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The horror genre has been thriving for years now, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Fans have been treated to sequels from long-running franchises, but some of the best horror movies in recent memory where wholly original concepts. Christopher Landon’s new movie, Drop, is in the latter category, and was one of my most highly anticipated upcoming horror movies of the year. I absolutely loved seeing it in theaters, and I need to talk about the movie’s inherent queerness.
CinemaBlend’s Drop review praised the movie’s thrills and unique concept, largely thanks to the work of Landon. He’s a genre favorite thanks to his work on the Happy Death Day franchise, and once again delivered with this new release. And as a queer fan of the genre, I couldn’t help but be tickled by various subtle and not-so-subtle ways that the LGBTQ+ community is represented.
Perhaps the most obvious is the truly delightful performance from actor, writer, comedian and overall gay icon Jeffery Self. He steals the show as Matt the waiter, and never fails to make me laugh in every single moment he had on screen. The casting was truly inspired, as was his borderline unhinged take on the high-end server.
During Drop‘s brisk 95-minute runtime, I found myself noticing how many of the movie’s background actors were queer. Since the majority of the movie is set in a restaurant where protagonist Violet is having a date, there are other diners in the background of most shots. Rather than blending in, a number of the extras stood out thanks to their fabulous outfits and makeup, another reason why I felt like the horror flick was winking at me as an LBGTQ+ horror fan.
My attention was also piqued when “Moon River” could be heard as Violet was entering the restaurant. This track is part of the American Songbook, but was also prominently featured in Angels in America, both on stage and in the HBO miniseries (which is streaming with a Max subscription). Maybe that’s a niche reference, but it contributed to the movie feeling like it was specifically featuring LGBTQ+ references.
There’s also a debate to be had that Violet’s sister, Jen, is queer-coded, but that’s neither here nor there. So while Drop is not explicitly a queer horror movie (and it does center around a straight couple), these choices feel purposeful. And they really added to the joy I felt watching the mystery of the new horror flick play out.
Drop director Christopher Landon is an out gay man, which is another reason that I happened to connect the dots of the movie’s subtle queerness as I watched it. I can only assume that a shared taste and sensibility is what moved me in this way; most straight moviegoers likely didn’t notice items on this list (besides Self absolutely slaying his role).
After watching the new movie, I couldn’t help but wonder what the director would have done with Scream VII if those plans came to fruition. Landon recently spoke about what it was like departing Scream, and finding a silver lining in bringing this new film to life.
Drop is in theaters now as part of the 2025 movie release list. And, I personally can’t wait to see what Christopher Landon brings to the horror genre next.
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