B&B, 2017

Here we are folks at the last film in my queer horror exploration. With few exceptions, I’ve tried to choose films that not only were unfamiliar to me but also were low key and underrepresented in their own way. Joe Ahearne’s film B&B fits squarely into this category. A British thriller, B&B tells the story of a married couple, Marc and Fred, who return to a small, country Inn run by a homophobic, religious man who they engaged in a legal dispute a year before. While tensions are already high, another guest enters the mix and makes everyone a bit suspicious and on edge. The story turns into a surprising fight for survival.

While many of the films in this marathon have been somewhat familiar genre stories just with queer characters, B&B makes the queer elements of the story the driver of the narrative. Kate Blair of Film Inquiry discusses some of the queer aspects of the film and how they add to the tension within the story:

“Why in the world would a couple waste a weekend in a place where they are deliberately made to feel unwelcome and potentially unsafe? Staying in close quarters with a bigot and being forced to sleep in the same room as your spouse on twin beds isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time, and that’s if nothing else goes terribly wrong. However forced the narrative may be, it does serve to highlight a tension that exists for gay couples in England, America, and other outwardly tolerant countries. When it comes to discrimination cases, the law is in gay couples’ favor (for now), but these individuals still have to decide whether it’s worth prosecuting, whether it’s worth all of that time, energy, and discomfort, just to take advantage of rights that ought to be easy to enjoy. In addition, having a legal right to be somewhere doesn’t automatically immunize you from harm. The law might protect your rights, but it can’t (and sometimes simply won’t) protect your body – an unfortunate truism for marginalized groups everywhere.”

The majority of critics agree that B&B is a well-constructed thriller with solid performances by lead actors Tom Bateman and Sean Teale. To me, the film’s downsides include its slower pacing and dialogue that can get a bit dull at times, often losing its larger attempt at dark comedy. Overall, B&B was certainly one of the stronger entries in the list of 20 films I was able to watch for my queer marathon. I definitely recommend general horror audiences check this one out, especially if you’re a fan of slower, character-driven thrillers.