Horror movies have always attracted outsiders. In part, this is because the genre is frequently about outsiders: the weirdos, freaks, and monsters whose very existence is an intrinsic threat to the self-appointed defenders of the Normal. However, over its century-plus history, horror cinema has usually – though not always – depicted its outsiders in a menacing light, exploiting mainstream culture’s instinct to recoil from anything strange or unconventional. This creates a sticky dilemma for contemporary horror enjoyers, particularly progressive viewers who feel pressured to square their undying devotion to the genre with its at best complicated (and frequently dreadful) treatment of gender, sexuality, race, disability, and neurodivergence. This tantalizing but frustrating paradox has been one of the central preoccupations of feminist and queer film theory for decades, explored in key texts such as The Madwoman in the Attic (1979), Men,