Channeling all our queerest fans’ power like a bolt careening into Dr. Frankenstein’s lightning rod (no double entendre there, surely), we’ve tallied the results of our last survey! Here are our top five icons according to our dear readers:
- THEODORA CAIN (The Haunting of Hill House (2018))
When Hill House burst onto the scene back in 2018, one of the biggest highlights of the show discussion-wise about the Netflix original was the instantly popular Theo, who from the very get-go is revealed to be lesbian.
While I didn’t hop on the H.H.H. train when it first hit streaming, I’ve since become a big fan of the show, and Theo in particular. Played by the ever-charming Kate Siegel, a regular on Mike Flanagan’s productions, she brings excellent acting to a storyline built around a young gay woman’s complex relationships with her identity, her family, her powers, and herself.
And where is this most effective and memorable but in the third episode “Touch”? This psychic’s relationship with her abilities not only serves for some great visuals and storytelling but also makes up a touching metaphor for the isolation many young queer people face (see: the gloves that made me tear up a bit when I got what they meant). The way Theo’s story ends also speaks to hopefulness for escaping that isolation through love.
- PINHEAD & HIS GASH (Hellraiser Franchise)
No seriously, their gang is called a gash. Does your squad of gays have a cool euphemistic name? Didn’t think so. Start brainstorming before all the good ones get taken, gang.
Creator Clive Barker, an openly gay horror writer himself, gave us a complex and grotesque creation that strikes a funny balance between bloody and beautiful, which you must admire due to the difficulty of pulling off making a legendary symbol of horror.
If you need any more evidence, look to the glamorous novella Pinhead. More plainly androgynous in the story, with a “light and breathy [voice]–the voice of an excited girl”. This, along with the fact “every inch of their head had been tattooed with an intricate grid, and at every intersection […] a jeweled pin driven through to the bone”, just makes me think becoming a cenobite is a fancy process of yass-ification. They’re a bedazzled, murderous, pretty enby, which I appreciate.
Many fans, including a few anonymous submissions on our survey, expressed delight over the new casting of trans actress Jamie Clayton who will take up Doug Bradley’s mantle: “Pinhead is just iconic, and I’m so excited for the new movie to come out, and to have a trans woman play the character.”
The gash would be proud, in more ways than one.
- JENNIFER CHECK & ANITA “NEEDY” LESNICKI (Jennifer’s Body)
THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT! IF YOU DON’T PUT SOME RESPECT ON DIABLO CODY’S NAME RIGHT NOW!
Ahem. Sorry, got a little passionate there.
I feel like everyone who watches Jennifer’s Body gets enthralled by the clever and fang sharp writing, the gruesomely good visuals, and most importantly, the tragic and incredibly sapphic romance between leads Jennifer and Needy, who steal the show with their onscreen chemistry. It evokes feelings familiar in many viewers: one of our fans mentioned in their response that “Needy and Jennifer’s relationship captures that undisclosed desire amongst my friends I had in high school.”
Fear Queers podcast host Beyza Ozer (@finalbeyza) also felt strongly about this queer rep: “It wasn’t until recently when queer women started becoming more validated in horror and taken more seriously—[…] hopefully more accurate, inspiring, and empowering stories come out in the next few years!”
If you’ve seen this film and don’t think that Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried work off each other brilliantly in their romance, I have to assume like Miss Check herself says: you’re just totally jello. You’re lime green jello and you can’t even admit it to yourself.
- DR. FRANK-N-FURTER (Rocky Horror Picture Show)
When you cross a legendary performance from Tim Curry, a name with heavy innuendo, and one of the best soundtracks of any musical out there, could you really get anything other than gay icon status?
Rocky Horror is a film that speaks to queer youth especially, in a unique and beautiful way. As someone whose high school had a “Rocky Horror Incident” on Halloween, causing some waves with the faculty, and who has seen the film with audiences ranging from a living room to a theatre full, there’s an undeniable energy that this movie brings out of people.
Twitter user @KalDaHomo told us in their response that Dr. Frank-N-Furter “helped them realize that sexuality is fluid and I can wear whatever I damn well please!”, and I think that experience is really telling of the kind of freeing fun everyone has when they watch Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Don’t dream it, readers. Be it.
- ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK
Undoubtedly the most boisterous and unforgettable of the horror hosts we’ve ever seen, there was no other option for our fans clearly as Elvira rounds out the top of the list, edging out her competitors by a very large margin.
When people found out last September that Cassandra Peterson had been in a long-term relationship with another woman, LGBTQ+ Twitter had it trending like Halloween had come early with bisexual flag t-shirt cannons and free money. But it was a no-brainer as to why everyone was hyped.
Elvira has been a fierce icon in the queer community from the get-go, with a long-running camaraderie to the drag scene in particular; That’s not even mentioning that she believes if there ever is another Elvira to take her place (if anybody could fill in those shoes!) that it should be a drag queen to become the next Mistress of the Dark.
And aside from all that, it’s just a plain old heartwarming experience to see an icon of the horror community share their true self with the world—and to see the world greet that identity with open arms.
Our editor-in-chief James-Michael had this to say about Elvira: “She’s a bonafide icon. From tv to comics, she’s been on every conceivable form of media and continues to transcend barriers. Not to mention, you could never meet a cooler person. I love her so damn much.”
We hope you got to see your favorite icons in the top 5 spots, and we’ll see you gorgeous ghouls again in the next article! Sweet screams!