The Limehouse Golem (2016)

Bill Nighy plays a gay investigator in director Juan Carlos Medina’s 2016 queer Victorian-era horror film THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM, which is based on the 1994 novel “Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem” by gay author Peter Ackroyd.

THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM

2016. UK.

 Director: Juan Carlos Medina

Screenplay: Jane Goldman

Based on: “Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem” (1994) by Peter Ackroyd

Starring: Bill Nighy, Olivia Cooke, Douglas Booth, Daniel Mays, Sam Reid, María Valverde, Henry Goodman, Morgan Watkins & Eddie Marsan

The film opens on a drag performer recounting a series of grisly murders by a killer known as “The Limehouse Golem.” The story moves back in time and we’re introduced to Inspector Kildare (Nighy) who is assigned to find the identity of the Golem. We find out right from the beginning that Inspector Kildare is gay:

“He wasn’t the marrying kind.” Constable Flood (Mays) is warned before assisting Kildare on the case. Despite the warning, Flood helps Kildare and later reveals that he too is gay.

The two begin questioning Lizzie (Olivia Cooke) a former music hall drag performer, and a closeted lesbian, who has been sent to prison for poisoning her abusive husband. Kildare takes an interest in her because he suspects her deceased husband may have been the Golem.

As Lizzie recounts her story, she talks about her tragic past and how she was taken under the wing of Dan Leno – another music hall drag performer, insinuated to be gay as well. Her stage performances eventually caught the eye of her soon-to-be husband, a playwright, and she married him, despite Leno’s warning, because he promised to cast her in a play he was working on. As Lizzie talks more of her past, Kildare becomes convinced of her innocence and attempts to uncover both the identity of the Golem, and the person responsible for the death of her husband.

*Mild spoilers ahead*

I’m still shocked as to how gay THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM is and that the queer elements were almost completely ignored when the film was released. The film also features the queer killer trope, but provides more balance than other films of the past because it includes a number of fairly well developed gay characters. I’m not convinced it completely succeeds in its conclusion/reveal, but the journey is an interesting one if you enjoy murder mysteries.

You can find THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM streaming on Tubi (Canada/Mexico), Hoopla & PlutoTV (USA), Prime (UK/Mexico) and for rent/purchase with AppleTV & Amazon. It’s also available on DVD/Blu-ray.