But, as far as a mainstream queer horror film released by a studio where characters aren't masked or pushed aside? Yes, I believe it's coming. Why can't the final girl of the new Friday the 13th have a final girlfriend? I want a gay boy to get his big vampire romance film. I want a trans person to save us from the zombie apocalypse.

It's coming. And I can't wait. In the meantime, there's SO many wonderful indie horror films with queer content that are out there and I encourage people to seek them out.

P: I keep my television on Hallmark during the holiday season. As such, I've seen Broadcasting Christmas (written by Varrati) a few times this year. Does your work in the horror genre inform your work in the Made-for-TV-Movie genre?

M: It informs my work in the way that both horror movies and the made-for-TV projects, in their way, fit the definition of what we would consider "cult cinema," though I'm sure the TV folks would eschew that label.Ultimately, both styles of film are built around certain rules and audience expectations. Granted, you can subvert and play with those expectations, but there's always a vibe that you have to tap into first before you can do so. And while these are very different styles of films, my approach to understanding their worlds is similar.