Horror films and representations of Trauma, queer culture, and other social commentary

I don’t know about you, but I love horror movies. There’s so many types of horror, but one of the things I enjoy about horror movies can be social commentary on important topics. Horror can be a visual artistic representation of trauma or experiences people have witnessed and give the viewer an understanding or just insight. 

Someone was noticing this year why there are so many movies depicting childbirth as horrifying such as Alien Romulus, The first Omen, Immaculate, and Apartment 7A. A lot of these are their own social commentary about forced childbirth relating to current events in our world. It showcases how terrifying going through carrying a child not on your own terms with the lens of an intense horror narrative. 

I noticed a lot of people in the LGBTQ+ community (me included) gravitate to horror. Aside from people like the feeling of being scared, the queer community tends to have personal feelings of horror. I don’t want to speak for all people in the community, but from a shared sentiment from others and myself in the LGBTQ+ community we sometimes connect with the idea of horror as social outcasts, fear, or being seen as different and bad. Some people can relate to being seen as monsters or even victims to the monsters in the form of social commentary. 

One movie that stood out to me this year was “I Saw the TV Glow”. This movie was directed by Jane Schoenbrun, a trans fem nonbinary person who wanted to showcase what it’s like experiencing when your assigned gender doesn’t correspond and going through dysphoria. It can be a hard watch for some and has hit close to home to others. I know people cried empathizing with the struggle with their trans loved ones. This is an example of using horror to understand the experiences and trauma of others in a particular lens.

If you’re interested in learning more about LGBTQ+ culture and the history of horror I recommend watching “Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror”. To me and others alike horror can be of course entertaining, but also gives us comfort, insight, and other experiences that can help us understand ourselves and others in it’s own way.