The Queer Threat to Civilization in Fritz Lang's M

Abstract

This article draws from the insights of queer theory to argue that Fritz Lang's M relies on a homophobic discourse in its portrayal of the child murderer Beckert. This character represents a queer threat, not because he is a homosexual, but because his attack against children in the film is an assault against the reproductive logic of the nation. The article situates the film within responses to the real serial killer Fritz Haarmann to show how homosexuality was associated with violent crime and the seduction of children and youths during the Weimar Republic. This queer threat brings together two opposite sides of society—the police and the criminal underworld—committed to stop the disintegration of social order and the demise of civilization.