REVIEW: It Came From The Closet 🎃🌈

"Through the lens of horror—from Halloween to Hereditary—queer and trans writers consider the films that deepened, amplified, and illuminated their own experiences."

Oct 03, 2022

“I thought you only murdered boys.”
“I go both ways.”

It’s 2009 and I’m 14 years old, sitting alone in a movie theater (that I snuck into) when I realize the characters on screen are just like me. Jennifer’s Body was the first movie I can remember watching that made me feel an instant connection to it. There were no realizations. I knew I was queer, if anything it was a surprise to me that someone on a huge screen at my childhood AMC theater was too. I remember feeling overjoyed and sinking into my seat at the same time. The intense excitement and immediate shame of simply being seen was enough to make me shake.

And still, this movie is a massive part of me—it’s my favorite, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I knew Jennifer’s Body saw me for what I actually was—and while I’m grateful for that now, in the moment, it was the most terrifying part.

So when I first heard about It Came From The Closet (specifically that the one and only Carmen Maria Machado would be reflecting on Jennifer’s Body in it), I was immediately prepared to make this new collection my entire personality. And while Machado’s piece drove me to this book and blew me away, the collection as a whole is heartfelt, strong, honest, and real—each essay made me understand our power as queers and horror fans more and more as I read along. That’s the big word I’d describe this book as being: powerful.

From They/Them to the Fear Street trilogy to Scream, queerness has made its presence known throughout the horror genre, specifically in the last decade. No matter how you feel about the movies I just listed above, there is power in them. There is power in being seen and heard—the next hurdle is figuring out what to do with that power, that visibility (kind of like how Jennifer Check comes to find out). And to be able to express ones vulnerability like each author does in It Came From The Closet is revolutionary work.

What this collection also tells us is that queerness is not confined to a single theme or trope in the horror genre. We find ourselves everywhere because we are everywhere—in “creature features” and exorcisms, slashers and found footage flicks, contemporary and classic, queer and trans people have always been in your favorite horror movie. Those on the outside of our communities are just starting to finally realize it. And what better way to learn about our impact on horror than through narrative, personal essays?

I say this because queerness and transness is so personal. We’re not a monolith, even though we find power in community. Everyone’s personal experience with identity is so vast and different that when we’re able to come together and share them truthfully, it feels like a gift. From S. Trimble’s piece about lesbianism and The Exorcist to Sumiko Saulson’s in-depth look into the Candyman and the connections between Blackness, queerness, and the racist housing policies in San Francisco and elsewhere, this anthology covers a range of topics that empower and ignite us as queers. The lesbian subtext in The Birds covered by Laura Maw and the trans connections in Eyes without a Face pointed out by Sachiko Ragosta are also great examples of pieces that make a reader think critically about this genre we all love so dearly.

Essays in It Came From The Closet cover queerness and transness in an intersectional way, the only way they should be covered—from topics such as race, disability rights, access, and class, the collection smartly and carefully pull apart the horrific threads of our favorite films: what they get right, what they get away with, and what they need to answer for. Horror, while historically full of every hateful ideology you can think of (misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, racism, I can go on and on), is also queer in a “subversive” sense. As queer and trans fans, that isn’t necessarily news to us. So what do we do when subversive is not enough? And when can we drop the word “subversive” from our genre, the one with freaks for freaks?

I don’t know if there’s an answer to that question, but I found solace through reading It Came From The Closet. Because there’s so much that is unknown about the future of horror as a genre and as our current reality. You can see that clearly in everyday life, and in nearly every piece in the collection. That’s a big reason why we love horror: it teaches us about who we are. It asks all the right questions during the wrong moments, and it pushes us to be more open about ourselves.

It Came From The Closet is an extremely accessible, entertaining, and thoughtful read for anyone who’s even slightly interested in the horror genre. Moving through this book made me feel connected to this complicated world of horror that we’ve created and nurtured, and teaches big lessons about how to love something that might show you its teeth at times. Each essay intertwines identity with fear, understanding, and excitement—things I hope to feel with every horror movie or TV show I watch, video game I play, or book I read. It Came From The Closet asks all the right questions and gives us the room as readers to come to our own conclusions—an empowering way to challenge the norms working against us as queer and trans people.

We can love something that hurts us. We can be critical of the things we love and value the ways in which they can change. That’s what I’ve been trying to remind myself continuously for the last few years and what It Came From The Closet emphasizes in its 25 crucial essays.

If it wasn’t clear, It Came From The Closet is a must-read. Consider grabbing it from your favorite local indie bookstore or your public library, and dive in to this unique, thriving, terrific world. You won’t be disappointed with the surprises you find within these pages. Plus, it’s the perfect time and season 🌈 🎃