URHorror Newsletter: June 2025
Suburban horror, pride events, and next month's podcast guest
Hello all my horror friends and fiends! The weather is killer, calendars are booked, and the movie theaters are poppin. Did you watch your way through some queer horror this month? Pride month is ending, but your support for queer media shouldn’t! Horror is for the underrepresented. And this podcast is, too. For every letter of the community, this space is for you.
ICYMI: This month on the pod was all about suburban horror: the demons and darkness lurking in our backyards. Author Vincent E. Tirado joined me to discuss their adult debut novel, We Came To Welcome You: a sapphic, suburban horror novel inspired by The Stepford Wives, Get Out, and Lovecraft Country. Suburban horror might be a foreign concept to you if this is your first time hearing about the sub-genre. But of course, you can listen to the first episode of the month if you’re interested in hearing more.
Community Updates
Perhaps you’ve been keeping up on IG or TikTok, or you recall the events I mentioned in the last newsletter. Sandwiched in the middle of June were two Brooklyn-based events for queer horror fans.
Mise en Scènt Collaboration
It was important for one of the events to be a fundraising opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community, and Greer, owner of Mise en Scènt, was game for it all! There were two working pieces to our collaboration this month.
On June 17th, we hosted a candle-making workshop inspired by queer horror. Greer hand-selected oils that would pair well together for scents reminiscent of our favorite films. We waited for the candles to harden while watching an episode of Queer for Fear (add it to your list)! 50% of tickets went towards our fund collection for MIX NYC: a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating spaces for queer filmmakers and artists. For those who weren’t able to make it, the other piece of our collaboration gives everyone a chance to support the organization with a limited-edition candle.
‘Scream Queen’ smells like the 80’s camp of Frankenhooker, the blook-soaked glamour from Death Becomes Her, and MaXXXine’s flickering neon signs. 50% of candle sales will finish off our donation fund! But they’re only available through the end of July.
Unearth Your Gays
June 22nd left me with a high afterwards. I started planning this event back in March: dedicated to programming something on my own. DREAD Central, Night Terror Magazine, and Abracadabra NYC provided trivia prizes (you wanna test your trans horror trivia?). Crystal Lake BK was so helpful, attentive, and hospitable! It was a fantastic crowd of local queer horror fans with a true passion for community. Their excitement and the response online have inspired me to host another one next year. I have some fall events in the works! So, if you missed Unearth Your Gays and can’t wait for next year, keep your eye out for more updates.
What to Add to Your Watchlist
M3GAN 2.0 (June 28th)
This diva is back in a Terminator 2-esque sequel where her morals(?) are tested up against a military-grade AI robot with severe face card. This got a 3 1/2 stars from me! Despite not liking the long action sequences, it stayed true to the tone of the original . Blumhouse, at least, has a clear vision for this icon. Don’t worry about running to the theater for it. You can walk if you want.
Together (July 30th)
Alison Brie and Dave Franco star in this body horror film as the married couple that they are. A weird and mysterious force causes horrific changes to their body, and their relationship is tested. I’m thinking it’s gonna be thematically aligned with co-dependence. Check out the trailer!
And That’s a Wrap! 🎬
I don’t have a film to dissect this month so that’s all for now! Next month, we’re talking about eldritch horror: a horror sub-genre often discussed as Lovecraftian horror. It’s all about the fear of the incomprehensible and unknowable. Our guest of the month will be Jennifer Reeder, director of the Shudder film Perpetrator. I’ve done an episode on the film already, but I couldn’t be more ecstatic to interview Jennifer! It’s indeed a queer film, too.
Happy Pride!!