The series features Rob, an explicitly gay character, as its central antagonist. His queer identity and obsessive love for David are directly tied to his manipulative, murderous actions, including body-swapping to take over the lives of others. This portrayal links queer desire to villainy and psychological terror, offering a problematic and negative depiction of an LGBTQ+ character.

The film features a male character who uses supernatural body-swapping to inhabit female bodies for manipulative and murderous ends. This portrayal associates the act of a male consciousness living in a female body directly with villainy, deception, and psychological terror. The narrative does not explore gender identity with dignity or empathy, instead framing this 'transsexual-like' premise as a source of horror and malice, leading to a problematic net impact.

The character Louise Barnsley, described as white in the source novel, is portrayed by Simona Brown, a Black actress, in the 2021 adaptation. This constitutes a race swap for a primary character.