parts in 2018’s Cam and season 11 of American Horror Story. In They/Them, she plays a trans woman, Alexandra, whose parents threatened to kick her out if she didn’t join the conversion camp. Like her character, Quei Tann is also a transgender woman.
52. Austin Crute
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
Austin Crute has played many gay characters, including Toby, a young gay man forced to attend a conversion camp in They/Them. Just like his character, Austin is gay in real life.
53. Monique Kim
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Monique Kim’s horror debut was playing Veronica, a repressed bisexual woman sent to a conversion camp in They/Them. Monique herself is nonbinary and uses she/they pronouns.
54. Darwin del Fabro
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Rounding out our list of campers is Gabriel, played by Darwin del Fabro. The character of Gabriel is a shy outsider who keeps his reasons for being at the conversion camp a mystery, although he is assumed to be gay. The actor herself has since transitioned from male to female and uses she/her pronouns.
55. Indya Moore
Indya Moore is transgender, nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns. They are a trans activist and actor, known in the horror community for Escape Room: Tournament Of The Champions, in which they play Brianna, whose orientation is undisclosed.
56. Kiersey Clemons
Kiersey Clemons has had many lesbian roles in her acting career, but in her horror debut as Julia in Antebellum, her orientation is unspecified. In real life, the actress identifies as queer.
57. Jena Malone
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Jena Malone stars in the dark, queer horror-thriller The Neon Demon, where her character Ruby is a true lesbian villain who drives the plot of the film. Offscreen, the actress identifies as pansexual.
She also plays another villain in the previously mentioned folk-horror film Antebellum. Other horror credits include Amy in 2008’s The Ruins, and Gretchen in the 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko.
58. Laverne Cox
Laverne Cox is a talented actress and LGBTQ activist, well-known for her role in Orange Is the New Black, but in the horror community, she is known for her supporting role in Emerald Fennell’s 2020 hit Promising Young Woman. She plays Gail, a character who provides much-needed warmth, humour, and levity to an otherwise dark film. Although Laverne is a transgender woman, her character’s trans identity and orientation are never explicitly discussed in the film.
59. Colman Domingo
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
Colman Domingo made his big screen horror debut in Jordan Peele’s 2021 Candyman sequel as an openly gay man, Grady, in a relationship with Troy (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett). Colman also starred in the TV series Fear The Walking Dead from 2015 to 2023. Like his Candyman character, Colman is also a gay man.
60. Carl Clemons-Hopkins
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
Also in Candyman is Carl Clemons-Hopkins, who plays a supporting role as Jameson, whom he describes as a nonbinary artist. Likewise, Carl is nonbinary, uses they/them pronouns, and identifies as queer.
61. Chloë Grace Moretz
Chloë Grace Moretz has plenty of horror credits to her name, including 2018’s Suspiria, Let Me In, Greta, and most famously, as Carrie White in the female-directed Carrie remake back in 2013. While these characters are all presumably straight (although her character in Greta could have a queer reading), Chloë herself came out as gay in 2024.
62. Tilda Swinton
Also starring in Suspiria is Tilda Swinton, delivering a memorable performance as Madame Blanc (and, allegedly, Dr. Klemperer). While Madame Blanc is fem-presenting and her sexuality is left open to interpretation, Tilda is nonbinary, views gender as a “transformative possibility,” and uses she/they pronouns. She also identifies as queer. Tilda told British Vogue, “I’m very clear that queer is actually, for me anyway, to do with sensibility. I always felt I was queer—I was just looking for my queer circus, and I found it. And having found it, it’s my world.”
63. Lachlan Watson
Bonus: They play a queer character!
Lachlan Watson is known primarily for their TV roles in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Don Mancini’s Chucky, but they made their big screen horror debut in A24’s Y2K in 2024. Lachlan plays Ash, a character whose orientation is left ambiguous; However, Ash does question if they are gay at points during the film as they navigate figuring out their sexuality. Offscreen, Lachlan identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.
64. Jane Widdop
Bonus: They play a queer character!
Jane Widdop stars as Winnie, our main protagonist in It’s A Wonderful Knife, a subversive, slasher take on It’s A Wonderful Life. Winnie is canonically a queer character, as she is in a romantic relationship with a character who identifies as female. Although Winnie’s character uses she/her pronouns in the film, the actor themself uses they/them pronouns and identifies as nonbinary and queer.
65. Jess McLeod
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Jess McLeod plays Bernie, the romantic interest opposite Jane Widdop’s previously mentioned character in It’s A Wonderful Knife. Although the character of Bernie uses she/her pronouns, Jess identifies as nonbinary. In speaking of nonbinary, Jess also stars in their self-directed short She’s Nonbinary, which was co-produced by Jane Schoenbrun, the executive director of I Saw The TV Glow and the director of Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, set to release in August (which also happens to star Jess McLeod!)
66. Brianna Hildebrand:
Brianna Hildebrand is best known for her role as X-Men trainee Negasonic Teenage Warhead, an openly lesbian character in the Deadpool franchise. Horror fans might know her better for her starring role as Sadie in Tragedy Girls, alongside the previously mentioned LGBTQ actress Alexandra Shipp. Although Sadie is merely queer-coded (the close, co-dependent relationship between the main characters could have a queer reading), Brianna identifies as gay.
67. Nicole Maines
Bonus: She plays a queer character!
Nicole Maines is a transgender actress and activist, perhaps best known for her role in the TV series Supergirl or her 10-episode stint on the hit TV series Yellowjackets, but she also stars in a lesser-known but iconic queer feminist vampire movie Bit. As IMDB describes, Nicole stars as Laurel, “a transgender teenage girl on summer vacation in Los Angeles [who] fights to survive after she falls in with four queer feminist vampires, who try to rid the city’s streets of predatory men”. Sounds gay. We’re in.
68. Hugh Skinner
Hugh Skinner is most recognized for his role in The Witcher, but horror fans might know him from his starring role in the folk vampire horror film The Invitation. While his character, Oliver, is depicted in a heterosexual relationship, the actor himself is gay.
69. Thora Birch
Although Thora Birch isn’t famous for her horror projects (unless of course, you count Hocus Pocus), she has been in a handful of horror/thrillers like The Hole, Deadline (with the late Brittany Murphy) and Dark Corners, all in which she plays presumably hetero characters. Like some others on this list, Thora just came out as bisexual this year on May 21st.
If you’re looking for more Thora Birch horror titles, she also stars in 9 episodes of The Walking Dead and, most recently, an episode of Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches.
70. Mark Patton
Mark Patton’s role as Jesse Walsh in the 1985 film A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge was unforgettable, but it nearly destroyed him. As discussed in the must-watch documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street, a closeted Mark was forced to play a “straight” character, Jesse Walsh, with a strong homoerotic subtext that was considered controversial at the time of the film’s release. This tragically resulted in Mark being barraged with homophobic criticism that drove him out of Hollywood. While it is exceptionally disappointing that the film’s screenwriter, David Chaskin, denies any culpability in the controversy, we are happy to see that Mark has found the strength to move on from the past controversy and is living his life today as a proud gay man.
71. Cassandra Peterson
Elvira needs no introduction. This vampy scream queen has been a queer icon since the 80s, and now her icon status is official since coming out in her 2012 memoir, Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark (Amazon CA, $22.99; Amazon US, $13.57). While the character of Elvira is not explicitly queer, the mythology of Elvira could have a queer reading. Lending to this reading is the fact that Cassandra Peterson, the genius behind the campy persona of Elvira, identifies as “sexually fluid” herself.
Of course, you can catch Elvira in many iconic TV appearances like Elvira’s Movie Macabre, and her first feature film, 1998’s Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. But don’t overlook Cassandra Peterson’s other work, like All About Evil, a horror-comedy that also stars LGBTQ icon/ally Natasha Lyonne. What more could you ask for?
72. Amanda Bearse
Amanda Bearse made a brief but memorable appearance in the horror community as Charley Brewster’s girlfriend, Amy, in the original 1985 Fright Night. While her character is by all appearances straight, Amanda identifies as a lesbian.
73. Tom McBride
In the horror community, Tom McBride is known for his role as Mark in Friday the 13th: Part 2. Tom was an openly gay man, and the story of his life in New York City is told in the documentary Life and Death on the A-List. Tom was tragically a victim of the AIDS epidemic in 1995, but his legacy lives on in this Friday the 13th sequel.
74. Susan Blu
Susan Blu stars in Friday the 13th: The New Blood (aka Friday the 13th Part 7) as the mother of the film’s main protagonist, Tina. While her character is portrayed as straight (she’s in a heterosexual relationship with her husband), Susan herself identifies as gay. In fact, this Friday the 13th entry was lovingly dubbed by LGBTQ+ Jason fans as Frigay the 13th because Susan is just one of many gay actors playing straight characters in the film (see our Honourable Mentions).
75. Kevin Spritas
Also starring in Friday the 13th: The New Blood is Kevin Spritas as Nick. While Nick is characterized as straight, Kevin himself is an openly gay actor who has received the Hollywood Museum’s Hollywood Trailblazer Award, and whose work is featured in the Real to Reel Exhibit: Portrayals and Perceptions of LGBTQ+ in Hollywood at the museum.
Honourable Mentions
These actors may have small roles, but still slay with the screen time they have…
Craig Thomas, Jeff Bennett, and William “Bill” Butler
As previously mentioned, Friday the 13th: The New Blood is pretty queer for an otherwise “straight” franchise with multiple gay actors playing straight characters. Openly gay actor (and now writer-director) William “Bill” Butler recounts the exploits of himself and the film’s other gay cast members, including Kevin Spiritas (mentioned above), Craig Thomas, and Jeff Bennett, in Peter Bracke’s book, Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13th (Amazon CA, $66.00; Amazon US, $42.11). While all of these actors have multiple horror credits to their name, they are best known for Friday the 13th: The New Blood.
Editor’s Note: Since these are apparently secondhand accounts published in the book, they are in the Honourable Mentions category. I guess we will have to read the book to find out!
Clayton Farris
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
Although a small part, Clayton Farris was featured in the smash hit Weapons as Terry, the boyfriend of the elementary school principal whose students have gone missing. Like his character, Clayton also identifies as queer.
Taylor Frey
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
Taylor Frey has plenty of LGBTQ acting projects on his resume, but horror fans will recognize him from It: Chapter Two, where he plays Don, a minor yet pivotal character in a gay relationship with Adrian (played by Xavier Dolan). Both characters tragically experience a homophobic attack, which sets off a chain of events in the film. Like his character, Taylor is also gay.
Xavier Dolan
Bonus: He plays a queer character!
Xavier Dolan is a triple threat with many acting, directing, and producing credits to his name. One such credit is It: Chapter Two, where he plays a minor but influential gay character, Adrian, who, as previously mentioned, suffers a homophobic attack with a tragic end. Like his character, Xavier is also gay.
Guinevere Turner
Guinevere Turner had a minor role in the 2000 film American Psycho as Elizabeth, one of Patrick Bateman’s affluent but ill-fated acquaintances. While her character’s sexuality is undisclosed, Guinevere herself is a lesbian.
In addition to her acting career, she has penned many queer stories as a screenwriter for thrillers like the previously mentioned Saint Clare, and Breaking the Girls, as well as the romantic comedy Go Fish (in which she also stars). Fun Fact: She also wrote and starred in a few episodes of The L Word between 2004 and 2009.
Anne Heche
The late great Anne Heche has a minor role in 1998’s I Know What You Did Last Summer. Although she played a presumably straight character in the film, the actress herself identified as neither gay nor straight.
Portia de Rossi
In another (extremely) minor role is Portia de Rossi as Murphy in Scream 2. Although her character’s sexuality is never revealed, I subscribe to the queer fan theory that she and Rebecca Gayhart’s character, Lois, a fellow sorority sister, are secretly a couple. In real life, Portia identifies as a lesbian.
Nico Tortorella
In the ensemble cast of Scream 4, Nico Tortorella had very little screen time as Trevor, Scream 4’s answer to Billy Loomis. While Trevor is assumed straight, Nico himself is gender-fluid and has recently switched from they/them to he/him pronouns. He describes his orientation as sexually fluid and has identified as pansexual in the past.
Did we miss any actors? Who is your favourite on this list? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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