It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror

This collection was very hit or miss. Some essays were great, some were just fun and a couple were just ok. That being said, there's one essay in particular I was more than just a little uncomfortable with and its presence in the collection makes it hard for me to recommend it. It felt extremely intrusive to be given details about an adoptive child that apparently the child himself hasn't been made privy to and therefore cannot possibly have given consent for it to be shared with the world at large.

Excellent. I would love to see this repeated every couple/few years as an ongoing series of volumes of  essay collections of queer reflections on horror. The basic formula of an individual queer person's experience matched with the horror film of their choice allows for any number of unique permutations. Queer reflections showcased here cover a range of sexual and gender identities, but also touch on other issues in a personal way, such as race, disability, parenthood.  
I should add that I haven't seen most of the films discussed, and it did not hamper my comprehension or enjoyment one bit. The discussion of the way horror (films) address certain themes and tropes, with context described as necessary, fit neatly into my existing love of horror non-fiction and metatextual horror.    

The cream of the crop from my perspective:

Indescribable by Carrow Narby: Gleeful to see representation/discussion of agender experience. 

Centred and Seen by Sumiko Saulson: I think it was the sad tone of the previous couple stories that made the defiantly joyous ending to this essay all the more impactful.

The Trail of His Flames by Tucker Lieberman: Just incredible writing, the framework, the unique shift in perspective, the vulnerability and working through something nightmarish to come to a conclusion that offers a mature, hopeful path forward, I think this is the best essay in the collection, if not necessarily my personal favourite. 

Black Body Snatchers by Samuel Autman: Incisive but also almost chatty in its concise phrasing, serious subject matter and yet a pleasure to read. 

On Beauty and Necrosis by Sachiko Ragosta: No surprise, when the essay focuses on gender expression with a side of non-binary musings, it's going to be among my favourites. While masks are discussed in other essays, I particularly liked the way this one addressed how they act as a metaphor. 

⚠️ miscarriage, stillbirth, homophobia, child abuse, domestic abuse, SA, body horror, self-harm, cannibalism, gore