The Ten Best Queer Relationships In Horror
Joshua Anderson
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Love. It’s a wacky thing. Seeing queer people express their love emotionally, spiritually, and physically on screen is a blessing. Whether it be inspiring, organic, easy, hard, or heartbreaking, seeing that representation has and will assist in many queer people’s lives.
Within the horror genre, this representation has grown so much alongside the boom of queer horror that has been released. Here are 10 relationships within the realm of horror film and television that have given us just that.
Nari & Sarena, Unfriended: Dark Web (2018)
Nari (Betty Gabriel) and Sarena (Rebecca Rittenhouse) appear on video chat with the other characters as solidified members of the group of friends. They reveal their wedding engagement as Nari shows the bling. Further character development evolves as Sarena explains that her mother has progressive cancer and that her father doesn’t approve of her sexuality. This gives a sense of something more than just being there for queer fodder for the two. Sadly, they both fall victim to the “bury your queers” trope, but not before they showcase their love for each other, and their loyalty to their friends when they dive deep into a game within the dark web.
Eric & Andrew, Knock at the Cabin (2023)
This one may be a controversial pick. The internet was divided on Eric (Jonathan Groff) and Andrew (Ben Aldridge) as parents who fight to protect their child and themselves from a group of people who want them to kill off a member of their family to avoid the end of the world. The film doesn’t give much time to show the familial interactions between the two dads and their adopted daughter, but it does show them continuously fighting for that familial unit. When tragedy does strike (not as horribly as it does in Paul Tremblay’s novel ‘The Cabin at the End of the World,’ which the movie is based on), it’s heartbreaking. The thought of losing someone you’ve experienced the most important parts of your life with during the sort of situation they were in? They fought to the end to keep them all alive.
Mindy & Anika, Scream VI (2023)
Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown) and Anika (Devyn Nekoda) may not have received much screen time together in Scream VI because of a ladder and a dumpster, but the few moments we did experience with them were sweet and reminiscent of any college romance. They truly seemed into each other. Given more time between them, I am sure that there would have been even more fireworks.
Jake & Devon, Chucky (2021-current)
Jake (Zackary Arthur) and Devon (Bjorgvin Arnarson) are incredibly important due to their portrayal of accepting who they are at their age. Not just that, but to be constantly pursued by hate from family members (not in Devon’s case, his mother was incredible), and to be pursued by a killer doll while trying to navigate their emotions and relationship says a lot about their commitment. Season 2 of Chucky brought a rough patch to their relationship so we’ll see what happens in season 3.
Deena and Samantha, Fear Street: 1994, 1978, 1666 (2021)
Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) literally traveled through time within Shadyside and always ended up finding each other. Granted, it was through blood, gore, death, and mayhem. But, still, they found each other. They also sacrificed many things throughout time to be with each other, including themselves. I’ve always found their story to be incredibly deeper than what the films portray. The whole love in many lives is a deep concept, and they experienced it.
Aaron & Eric, The Walking Dead (2010-2022)
Aaron (Ross Marquand) and Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson) made a splash when they were introduced in the fifth season of The Walking Dead. Of course, an uproar was had when they shared an onscreen kiss. There had been queer individuals on the show before with Tara (Alanna Masterson), but Aaron and Eric’s was the first relationship that had true depth to it. Their love for each other was very obvious amongst the chaos of the undead and unruly humans, and it was never a focus of tension in the show. Sadly, SPOILER TIME, Eric met his demise leaving Aaron to journey to the series finale without another love. Although Jesus (Tom Payne) was a potential until … SPOILER TIME … he, too, met his demise.
Jack & Diane, Jack & Diane (2016)
Jack (Riley Keough) and Diane (Juno Temple) represent a sort of tumultuous but deep relationship. The film rides high on the metaphorical representation of sexuality as Diane dreams and envisions a lycanthrope creature that is representative of her attraction to Jack. There’s a bit of deception and yielding between the two when it comes to their attraction. It’s mostly on the side of Diane as she’s unsure of her exact feelings when it comes to her sexuality and to Jack. In the end, they don’t end up together. But throughout their journey, they come to realizations about themselves. Sometimes, that’s what relationships are for, and within the queer world, there’s always tons more to be learned.
Troy & Grady, Candyman (2021)
Troy (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) and Grady (Kyle Kaminsky), first of all, survive to see the end of the film, and not see the end of Candyman Sherman’s (Michael Hargrove) hook. And how do they do that? I believe it’s by being a genuinely wonderful couple. They’re the first two characters that we see after the cold opening as they’re on their way for Grady to meet Troy’s sister, Brianna (Teyonah Parris). Seeing Brianna and her boyfriend, Anthony (Yahya Abudl-Mateen II), interact with the couple lent a sense of normalcy for the queer couple. Troy and Grady are physically and emotionally affectionate while they all discuss the horrors of Cabrini-Green and the legend of the Candyman. Later, Grady does begin the Candyman chant in front of a mirror, but Troy is smart enough to stop him before he goes on. That’s called looking out for each other.
Reggie & Kevin, Summoning Sylvia (2023)
Reggie (Troy Iwata) and Kevin (Noah J. Ricketts) begin this comedy of errors as just friends. Kevin believes there should be friends who kiss, and Reggie believes that friends should not kiss. That’s just a guise on Kevin’s part as his attraction for Reggie is obvious from the get-go. The film’s runtime is 74 minutes, and it’s so high energy and fast-paced that there isn’t much time for their attraction to come to fruition. There’s a cute little scene where they break some dishes, end up on the floor, come face to face, and Reggie’s opinion on friends shouldn’t kiss is instantly changed.
I really liked how there’s a representation of two people who have been friends for the longest time coming to the realization that there are deeper feelings involved than they initially realized. Who better to delve into a relationship with other than someone who you’ve been friends with for years?
Willow & Tara, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003)
Let’s be honest. During the 00s, there wasn’t a better representation of queer love on television than Willow and Tara’s relationship. Their journey to love was absolutely organic and true. Their relationship showed what a healthy queer relationship could be. The portrayal of their relationship was and is strictly aligned with what I base my relationships on. For this to have happened within the early aughts—when I was going through my queer growth—has done wonders for my own life. This made the tragic ending of the relationship work so well thus furthering Willow’s dive into the deep end understandable. Still, the wonderful moments shared between Willow and Tara were deep. They gave a power (not witchy, but real-life adjacent) to queers that discovery and love can be content. It can be organic. It can be incredible.
There are undoubtedly more queer relationships within horror that could be mentioned. These ten are the ones that stick out to me the most. The fact that all of them are within the past 20 years leads me to want to discover those that came before that timespan. They’re there, but they’re rare. I send out thanks to the writers who have created these relationships and the others not listed. It’s important.
Editor’s Note: This post has been edited thanks to the keen eye of reader Pamela K.
Categorized:Editorials
