Look out gays, there’s a new scream queen in town!

The queer horror Ganymede debuts on digital platforms today, and it’s poised to be a real breakout moment for rising star Jordan Doww in his first leading feature film role.

Set in the small-town South, Ganymede tells the story of star high school wrestler Lee Fletcher (Doww) who starts to crush on his openly gay classmate Kyle (Pablo Castelblanco). But Lee comes from a strict Baptist home, and his demanding, legacy-obsessed father Big Lee (Stranger Things‘ Joe Chrest) won’t tolerate such blasphemy from his namesake son.

So, he calls in Pastor Royer (Anchorman‘s David Koechner) to do whatever he has to do to scare Lee straight. Only, it seems someone—or something—is taking “scare” quite literally, as a demon begins stalking Lee, which threatens to tear his life apart.

Described as a “campy Southern Gothic” horror, filmmaking duo (and IRL partners) Colby Holt & Sam Probst’s Ganymede is a fantastic showcase for Doww. Yes, it’s a scary movie—and he’s got a great scream!—but he also gets to play up the family drama of it all, the darkly dry sense of humor, and the romance in Lee’s sweet moments with Kyle.

In other words, Jordan Doww has got the range!

And that shouldn’t be a surprise if you’re familiar with his career thus far. A multi-hyphenate actor-singer-creator, Doww’s been keeping busy this past decade, starting with a number of roles in short films and web series before creating one of his own: It’s Sketchy, a comedic sketch anthology that he wrote, directed, and stars in.

His other credits include the rom-com Love, Simon, the dark indie melodrama Reach, web comedy Mr. Student Body President, the romantic gay short Fairlane, and a voice role in the narrative podcast Academy opposite Industry star Myha’la.

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On top of all of that, Doww’s been dabbling in music, too, and living his “alt-pop boy fantasy” with a series of dreamy singles like his cover of the Fleetwood Mac classic “Landslide” and the emotional original tack “Had Enough.”

Doww first came out publicly as gay back in 2015—just as his career was getting started—with a YouTube video titled “I Am Gay, I Am Human” that quickly went viral. Speaking with Queerty back in 2018, the actor said he still wasn’t sure if being out helped or hurt his career, but that he’d noticed a gradual change in the industry, and that sexuality was starting to matter less and less when it came to booking roles.

And surely Ganymede is proof that there are plenty of great queer roles out there—especially in indie film!

In a post on National Coming Out Day in 2022, Doww reflected on his journey to understanding—and owning—his queerness with a powerful message:

“I’ll be honest, at the time [of coming out,] I wasn’t prepared to be launched into the world of advocacy,” Doww writes in his Instagram caption. “I didn’t have the correct verbiage and was extremely sensitive to ‘getting it right.’ I was just a 19-year-old wanting to express my truth in an honest and creative way that allowed the conversation to be much broader than just my coming out.”

He continued: “But i’ve since learned that’s the beauty of sharing your truth. When you lead with honesty, it only needs to make sense to you. [Genuineness] and love will always shine through and that’s simply enough. Everyone’s journey of self discovery is going to be different and beautiful all in their own ways.”

It’s clear that message continues to be a guiding principle for Doww as he forges ahead in the next phase of his career. It sounds like there’s some major projects ahead—including what he calls his “biggest job yet”—so if you’re not already following, what are you waiting for?

Ganymede is now available for digital rental or purchase via Amazon Prime Video.

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