Some people may find themselves tragically unaware of who Clea DuVall is. Even those who don’t know her name most certainly know her face. Clea DuVall is the alternative queer icon of the 90s and 00s you’ve seen in many movies and shows.
Coming Out in a Closeted Era
However, despite becoming a queer icon early on in her career with memorable roles in But I’m a Cheerleader and The Faculty, it wasn’t until 2016 that Clea DuVall officially came out to the public. Clea DuVall explained that to those closest to her, she came out as a lesbian at sixteen. As far as society at large was concerned, though, she told The Independent:
“I was very closeted and very afraid of people finding out I was gay […] It was the nineties; there was no conversation about sexuality – you were just not going to talk about it.”
She went on to tell The Independent that the release of cult favorite coming-of-age lesbian flick But I’m a Cheerleader was difficult since she was still in the closet at the time:
“It was dangerous for me […] It was such a scary time. Once it came out and we started the press cycle for it, I remember feeling like, ‘Oh shit, I need to hide, I need to stop.’”
The Struggle of Queer Identity
Clea DuVall’s anxiety about how society would react is the sad reality for many who live outside of heteronormative sexuality. How many remain in the shadows, not just because it’s no one else’s business, but because we’re afraid of how people will react?
I came out as bisexual as a teenager, although these days, if I had to label it, I’d consider myself pan (though 92% of the people in my life don’t know it). I am happily married, so frequently, I feel my sexuality is irrelevant – you won’t hear me talk about it often. However, Clea DuVall meant a lot to me in those years before and while I was coming out, feeling weird and isolated from everyone else.
A Beacon for the Queer Community
Even before publicly claiming her queerness, Clea DuVall was a queer icon and a reminder to those of us in the shadows that we weren’t alone. Given Clea DuVall’s significant importance to me, and so many others, it seems the perfect time to reflect on a few of her major roles in horror that gave queer representation and girl power, painting a landscape of the times.
The Faculty: Missed Opportunity for Lesbian Representation
When people think Clea DuVall in horror, the first thing that comes to mind tends to be The Faculty, where a team of teenagers tees off against a parasitic alien race controlling their teachers’ bodies. If anyone wants a snapshot of the 90s gothic grunge, look no further than Clea DuVall’s role as Stokely in this film.
Stokely captured just about everything that makes Clea DuVall’s characters so magnetic. She is clever, with a tough exterior, a sensitive side, and the ability to do what needs to be done. In another layer of depth, Stokely is a lesbian and is relentlessly bullied for it.
A Disappointing Twist
However, the movie quickly shoots itself in the foot by having Stokely proclaim at the end that she made up being a lesbian just to stir the pot, and she ends up with a male jock hero. Oh, the severity of the cringe.
While there are some obvious nods to the 80’s hit The Breakfast Club with this ending (as the “Basket Case” ends up with the jock, this time not totally transforming herself at least), the film missed an opportunity to follow through on lesbian representation.
Instead, it instituted more problematic stereotypes (such as people not being taken seriously about their sexual orientation, for starters.)
The 90s Cultural Context
I understand that being bisexual wasn’t regularly recognized in the mainstream in the nineties but come on. She could have at least been bi. It’s as if the film toys with the idea of introducing an iconic lesbian horror character but then changes their minds right at the end. That moment is a dark mark on what is otherwise a fun alien invasion horror movie.
Unfortunately, given the climate of the times, had the film followed through on the representation, Clea DuVall’s initial fears during But I’m a Cheerleader could have been realized. After all, The Faculty had a bigger budget, bigger studio, and bigger stars than But I’m a Cheerleader had. Logistically, more eyes were going to be on it. So many eyes might attract the powerful, hateful sort, or it could have made her uncomfortable. Then perhaps we wouldn’t have gotten Clea DuVall in the many roles that followed. Maybe we can think of it as a career-saving loophole to give us a lesbian character with a pacifier for the backlash. A necessary evil to ensure we’d see her in the catalog of productions that followed.
Girl Power in Ghosts of Mars
This sci-fi horror film by John Carpenter saw DuVall in a role that perfectly matched the energy we have come to expect from her characters. Her hard, masculine edge and simultaneous soft, caring femininity made her a perfect fit for the role of Bashira Kincaid, the rookie Mars Police Force officer who helps fight off the army of Mars’ undead.
Feminine Strength in Sci-Fi Horror
Ghosts of Mars is brimming with powerful feminine energy, as the film that also stars Jason Statham and Ice Cube sees Natasha Henstridge take the leading role as Lieutenant Melanie Ballard. She leads the squadron that sees herself and Bashira standing on the front lines against some pretty formidable alien spirits.
The film was the perfect vehicle for Clea DuVall’s all-encapsulating energy, which we’d already witnessed in another movie two years prior.
Everything at Once in Girl, Interrupted
Maybe it’s a leap to cover this role in depth for a horror blog, but the film’s dark tones and moments that stick with you forever make it worth mentioning. We got to see Clea DuVall in the role of Georgina, the patient of a 1960s mental institution, who had a childlike innocence and a penchant for pathological lying (or “Pseudologia fantastica.”)
Girl, Interrupted is another film packed with feminine energy, as the few male roles only exist as tools for the female characters. Interestingly, both girl power films also deal heavily with autonomy. Ghosts of Mars sees bodies being taken over by spirits and an innocent man being held prisoner, while Girl, Interrupted has heavy themes of freedom and imprisonment of both the mind and body.
The Duality of Georgina
The film highlighted Clea DuVall’s ability to tap into her softer side terrifyingly. Georgina wasn’t frightening because her dad was a member of the CIA and could have us all dead in minutes; Georgina haunts us because she exists in the juxtaposition of innocence and deceit. It is an excellent role for Clea DuVall because she can portray this middle ground seamlessly. Many of her parts have this ambivalent nature because whether it be feminine/masculine, strong/weak, outgoing/shy, Clea DuVall can and has been all of it at once. Giving her a role in an insane asylum allowed her to let her contradictory performance shine.
But, speaking of insane asylums…
The Real Horror in American Horror Story: Asylum
Though it was brief, Clea DuVall’s role as Wendy Peyser, the secret girlfriend of Lana Winters, is unforgettable.
Wendy is a pillar of her 1960s idyllic Massachusetts community, working as a schoolteacher. However, she harbors a dark secret that could cost her everything. You see, she is a lesbian in a loving relationship with reporter Lana Winters. Oh, the Floridian horror!
So, when Lana Winters finds out too much about the Briarcliffe Asylum, this relationship is used against Wendy to convince her to lock her girlfriend away in that asylum. Threatened with exposure, mindful of losing her job and her reputation, Wendy agrees. It’s a treacherous act for whom the broken system is to blame.
Commentary on Queer Struggles
It highlighted the intolerance of the times and the things that people were subjected to “keep the gay away.” (As if anyone who’s seen it could forget Lana Winters’ conversion therapy.)
The role makes an important commentary on how heavy the secret burden of one’s sexuality can be for fear of society’s blowback.
While these events were set in the fifties, Wendy Peyser’s plight isn’t so different from the plights of many today. “Don’t say gay” is the way in the state of Florida now, and the fifties suddenly don’t feel so long ago.
Clea DuVall’s Lasting Impact
This overarching theme of American Horror Story: Asylum echoed the plights, not only of Clea DuVall’s own but many in the LGBTQ+ community. Clea DuVall explained to Insider:
“Coming out is not an easy thing to do no matter who you are, no matter where you come from. We all have the opportunity to reach the other side and […] still deserve to be loved, and deserve to be accepted…”
“Wherever you are in that process, be nice to yourself. Like you’re going through something that is not gonna last forever, and you need to love yourself through it.”
A Voice for the LGBTQ+ Community
Clea DuVall is an underrated horror queer icon. Her appearances in horror tend to coincide with an important commentary about the plights and experiences of those in the queer community. Her role in The Faculty serves as a reflection of the times where to be a lesbian could cost one their job. Her involvement in Ghosts of Mars and Girl, Interrupted served us girl power at its finest while simultaneously delving into autonomy. Then, her appearance in American Horror Story: Asylum echoes the same resonance that The Faculty left behind. If you don’t know her name, you should.
May the woman of the hour receive the recognition she deserves. Let us know your favorite Clea DuVall role in the comments!