Readers may recall io9 did a version of this list back in 2022 that incorporated several queer horror classics, including A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge and Dracula’s Daughter. For 2026, we wanted to round up 10 more recent releases that show just how inclusive and diverse the horror world continues to be.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)
The Acolyte’s Amandla Stenberg stars in Halina Reijn’s pitch-black horror comedy about a group of friends whose murder-themed party game goes horribly awry. The ensemble includes Maria Bakalova, Myha’la, Chase Sui Wonders, Rachel Sennott, Pete Davidson, Conner O’Malley, and Lee Pace, so you’re guaranteed eye candy to go with the gore and mansion-sized drama. (Available to rent or buy on digital platforms.)
Clown in a Cornfield (2025)
The queer aspect of Clown in a Cornfield is admittedly a bit of a surprise reveal. But while you’re waiting for it, you can enjoy Eli Craig’s energetic adaptation of Adam Cesare’s novel, which more than delivers on that stupendous title. When a high schooler and her dad move to a small town in Missouri, she realizes there’s something very amiss about the place—seemingly involving Frendo, the twisted circus mascot of the now-defunct local corn syrup factory. (Streaming on Hulu/Disney+ and Shudder.)
Companion (2025)
Drew Hancock’s sci-fi horror film is mostly about a companion robot played by Sophie Thatcher who turns the tables on her odious human “boyfriend” amid a heist that turns into a bloodbath. But it also suggests that maybe true robot-human love can be possible, as exemplified by the star-crossed couple played by Harvey Guillén (human) and Lukas Gage (robot). (Streaming on HBO Max)
Dead Mail (2024)
Joe DeBoer and Kyle McConaghy’s excellently creepy tale begins with a strange missive that turns up at a post office, where it crosses paths with an unusually curious dead-letter investigator—and then leads into a warped tale of obsession and synthesizers. Just as original as the story is the film’s retro style, perfectly calibrated for both its subject matter and its 1980s setting. (Streaming on Shudder)
Fréwaka (2024)
One of the first Irish-language horror films, this eerie contemporary folk tale from writer-director Aislinn Clarke follows a home-care worker who impulsively agrees to a temporary posting in a rural area. This is partially because she and her pregnant wife-to-be could use the extra cash, but also because she needs a break from clearing out the apartment stuffed full of bad memories where her estranged mother has just taken her own life. Of course, as Fréwaka finds, the past has a way of clinging to the present, especially when malicious spirits are involved. (Streaming on Shudder)
I Saw the TV Glow (2024)
While horror fans wait for Jane Schoenbrun’s anticipated next film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, to hit theaters in August, there’s no better time to revisit the writer-director’s haunting previous release. Friends who bonded over a cult-beloved supernatural TV series called The Pink Opaque as teens have an unexpected reunion a decade later. As it turns out, they’re both deeply entangled in the show, which is seemingly bleeding into reality in distressing and revelatory ways. (Streaming on Tubi and on YouTube with ads)
Influencers (2025)
In 2022, Influencer told an excellently twisted cautionary tale about the dangers of being too online—and, even more importantly, failing to recognize that you have no control over who might be taking an unwholesome interest in your content. Last year, writer-director Kurtis David Harder’s sequel expanded the world of his first film, digging deeper into the web woven by CW (a fierce Cassandra Naud) and the unfortunate souls she draws into it with her. Watch both movies for the full experience. (Streaming on Shudder)
It’s a Wonderful Knife (2023)
Directed by Tyler MacIntyre, this wickedly funny spin on a certain Christmas classic with a very similar name follows a young woman who takes out a masked killer in act one. Then—after making a depressed wish that she’d never been born—she’s plunged into a world where the masked killer has been allowed to continue his diabolical spree. Can she stop the maniac (again) before it’s too late… and maybe find love in the process? (Streaming on Shudder)
Queens of the Dead (2025)
Writer-director Tina Romero pays tribute to her horror-master father in this tale set in and around a Brooklyn gay bar the night a zombie apocalypse breaks out. Queens of the Dead subverts genre tropes in clever ways and features some of the most glamorous walking corpses you will ever see. (Streaming on Shudder)
Queer for Fear: The History of Queer Horror (2022)
Shudder’s four-part series, produced in part by Hannibal’s Bryan Fuller, offers a well-edited and carefully curated look back at queer (and queer-coded) characters and themes from horror cinema’s earliest days until now, with the help of clips and insightful interviews. If you need even more streaming recommendations after io9’s lists, Queer for Fear will leave you well-informed with tons of options. (Streaming on Shudder)
Saccharine (2026)
Writer-director Natalie Erika James’ unsettling tale of a medical student who becomes drawn in by a ghoulish new weight-loss technique is now on digital after its recent theatrical run. Like many of the films on this list, Saccharine’s queer themes just happen to be part of the narrative, rather than requiring any special focus. The main character is a lesbian with a huge crush on her trainer, sure, but her more pressing concerns revolve around the hungry ghost who’s become very attached to her. (Available to rent or buy on digital platforms.)
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