In this Bury Your Gays review, we dive into Chuck Tingle’s latest queer horror novel that blends satire, social commentary, and emotional depth.
Chuck Tingle may have first entered the public eye with delightfully absurd titles like Pounded in the Butt by My Own Butt and Harry Potter parodies like Trans Wizard Harriet Porber and the Bad Boy Parasaurolophus, but there’s far more to this enigmatic author than satirical smut and sentient body parts.
His 2023 horror debut Camp Damascus surprised many with its haunting, nuanced exploration of queer identity and religious trauma. Now, with Bury Your Gays, Tingle blends horror, satire, and social commentary into a sharp, eerie, and ultimately affirming story about queer survival in the face of a media machine that too often treats LGBTQ+ characters as expendable.
In this Bury Your Gays review, we’ll explore how Tingle’s latest novel builds tension like a true horror master, while never losing sight of what he’s always celebrated best: queer joy, resilience, and the power of love in all its forms – even when things get a little weird.
📖 Quick Overview
Bury Your Gays – Chuck Tingle
Misha is a jaded scriptwriter working in Hollywood, and he’s seen it all. All the toxic personalities and coverups, the structural obstructions to reform, even dead actors brought back to screen by CGI – and finally, maybe, the hint of change.
But having just been nominated for his first Oscar, Misha is pressured by his producers to kill off a gay character in the upcoming season finale—”for the algorithm”—on the same day he witnesses to gruesome death-by-piano of treasured animator (and notorious creep) Raymond Nelson.
Success, it seems, isn’t the answer to everything.
With the help of his best friend and paranoid database queen, Tara, and his boyfriend, Zeke, Misha has face down his traumatic childhood and past mistakes. But in a paranoid industry that thinks nothing of killing off talent, it’s not so simple to find a way to do what’s right.
📌 TL;DR
A smart, unsettling queer horror that’s as emotionally rich as it is creepy. Chuck Tingle’s Bury Your Gays is genre-bending, trope-challenging, and quietly revolutionary.
💥 Hook
“I wasn’t expecting to feel seen and spooked in the same sentence – but this book pulled it off.”
💬 The Big Idea
What lingers after the final page? This is the section for the question that stuck, the moment that mattered, the theme that ties it all together.
🧠 What’s it About?
This isn’t your average satire. Bury Your Gays is a speculative horror novel that tackles media tropes, queer erasure, and the dark side of artificial storytelling. Think: Black Mirror meets queer resilience – with weird AI vibes and a lot of heart.
🔍 Why It’s More Than Just the Blurb
Unlike most horror novels, this isn’t about gore or monsters. The fear here is existential: what happens when AI rewrites your life – and the world is happy to forget the truth?
It’s deeply clever, and layered with meaning. It’ll hit especially hard if you’ve ever:
- Felt like media misrepresents your identity
- Seen queer characters treated as disposable
- Wanted stories that resist easy, shiny resolutions
🔍 Deep Dive
Let’s dig into what’s going on beneath the surface – without spoiling anything. From tropes to pacing to the emotional sucker punch, here’s how it hits.
📚 What’s Inside? (Spoiler-Free Breakdown)
Bury Your Gays leans into classic horror tropes like eerie atmospheres and creeping dread but flips them by focusing on queer survival and media critique. The pacing is measured, building tension gradually with moments of sharp satire that cut through the suspense without slowing the momentum.
The trope of “disposable LGBTQ+ characters” is not just referenced but interrogated, with the story unpacking how those narratives shape real-world perceptions. The AI-driven media manipulation adds a fresh sci-fi layer, making the horror feel contemporary and unsettling.
What worked especially well: the balance between chilling psychological horror and moments of genuine queer joy and resilience. The subtle social commentary never feels preachy but adds depth. The author’s use of surreal, sometimes disorienting imagery enhances the feeling of unease, fitting perfectly with the story’s themes.
What didn’t quite hit the mark: a couple of side characters felt underdeveloped, which left some potential subplots a bit thin. Also, the narrative’s experimental style might challenge readers who prefer straightforward storytelling.
Overall, Bury Your Gays delivers a haunting, thought-provoking read that pushes genre boundaries while honouring queer narratives in a unique way.
Full Review By Jasmine
★ ★ ★ ★
Chuck Tingle’s Bury Your Gays is not just a book with a cheeky, provocative title – it’s a powerful, multifaceted novel that blends speculative fiction, social commentary, and surprisingly effective horror. At its heart, it’s a sharp critique of harmful media tropes, but it’s also a gripping, eerie mystery that keeps readers turning the page with a persistent sense of unease. It’s rare to find a book that makes you think, laugh, and tense up all in one sitting – but Tingle pulls it off with remarkable finesse.
From the outset, Bury Your Gays presents itself as something more than a straightforward satire. While its commentary on queer representation in media is front and centre, what really elevates the story is the atmosphere of creeping dread that permeates the narrative. Tingle builds tension masterfully, gradually feeding the reader just enough unsettling detail to make them question what’s real and what’s manipulated. The book constantly walks a fine line between grounded emotional reality and disorienting horror, which mirrors the experience of navigating a world that so often distorts and commodifies queer stories.
The horror in Bury Your Gays is not about jump scares or gore; it’s psychological and existential. There’s a persistent feeling that something is off- something bigger, more sinister is lurking beneath the surface and that ambiguity drives the story forward. Tingle crafts a narrative that unravels slowly and deliberately, full of strange occurrences, haunting images, and moments where reality itself feels unstable.
This eerie atmosphere is reinforced by the speculative elements, particularly the presence of artificial intelligence and its uncanny ability to replicate and repackage human stories. There’s a subtle horror in the idea of being overwritten – of one’s identity or legacy being twisted into something unrecognisable by external forces. The book taps into those fears in smart, unsettling ways, asking what happens when stories are no longer in the hands of those who lived them.
The world Tingle builds feels deliberately disorienting, which mirrors the real-world confusion and alienation that can come from seeing one’s identity misrepresented or erased. That said, it’s never horror for horror’s sake – everything serves a thematic purpose. The unease and suspense aren’t just about creating thrills; they reflect the actual dread that many queer people feel when they see how often queer characters are treated as disposable in media.
What makes this horror so effective is how it coexists with the book’s more hopeful elements. Amid the fear and mystery, there’s a warm, persistent current of queer joy and resilience. Characters form meaningful bonds, push back against the forces trying to rewrite or erase them, and ultimately fight for a future in which their stories are not only told – but told truthfully. That contrast makes the moments of horror hit harder, and the moments of hope shine brighter.
The result is a story that’s as layered as it is enjoyable. Yes, it’s easy to read and wildly entertaining. Yes, it’s full of wit, charm, and clever writing. But underneath it all is a deep, emotional core – and a story that recognises both the fears and the triumphs of being queer in a world that often doesn’t know what to do with you.
In Bury Your Gays, Chuck Tingle does what many stories fail to do: he takes the horror seriously without wallowing in it, and he offers joy without ignoring pain. He gives queer readers something rare – a thrilling, strange, and ultimately empowering narrative where they aren’t just side characters or victims, but the heart of the story.
If you’re looking for something fresh, intelligent, emotionally rich, and just the right amount of creepy, Bury Your Gays is absolutely worth your time. It’s a novel that challenges the rules of storytelling, while reminding us that the scariest stories are the ones that try to erase us, and the most powerful are the ones where we survive anyway.
🎭 Mood & Matchmaker
Darkly surreal but rooted in real emotional truths – this is for fans of horror with heart, and queerness that hits hard. Here’s what it vibes with.
🌈 Vibes Check
What kind of vibe are you in for? Let’s break it down:
✍️ Writing Style: Literary meets surreal
🧟♂️ Horror Level: Creepy, psychological
🏳️🌈 Queer Rep: Central and thoughtful
🤖 Sci-fi Elements: AI, speculative media
🌈 Emotional Range: Eerie, moving, hopeful
🔄 Mood Matches
If you liked…
- Gideon the Ninth (but want less bones, more mind games)
- Our Wives Under the Sea (but weirder and more meta)
- The Haunting of Hill House meets queer social commentary
…then this one’s for you.
For more powerful queer stories, check out our LGBTQ+ Books collection
🧃 Emotional Map
😨 Creeped out – 8/10
💔 Emotional gut-punches – 7/10
🌈 Queer joy + resistance – 9/10
🧠 Stays with you afterward – 10/10
🎯 For the Right Reader
If you’re craving something queer, clever, and unexpectedly moving – with a side of existential dread and AI ethics – this might just be your next favourite read.
📦 Who Will Love This?
Perfect for readers who…
- Love horror with brains (and a beating heart)
- Want queer stories that centre joy and dread
- Enjoy fiction that breaks the fourth wall on tropes
- Are fans of Charlie Jane Anders, Carmen Maria Machado, or Tamsyn Muir
Addictively weird. Deeply validating. Lowkey terrifying.
🧭 Where I Found It
Sometimes, the best books find you when you’re not even looking. After finishing Bored Gay Werewolf – a sharp, hilarious, and weirdly relatable tale of queer angst and shapeshifting – I was still craving something with a similar blend of genre chaos, wit, and heart. That’s when Bury Your Gays popped up in my recommendations like a ghostly whisper from the algorithm: “Hey… you liked gay werewolves? How about gay horror satire with a side of media industry takedown?” The title alone had me hooked. So I dove in, curious – and what I found was a tightly plotted, spooky, and surprisingly heartfelt horror novel that was as clever as it was creepy. It scratched the exact same itch Bored Gay Werewolf left behind, while carving out something entirely its own.
💡 Extra Curiosities
Got some quick questions about Chuck Tingle? Here are a few things readers often wonder about the enigmatic author and his work:
Is Chuck Tingle a real author?
Yes! Chuck Tingle is a real, though famously mysterious, author known for blending satire, queer themes, and horror in uniquely creative ways.
Why does Chuck Tingle wear a mask?
To maintain privacy and keep the focus on the stories rather than the person behind them. It’s part of the playful mystique surrounding his work.
How many books has Chuck Tingle written?
Over 100 titles, ranging from absurdly hilarious romance parodies to deeply thoughtful horror and speculative fiction.
👋 Final Thoughts
Chuck Tingle’s Bury Your Gays is more than just a horror novel – it’s a bold, genre-bending exploration of queer identity, media representation, and resilience. Whether you’re here for the thrills, the satire, or the heartfelt moments, this book delivers something truly original. Dive in if you’re ready to be spooked, moved, and inspired all at once.