In our recent book club meeting we met up to talk about all things spooky, scary, and queer. We even got a real-life scare during the meeting! Exactly like something out of a horror story. We managed to share our experiences regarding works from different mediums from the horror, thriller, and other genres that have somehow scared us or left a strong impact.

Most of the people who gathered expressed that they do not actually really like horror stories, at least not for their horror or gore-y elements. Instead, we talked about how the horror elements feel secondary to the feeling of catharsis, of relating to the horrors on the page or screen which can help one feel not as alone, and to experience scary things in a controlled and safe environment. We came to the conclusion that horror can also offer a space to observe and ponder some of the more taboo topics that other media rarely touches, such as cannibalism.

We also explored the symbiotic relationship between supernatural tales and marginalized communities, specifically the queer community. Queer people can often see themselves in and can identify with monstrous characters because we also do not fit in the way society expects us to. Although we did touch on specifically queer horror stories, we also shared many experiences with content that is not actually queer but has touched us as queer people in specific ways.

Here are some of the recommendations that we gathered from the meeting:

Books:

• If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio
• Secret History by Donna Tart
• A Terrible Vengeance by Nikolai Gogol
• Bioshifter by Natalie Maher
• Laundry Files, a series of novels by Charles Stross

Movies:

• Soma
• Bones and All
• District 9
• “Suur tõll”

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us! We hope you are having a spooky autumn and we look forward to seeing you again next time 🎃📚