Queer Cinema x QFFU: Queer Horror Shorts
Who is afraid of what, and why?
Horror has always been inherently queer. It disrupts the status quo and exists outside of what is considered “normal.” In media, that which is coded as “scary” has historically been queer-coded, and the monsters of our collective imagination share affinities with queerness itself: they shock, they challenge, and they resist categorization. But the genre is also being reclaimed by queer creators, who reject this classical characterization and now champion it. Horror unsettles those who fit easily within societal norms, while offering comfort to those who feel alienated in patriarchal, cisheteronormative systems.
For this edition of our monthly Queer Cinema program, we are proud to present a special block of Queer Horror Shorts, curated by Queer Film Festival Utrecht.
Depronima — Mickey Minnaar (Netherlands, 19 min.)
At a party deep in the woods, three friends are threatened by a dark energy that strikes when you are at your most insecure and unstable. A coming-of-age graduation film about recognizing inner pain in yourself and others. Do you dare to face the monster?
Papergirl — Jack Warren (USA, 5 min.)
In this queer 16mm short, gender dysphoria gives way to a terrifying metamorphosis when a lonely partygoer discovers their skin is turning into paper. “I wanted to tell a trans story that avoided the clichés of a traditional coming-out narrative,” says Warren, “and instead leaned on the slow build of alienation and the euphoria of self-realization.”
Content Warning: gore
Flesh Nest — Andrew Huang (USA, 9 min.)
A nine-part sci-fi illustrating a post-apocalyptic digital purgatory. Originally designed as nine looping video projections for a gallery installation, this experimental animation is the short film version. Featuring fragments of layered cybernetic wastelands inspired by the apocalyptic panoramas of Bosch and Bruegel.
Mom, If I Were a Vampire — Deborah Devyn Chuang (Taiwan, 17 min.)
Wen, an insecure teenager, despises her disapproving mother and swears she will never become like her. At school, she meets a cool girl with a devil-may-care attitude, and Wen instantly falls in love, following her into a downward spiral. An exploration of vampirism — a theme not often found in Taiwanese cinema — as a metaphor for queerness.
Content Warning: sexual violence
Piercing Touch — Olga Melcer (Netherlands, 4 min.)
Against her better judgment, a butch lesbian cannot get over her abusive ex. No matter how hard she tries to run away (or stay away), the elevator always brings her back to the same floor. A short horror film about toxic relationships and how difficult it can be to do what’s right for yourself.
Gender Reveal — Mo Matton (Canada, 13 min.)
Rhys, a dedicated people pleaser, ends up at their boss’s gender-reveal party with their two partners. The trans trio soon realizes they have gotten themselves into much more than they expected, and survival is far from guaranteed. A dark comedy about a dream for some, and a nightmare reality for others: a never-ending spectacle that grows worse, and worse, and worse.
Content Warning: gore
- 19:15
Kies tijdstip
- filmspecial
Who is afraid of what, and why?
Horror has always been inherently queer. It disrupts the status quo and exists outside of what is considered “normal.” In media, that which is coded as “scary” has historically been queer-coded, and the monsters of our collective imagination share affinities with queerness itself: they shock, they challenge, and they resist categorization. But the genre is also being reclaimed by queer creators, who reject this classical characterization and now champion it. Horror unsettles those who fit easily within societal norms, while offering comfort to those who feel alienated in patriarchal, cisheteronormative systems.
For this edition of our monthly Queer Cinema program, we are proud to present a special block of Queer Horror Shorts, curated by Queer Film Festival Utrecht.
Depronima — Mickey Minnaar (Netherlands, 19 min.)
At a party deep in the woods, three friends are threatened by a dark energy that strikes when you are at your most insecure and unstable. A coming-of-age graduation film about recognizing inner pain in yourself and others. Do you dare to face the monster?
Papergirl — Jack Warren (USA, 5 min.)
In this queer 16mm short, gender dysphoria gives way to a terrifying metamorphosis when a lonely partygoer discovers their skin is turning into paper. “I wanted to tell a trans story that avoided the clichés of a traditional coming-out narrative,” says Warren, “and instead leaned on the slow build of alienation and the euphoria of self-realization.”
Content Warning: gore
Flesh Nest — Andrew Huang (USA, 9 min.)
A nine-part sci-fi illustrating a post-apocalyptic digital purgatory. Originally designed as nine looping video projections for a gallery installation, this experimental animation is the short film version. Featuring fragments of layered cybernetic wastelands inspired by the apocalyptic panoramas of Bosch and Bruegel.
Mom, If I Were a Vampire — Deborah Devyn Chuang (Taiwan, 17 min.)
Wen, an insecure teenager, despises her disapproving mother and swears she will never become like her. At school, she meets a cool girl with a devil-may-care attitude, and Wen instantly falls in love, following her into a downward spiral. An exploration of vampirism — a theme not often found in Taiwanese cinema — as a metaphor for queerness.
Content Warning: sexual violence
Piercing Touch — Olga Melcer (Netherlands, 4 min.)
Against her better judgment, a butch lesbian cannot get over her abusive ex. No matter how hard she tries to run away (or stay away), the elevator always brings her back to the same floor. A short horror film about toxic relationships and how difficult it can be to do what’s right for yourself.
Gender Reveal — Mo Matton (Canada, 13 min.)
Rhys, a dedicated people pleaser, ends up at their boss’s gender-reveal party with their two partners. The trans trio soon realizes they have gotten themselves into much more than they expected, and survival is far from guaranteed. A dark comedy about a dream for some, and a nightmare reality for others: a never-ending spectacle that grows worse, and worse, and worse.
Content Warning: gore
