DivineDemento

Even today, the AID’s epidemic of the 1980’s remains a dark and sombre topic for queer people the world over. At a time when sex between men was made abject, and governments used the disease to push for intrinsically homophobic legislation, director Clive Barker paired horror's recurring theme of sex-based fear with the tragedies of a queer generation. The fear of sex, or the demonization of the sexually promiscuous, is a common and sometimes controversial trope within the horror genre. Many horror directors would argue that their films do not create such a narrative. Though I would argue that this viewpoint is somewhat reductionist, the evidence is certainly there – think of the number of horror films where sexually promiscuous teenagers are brutally murdered (often women killed by hulking, emasculated men) whilst the sole virgin survives. Think of the use of phallic murder weapons such as knives and chainsaws, or perhaps even the entire rape-revenge sub-genre that came to p...