11 horror movies given a second life by LGBTQ audiences
By Rachel Roth
10. Rebecca
The master of suspense, director Alfred Hitchcock worked with many homosexual and bisexual people during his career and was reportedly fascinated by them. He included many of what is referred to as “gay codes” in his films that went largely unnoticed by the audiences of the time.
Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, Rebecca centers around an unnamed bride (Joan Fontaine) nearly succumbing to psychological torture at the hands of her new husband’s creepy housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson). The husband’s first wife, Rebecca de Winter, who was the object of Mrs. Danver’s affections, died suddenly and is replaced by the new bride. At least, that’s how Mrs. Danver’s sees it.
The way Danvers obsesses over Rebecca is enough but then comes the strange lingerie scene where Danvers shows the new bride Rebecca’s underwear. She gently runs her hand through the material with a muted smile, describing her mistress taking a bath and getting dressed while pretending to brush the bride’s hair the way she once did Rebecca’s. At the end of the scene, Mrs. Danvers is showing off the monogrammed pillowcase she had specially made for Rebecca.
From Mrs. Danvers point of view, Rebecca would be a tragic movie. Instead of a bride being terrorized by a creepy woman, it could have been the story of a heartbroken woman punishing those who removed Rebecca from her life.