The end of the Homosexual murderer?

[Allhallowsday]

In his review of Anatomy of a Fall, Richard Brody, among his other complaints, claims that once it is revealed that Sandra Huller's character is bisexual, it becomes most unlikely that she is responsible for the death of her husband. This makes me wonder what happened to having homosexuals as murderers in movies? Although clearly implied in such movies as The Maltese Falcon and Laura, I suspect that having homosexuals as actual murderers became more common once the concept could be mentioned in movies. I remember that the 1978 movie Brass Target made its two corrupt army officers homosexuals, as if murdering 59 soldiers in the first ten minutes was not enough to get the audience to hate them. I also remember there is Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs which led The Nation critic to call out the movie for encouraging anti-trans prejudice. I wonder when this habit ended. (It occurs to me that I remember another Nation article in 1987 mentioning a number of homophobic comments in contemporary American films, which alludes to Will Patton's devious murderer in No Way Out.

The trope of a "queer" character as disturbed, marginalized, and mysterious has faded since the '90s (thankfully).

[CinemaInternational]

In his review of Anatomy of a Fall, Richard Brody, among his other complaints, claims that once it is revealed that Sandra Huller's character is bisexual, it becomes most unlikely that she is responsible for the death of her husband. This makes me wonder what happened to having homosexuals as murderers in movies? Although clearly implied in such movies as The Maltese Falcon and Laura, I suspect that having homosexuals as actual murderers became more common once the concept could be mentioned in movies. I remember that the 1978 movie Brass Target made its two corrupt army officers homosexuals, as if murdering 59 soldiers in the first ten minutes was not enough to get the audience to hate them. I also remember there is Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs which led The Nation critic to call out the movie for encouraging anti-trans prejudice. I wonder when this habit ended. (It occurs to me that I remember another Nation article in 1987 mentioning a number of homophobic comments in contemporary American films, which alludes to Will Patton's devious murderer in No Way Out.

The trope of a "queer" character as disturbed, marginalized, and mysterious has faded since the '90s (thankfully).

I'd argue that the last in a serious film was maybe Basic Instinct. I think the infamous scene in Ace Ventura was the very last of such things

[Allhallowsday]

Ironically, I watched quite a bit of PHILADELPHIA on TCM last night. DENZEL WASHINGTON's character addresses the notion of mystery and fear. It is astounding how far perceptions have improved.

[CinemaInternational]

Ironically, I watched quite a bit of PHILADELPHIA on TCM last night. DENZEL WASHINGTON's character addresses the notion of mystery and fear. It is astounding how far perceptions have improved.

I don't remember that line, but being as that film has to deal with lawyers, I have to say that my jaw nearly dropped last year when I was on one of my periods of watching a lot of TV shows. It was a 1991 episode of LA Law, and one line the Jimmy Smits character said in court while representing an AIDS patient was that doctors predicted that by the year 2000, that there would be over 20 million AIDS cases in America. We are over 20 years past that point, and it is fortunately nowhere nearly as high as that line would have indicated.

[Allhallowsday]

I also recently watched THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (based on novel published in the '50s). That is the latest and last major example (and perhaps the most disturbing) I can think of the trope. It's not often you pity the creep.

[Allhallowsday]

A most interesting subject. I recall the gay couple who murder someone in a James Bond film and then go hand in hand into the sunset, but I can't remember which film...

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER?

[Allhallowsday]

THE UNINVITED (1944) "She was a goddess...!!" And murderer... by lipstick lesbian proxy??

[Allhallowsday]

I mention this obvious one, I think there's more...
ROPE (1948)

[Dargo]

Because I had no idea who last week's SNL guest host Jacob Elordi was, and during his opening monologue it was mentioned that he was in the cast of the recently released 'Saltburn' movie, and which then in turn prompted me to search out and read that film's Wiki plot synopsis which mentions the murderous male protagonist of this film was infatuated with the character Elordi played.

And so my question: Wouldn't this be a recent example of what this thread's topic is about?

(...and once again, because I haven't actually watched this film but have only read its storyline, I don't really know for sure)

[Allhallowsday]

... 'Saltburn' movie, ...Wiki plot synopsis which mentions the murderous male protagonist of this film was infatuated with the character Elordi played.
And so my question: Wouldn't this be a recent example of what this thread's topic is about?
...

Perhaps.

[KayFrancis]

The 1968 film The Detective starring Frank Sinatra should be mentioned when discussing gay murders.The film has a very brutal murder scene involving two homosexual men and the arrest and execution of an innocent gay man ( Tony Musante). The film deals with some contemporary issues for the time.I saw it when first released . It is shown on TV every so often
The cast is good and did do well at the box office.
As an aside, this is the film that caused the end of Frank and Mia's marriage. Frank wanted Mia for the role of his wife but Rosemary's Baby was not completed when production began on The Detective, so she backed out of The Detective. Frank had his attorney serve divorce papers to Mia on the set of Rosemary's Baby. The role of Frank's wife went to Lee Remick..
If you're going to discuss gay murders in film, then The Detective should be mentioned.

[Swithin]

The title of this thread "The end of the homosexual murderer?," reminds me of lines from Joe Orton's play Loot.

A policeman enters and says, "You remember me, Truscott of the Yard. I solved the case of the limbless girl killer."

A character responds: "Who would kill a limbless girl?"

Truscott: "She was the killer."