Within the world of horror, sexual and social norms are subverted in a struggle for survival. Whether making outsiders powerful villains or allowing those who live outside of social expectations to ultimately triumph, the conventions of the wider world no longer matter when the stakes are life or death.
Upcoming horror-thriller Companion is a reminder of the powerful appeal that the genre holds for queer audiences. With a cast that features scream queen Sophie Thatcher and queer faves Harvey Guillén and Lukas Gage, Companion follows AI companion Iris as she battles to find autonomy and live authentically (relatable!).
Below, we unpack the film’s resonance for LGBTQIA+ and female audiences.
Female autonomy
Companion stars our fave scream queen Sophie Thatcher (a breakout star of Yellowjackets) as Iris.
Iris thinks she’s found her rom-com meet-cute after she bumps into Josh (The Boys’ Jack Quaid) in a grocery store. However, when he invites her for a weekend away, she soon realises the truth: she doesn’t just dress like a Stepford Wife, she’s actually a highly sophisticated AI companion.
What ensues is a struggle for freedom as Iris fights to escape Josh’s control – a process of defying gender and sexual norms that evokes the process of ‘social deprogramming’ which many queer folks and women undergo in order to live as their most authentic selves.
Nuanced depictions of queerness
Among the film’s supporting cast are Harvey Guillén and Lukas Gage, who play Eli and Patrick: a gay couple among Josh’s affluent friendship group.
The duo provide an explicit representation of queerness within the horror genre, where often LGBTQIA+ identities are subtly queer-coded rather than openly embodied.
Their identities are never played for laughs and they’re not merely used as props – instead, the characters are an important part of the film’s narrative fabric.
Companion is released in UK cinemas from 31 January. Book tickets here and check out the trailer below.
