He is the author of Monsters in the Closet, which deals with the
portrayal of gay men in American
horror and
science fiction films, with the creation of what Benshoff calls the "monster queer" identity, which Benshoff posits as a
counter-hegemonic identity to the
heterosexual status quo.[2][3][4][5] In this work, he argues that the films of
Val Lewton in the 1940s, such as Cat People, reflected "a growing awareness of homosexuality, homosexual communities, and the dynamics of homosexual oppression as it was played out in society and the military" during that era, which led to a more nuanced depiction of monsters in films of that era.[6] In 2022, he was interviewed for Queer for Fear, a 2022 documentary on
LGBTQ representation in horror films.[7]
He has also written books about the
blaxploitation and the presentation of race in American horror films.[1]
Select publications
Benshoff, Harry M. (15 November 1997). Monsters in the Closet: Homosexuality and the Horror Film. Manchester University Press.
ISBN978-0-7190-4473-1.
Benshoff, Harry M.;
Griffin, Sean (2004). America on film: representing race, class, gender, and sexuality at the movies.
Wiley.
ISBN9780631225829.
Benshoff, Harry M.;
Griffin, Sean (2005). Queer Images: A History of Gay and Lesbian Film in America. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
ISBN9780742568570.
Benshoff, Harry M. (2011). Dark Shadows. Wayne State University Press.
ISBN978-0-8143-3439-3.
Benshoff, Harry M.; Griffin, Sean (26 August 2011). America on Film: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality at the Movies. John Wiley & Sons.
ISBN978-1-4443-5759-2.