itstheesilvie's review

Go to review page

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

If you’re gay and a fan of analyzing films, this book is perfect. Bringing multiple queer, trans, and POC perspectives “it came from the closet” reviews and dissects at least one (if not all) of your favorite horror/thriller films. 

Most importantly it allowed me as a reader to connect with each essay. Feeling heard and seen for finding comfort, entertainment, representation and inspiration in the genre is prominent in these essays. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bebidocrimes's review against another edition

Go to review page

informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

This was such a great collection that covered not only a good range of sexualities and genders, but dove into some intersectionality of race and disabilities as well. It has encouraged me to interact with horror in new ways, inspecting its facets from all angles. After all, there usually isn't one right answer.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

thegayestghost's review

Go to review page

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

amaranth_wytch's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging informative reflective medium-paced

3.75


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

taelights's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.0

While I did like some of the essays in this book and found some of the topics in it fascinating, this wasn't what I expected. I pictured more of a focus on horror through a queer eye and why the authors believe certain horror movies portray queer experiences. While some of the essays focused on this I found a lot of the essays were mainly focused on the writer's personal lives with some vague connections back to the horror movies. I did enjoy this a bit but wouldn't really recommend it because of some weak essays and a lot of them being more just memoirs than queer looks at horror. 

My favorite essays (in order of book) were:
- The Girl, the Well, the Ring 
- Imprint 
- The Wolf Man's Daughter 
- Loving Annie Hayworth 
- Blood, Actually 
- Sight Unseen 
- Bad Hombre 
- Black Body Snatchers 
- Long Nights in the Dark 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

mallory10100's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

aliciawhatsthestory's review

Go to review page

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

4.0

Book 37 of 2022: It Came From the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As someone who has always been fascinated by horror movies, the premise of this book appealed to me immediately. It is a collection of essays from 25 different authors that reflect on horror in a memoir style. Though film theory is certainly discussed, this book is an interesting and accessible hybrid between social theory, film theory, and self-reflection. 

That said, it comes with all the difficult content one might expect from a book written by a large group of marginalized people reflecting on how fictional horrors reflect their own lives experience. Some of these essays are hard to read.

However, I found them all to be insightful, interesting, and (for the majority) very well written and readable, even if you are not familiar with the films they address. Due to the wide array of experience represented in this anthology, it is highly likely that no reader will connect with every single essay, just as no horror fan loves every single horror movie. 

However, for any fan of horror, or any person interested in how queer people have been represented in horror movies, this is definitely a worthwhile read.

Please be aware that this book discusses at least 20 different horror movies, and the content/trigger warnings from each movie should apply, including but not limited to: body horror, vomit, blood, murder, harm by fire, abuse, and captivity. Other triggers may also be present in the authors’ commentary on their own lives, including homophobia, transphobia, racism, slurs, sexism, lesbophobia, divorce, and other potential triggers.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...