Play Audiobook Sample
It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(0.00) - 0 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Through the lens of horror—from Halloween to Hereditary—queer and trans writers consider the films that deepened, amplified, and illuminated their own experiences.
Horror movies hold a complicated space in the hearts of the queer community: historically misogynist, and often homo- and transphobic, the genre has also been inadvertently feminist and open to subversive readings. Common tropes—such as the circumspect and resilient “final girl,” body possession, costumed villains, secret identities, and things that lurk in the closet—spark moments of eerie familiarity and affective connection. Still, viewers often remain tasked with reading themselves into beloved films, seeking out characters and set pieces that speak to, mirror, and parallel the unique ways queerness encounters the world.
It Came from the Closet features twenty-five original essays by writers speaking to this relationship, through connections both empowering and oppressive. From Carmen Maria Machado on Jennifer’s Body, Jude Ellison S. Doyle on In My Skin, Addie Tsai on Dead Ringers, and many more, these conversations convey the rich reciprocity between queerness and horror.
Download and start listening now!
“As someone who grew up with posters of Freddy Krueger and Frank N. Furter over my bed, It Came from the Closet is the perfect gay bible for me. The navigations and dissections of some of my favorite slashers through various queer lenses are akin to any great horror film: mind-blowing, eye-popping, and heart-ripping.”
— Drew Droege, a.k.a. “Chloe,” drag queen and writer
Quotes
-
“A fantastic anthology of writing about horror, all from deliciously queer perspectives.”
— Ms. Magazine -
“An impressively diverse array of queer voices contribute.”
— Bay Area Reporter -
“An essential look at how spooky movies so often offer solace through subversiveness.”
— Electric Literature -
“Wonderful off-road pieces that twist and turn with skeletal precision.”
— Los Angeles Review of Books -
“There’s a moment in this book that’ll resonate with every single reader: undead, queer, or otherwise.”
— Fangoria -
“These essays are tender and funny, vulnerable and courageous.”
— Southern Bookseller Review -
“There’s a moment in this book that’ll resonate with every single reader: undead, queer, or otherwise.”
— Fangoria -
“Revolutionary work.”
— Monster Camp -
“This compelling production, with notable performances by Aida Reluzco, Em Grossland, and Ron Butler, will deepen listeners’ engagement with the horror genre.”
— AudioFile -
“The essays take surprising turns and don’t look for easy answers.”
— Bomb magazine -
“Killers, monsters, and demons are frequently metaphors for what we don’t understand about our own humanity…I finished [the anthology] with a new appreciation for the horror genre.”
— Autostraddle -
“A brilliant display of expert criticism, wry humor, and original thinking.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Each essay provides a plethora of fascinating details.”
— Booklist (starred review) -
“Horror teaches us about ourselves in all our thrilling extremes.”
— Alex Marzano, author of The Fact of a Body -
“Each piece in this collection is lavishly queer in its intelligence, vulnerability, and wit.”
— Paul Lisicky, author of Later -
“These clear, insightful, and deeply personal essays reveal the real reasons why we’ve all been so scared.”
— Christopher Castellani, author of Leading Men
Awards
-
A Libro.fm Audio bestseller
It Came from the Closet Listener Reviews
Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
About the Authors
Joe Vallese is an author whose creative and pop culture writing appears in Bomb, Vice, Backstage, PopMatters, Southeast Review, North American Review, Narrative Northeast, and VIA: Voices in Italian-Americana, among others. He is clinical associate professor in the expository writing program at New York University and previously served as site director and faculty for the Bard Prison Initiative. He holds an MFA degree from New York University and MAT and BA degrees from Bard College.
James Fouhey is an actor and AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator living in New York City. He received classical training at Boston University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts. He has recorded more than 150 audiobooks across a variety of genres, including science fiction, romance, young adult fiction, and children’s fiction.
About the Narrators
Mark Bramhall has won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration, more than thirty AudioFile Earphones Awards, and has repeatedly been named by AudioFile magazine and Publishers Weekly among their “Best Voices of the Year.” He is also an award-winning actor whose acting credits include off-Broadway, regional, and many Los Angeles venues as well as television, animation, and feature films. He has taught and directed at the American Academy of Dramatic Art.
Graham Halstead, an Earphones Award and Audie Award–winning narrator, is a professionally trained actor and voice artist. As an actor, he has worked internationally in Edinburgh and London, as well as at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. His youthful, easy-flowing voice can be heard on television and radio voicing spots for Airborne and Allegra.
André Santana is an award-winning audiobook narrator on a journey to tell great stories. Operating with a keen sense for realistic delivery, he inevitably becomes a fan of every book he narrates and shares that joy through his performances. As a non-binary and Black narrator, he loves both telling stories that match him and disappearing into new characters across the literary multiverse.
Jesse Vilinsky is a classically trained actress and voice actor, having graduated from the USC School of Dramatic Arts and BADA in London. She has lent her voice to numerous film and television projects and has worked on various video games, animation, and commercial projects as well. As a narrator, Jesse has garnered recognition in AudioFile magazine for her expertly voiced characters and ability to bring forth the strength and truth of their stories.
Harvard Business Review is the leading destination for smart management thinking. Through its flagship magazine, twelve international licensed editions, books from Harvard Business Review Press, and digital content and tools published on HBR.org, Harvard Business Review provides professionals around the world with rigorous insights and best practices to lead them and their organizations more effectively and to make a positive impact.
You can find HBR at: hbr.org
Twitter: @HarvardBiz
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/harvard-business-review
Facebook: @HBR
Instagram: @harvard_business_review
YouTube: youtube.com/user/harvardbusinessreview
Harvard Business Review is the leading destination for smart management thinking. Through its flagship magazine, nine international licensed editions, books from Harvard Business Review Press, and digital content and tools published on HBR.org, Harvard Business Review provides professionals around the world with rigorous insights and best practices to lead them and their organizations more effectively and to make a positive impact.
You can find HBR at: hbr.org
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/harvard-business-review
Facebook: @HBR
Instagram: @harvard_business_review
YouTube: youtube.com/user/harvardbusinessreview
Ron Butler is a Los Angeles–based actor, Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator, and voice artist with over a hundred film and television credits. Most kids will recognize him from the three seasons he spent on Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, VP. He works regularly as a commercial and animation voice-over artist and has voiced a wide variety of audiobooks. He is a member of the Atlantic Theater Company and an Independent Filmmaker Project Award winner for his work in the HBO film Everyday People.
Born in the United States and based in France, Hope Newhouse comes from a stage background ranging from medieval farce to contemporary drama to children’s theater. Now more often found behind a microphone, her warm and engaging voice has been heard on commercials, video games, e-learning programs, institutional films, and audiobooks.
Michael Crouch is an actor based in New York City. His audiobook narration has won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, numerous Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine, and Best of the Year accolades from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. He can also be heard on national commercials, cartoons, video games, and the animé series Pokémon XY and Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.
André Santana is an award-winning audiobook narrator on a journey to tell great stories. Operating with a keen sense for realistic delivery, he inevitably becomes a fan of every book he narrates and shares that joy through his performances. As a non-binary and Black narrator, he loves both telling stories that match him and disappearing into new characters across the literary multiverse.
Joel Froomkin is a UK transplant, having grown up with American parents in a British commonwealth. He is often cast for his unique ability to deliver native, authentic combinations of both American and British sounds. His wit and comedic timing also appeal to producers. He has developed a strong body of work for young audience, historical, fantasy, new-adult, romance, and m/m fiction.
Mike Cooper is a British voice artist based in the United States. In addition to a wide variety of voice-over work he has narrated audiobooks including The Divine Spark, The Magician’s Way, and The Last Shaman.
Michael Crouch is an actor based in New York City. His audiobook narration has won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration, numerous Earphones Awards from AudioFile magazine, and Best of the Year accolades from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. He can also be heard on national commercials, cartoons, video games, and the animé series Pokémon XY and Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.
Vikas Adam is a classically trained actor with numerous credits in stage, film, commercials, and television, in addition to his hundreds of recorded audiobooks. In 2025 he was named a Golden Voice, AudioFile magazine’s lifetime achievement honor for audiobook narrators. His narrations have garnered numerous other awards and nominations, including more than twenty-five AudioFile Earphones Awards, various Best of the Year lists, and the prestigious Audie Award. He was an inaugural inductee into the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame.