As horror fans anxiously await news on the official release date for Tina Romeros Queens of the Dead a queer horror film about drag queens versus zombies theres a recent queer-laced slasher flick thats not only coming to Shudder on August 8, but its also available to rent right now. Its called Clown in a Cornfield, and unless youre a horror enthusiast, it probably wasnt on your radar.The sleeper-hit slasher, which is about a group of Midwestern high school teens who are terrorized by a local legend named Frendo the Clown, first made a bloody splash when it premiered at SXSW back in March, and it went on to receive a theatrical release on May 9. Even though it was sandwiched between the release of Marvels Thunderbolts and the insanely successful and critically praised Sinners, it still earned a commendable 73 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and scared up $3.6 million during its opening weekend, which isnt too shabby for a film with a $1 million budget (it went on to earn $7.2 million at the domestic box office, $10.7 worldwide). While Clown in a Cornfield is by no means a gay production nor is it a full-fledged queer horror film in the vein of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, its certainly a bloody good time thats worthy of being on your list of queer-laced horror flicks due to its LGBTQ+ representation which can be traced back to its source material. Based on the trilogy of books by author Adam Cesare, the film does feature two gay male leads, and theres even a well-executed coming-out subplot in the film (but since we dont want to spoil it, we wont say who). Let's just say that horror films dont always have to leave you rooting for the final girl theres also room for a final boy (or two). Verity Marks, Cassandra Potenza, and Katie Douglas in Eli Craigs CLOWN IN A CORNFIELDCourtesy of RLJE Films & ShudderIts also not exactly obvious who the gay characters are either. These guys, while certainly hunky and easy on the eye arent walking stereotypes and the gay romance subplot itself feels natural its never cliche or pounded in your face and comes as sort of a third-reel surprise, although the signs are there. While speaking with The AU Review, director Eli Craig (best known for helming 2010s delightfully witty and gory Tucker & Dale vs. Evil) commented on the subtleness of the coming-out reveal and how its good for general audiences to encounter gay characters in any type of movie. Because my youngest brother is very openly gay, and I think that, to be honest with you, the best versions of movies for gay rights were the ones that werent trying to make a point, he told the outlet after they complimented him about how natural the gay reveal came off. I feel like things that are just there to make a message dont break through to gay people. Its good for people that are not going to see an LGBTQ movie at all to just have gay characters that arent a theme of the movie. Its just an element of it. Frendo the Clown in Eli Craigs CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD.Courtesy of RLJE Films & ShudderEven though Clown in the Cornfield was a box office success, so far, theres no official word on a greenlit sequel. But if fans do get one, there are still two more books in the franchise to adapt: Clown in a Cornfield 2: Frendo Lives and Clown in a Cornfield 3: Church of Frendo. And yes, those two aforementioned gay leads are front and center in the second book. In fact, Cesare also introduces a transgender character named Jerri in Frendo Lives, so if a sequel is greenlit, Clown in the Cornfield 2 will very likely be another inclusive, queer-laced splatterfest that gay horror fans can look forward to.In addition to its Shudder streaming premiere date on August 8, RLJE Films also announced that Clown in a Cornfield will be available in SteelBook 4k Ultra-High Definition, Blu-ray, and DVD formats on September 16. The film is also available to rent now on Prime Video.