When it comes to queer subtext, the genre is ripe for exploring themes such as possession, body transformation, fear of the other, uncontrollable desire, and hidden identities.

When Jordan Peele used the genre to show white supremacy as the ultimate terror in “Get Out,” he was inspired by years of socio-political readings on his favorite horror films. Like its genre-cousin science fiction, horror films have long used supernatural terrors as stand-ins for real-life fears.