Just like the woman who interviewed Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo for Wicked back in 2024, I, too, am in queer media.
I listen to Ethel Cain religiously from the moment I wake up to late at night when I need to wind down. I watched Heated Rivalry when it came out, and then shortly after, moved on to AMC’s Interview with the Vampire because hello, gay vampires. I saw Girls Like Girls in theaters and then had an in-depth discussion afterwards about the differences from the music video.
Truthfully, the easiest way to get me to watch something is to say that it’s queer in some way, which is also why I’ve been a victim of queerbait many, many times.
As someone who’s also a huge horror fan, the only thing that could possibly be better to me than a piece of media with queer themes is if that media is also in the horror genre. So, when I saw that Netflix was releasing a sapphic horror series in November, and it was set in a Catholic school? It’s safe to say that my interest was piqued.
‘The Body’
The Body is set to be released on Nov. 11, following a group of Catholic school dancers as they deal with the fallout of a failed initiation ritual, navigating through prophetic visions, religious guilt, and repressed desires. The show, with the trailer being released on Oct. 12, was created by actress Quinn Shepard, drawing inspiration from her upbringing growing up as queer, as well as horror movies such as Carrie and Jennifer’s Body. I was already sold before, but with that influence in mind, now I feel like I’m being given a gift.
Almost every episode has women listed as writers, which is a really good sign, especially for a sapphic series. Netflix doesn’t have the greatest track record with renewing and keeping queer series on its platform (R.I.P. She-Ra and the Princesses of Power), but the fact that the show is being released in the first place on a platform as big as Netflix, especially with the rise of conservatism right now, is still an accomplishment.
The rise of more “mainstream” queer horror recently has been very refreshing to see. There was the Australian horror movie Leviticus that was released over the summer, which also dealt with religious guilt and repression. Despite its low budget, it performed incredibly well, and seeing so many people online feel seen by it was great.
There was also Jane Schoenbrun’s Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, a sapphic horror movie with Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder that made me cry in the theater. Horror has arguably always been queer due to the prominent themes of being different and “othered” from society, as well as how many characters typically exist outside of what is seen as mainstream. This also stems from how villains were written during the time of the Hollywood Hays Code in the 1930s.
If a writer wanted a character to be queer, they had to be a villain, and it had to be subtextual. Creators had to rely on subtle references and symbols to get their point across.
Now, we get to watch openly queer horror media in packed theaters and popular streaming services. Oh, how the times have changed for the better. So, if you’re a fan of queer stories or just horror in general, be sure to check out The Body when it comes out on Netflix. I know I will!
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest!