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A review by aliciawhatsthestory
It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror by Joe Vallese
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Body horror, and Murder
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Cannibalism, Cursing, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Transphobia, Mental illness, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Ableism, Bullying, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Self harm, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Confinement, and Vomit
This book is about horror movies. Please be aware that I may not have remembered every single trigger mentioned. Due to its theme, the book is filled with references to violence and abuse in the context of the movies and in the context of the lives of the authors who relate to those movies. Know what you are going into before you read this book.