Welcome to MovieJawn’s Split Decision! Each week, Ryan will pose a question to our staff of knowledgeable and passionate film lovers and share the responses. Chime in on Twitter, Facebook, our Instagram, or in the comments below.

This week’s question: 

What is your favorite horror film that is either expressly or implicitly queer?

The mesmerizing erotic thriller Stranger by the Lake. Franck (Pierre Deadonchamps) lusts after Michel (Christophe Paou) even though he spies Michel drowning his boyfriend, Ramière (François-Renaud Labarthe). This seductive film is shot in a series of hypnotic, repetitive sequences, plays with issues of attraction and voyeurism. Writer/director Alain Guiraudie plays extremely well with various points of view and issues of identity. When the film merges Franck’s vision of the murder with the narrative in one continuous sequence it is dazzling. In fact, Stranger by the Lake is so incredibly atmospheric and uninhibited that viewers will be breathing heavy during the erotic trysts and as the tension increases in the final reel when things get quite violent. –Gary M. Kramer, Staff Writer

The Eyes of My Mother is a great horror movie where one woman picks another up at a bar. It’s a small respite from the horror that you of course know won’t be a respite at all. There’s something approaching an awkward tenderness there, before everything goes wrong. But! I am not the kind of person who can or should pretend to be an authority on queer horror. I humbly present the capstone of my good friend and former roommate, Dan Raby. I think Dan was the first person I met who pointed out how much queer subtext there was in a movie like Texas Chainsaw 2. Before Dan and I talked, I thought the end of Sleepaway Camp was about as thoughtful as friendly as horror got to anybody who isn’t straight and cis.— Alex Rudolph, Staff Writer

Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge is my favorite accidentally queer horror story. I say “accidentally,” because through rewrites and some rumors, Jesse (played by Mark Patton) was originally supposed to be a girl, and he plays the role of a “final girl” so incredibly well. (I could probably go on for a minute about how the final girl trope is now all-encompassing, but I digress.) Robert Englund has said he considers it a “bisexual themed film,” since Jesse is obviously into his girlfriend and his best friend at the same time. There’s also a whole gay leather bar scene, and it’s wonderfully campy. Highly recommend Scream, Queen! for a behind-the-scenes documentary on the after-effects of Freddy on Mark Patton.–Whitley Albury, Contributor

The Hunger. Sarandon and Deneuve. “It sounds like a love song.” “I told you, it’s sung by two women.” Toss in Bowie and Peter Murphy and it’s got something for everybody. Honorable mention to Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher, which immediately makes it the gayest film in history… and the beefcake poster of Rob Lowe inside Corey Haim’s closet door doesn’t hurt. –Anthony Glassman, Contributor

This is my favorite sub-genre so it’s difficult to choose! Jennifer’s Body is how I made my debut on Movie Jawn so it will always hold a special place in my heart. However, for this spooky season I’m going to recommend the movie Heavenly Creatures. This is one of those hidden gems from early on in Peter Jackson’s career that he wrote alongside his wife. It stars Melanie Lynsky and Kate Winslet, also early on in their film careers, playing two forbidden teenage lovers in 1950s New Zealand. For all the dark, sinister plot points, there is also a bit of magical realism as one of the girls descends into a tuberculosis-fueled madness. It’s also based on a true story! Queer people suffering during the 1950s? Unheard of. Still, at least these two figure out a way to fight back! –Matt Crump, Staff Writer

I’ve said it before but I don’t mind repeating myself: Knife + Heart is one of my favorite horror films, full stop. It draws from all the best aspects of the proto-slashers of Mario Bava, Dario Argento, and Brian De Palma and filters them (extremely adeptly) though a queer lens: Vanessa Paradis stars as a producer of cheap gay porn in late-70s Paris. Her girlfriend (who also served as her editor and creative partner) has just left her and, to make matters worse, a mysterious masked killer is picking off members of her cast and crew. It’s absolutely gorgeous (shot on film!) and is a pitch-perfect homage to my favorite kind of 70s horror.–Clayton Hayes, Staff Writer

I admit to only watching Raw once when it was released, so there is much I forget. However, I can tell you that as someone who was deeply closeted at the time, out of real fear, it bulldozed me. The way I described the film was, "How far will you go to be who you really are?  How far will you go to hide it?" I got into trouble with my family for just saying that on this site. Truth be told, that film got the wheels in motion for the great exodus my life would become. Here I am, ta da!–Ashley Jane Davis, Staff Writer