The second main usage of crossdressing within horror media is to show a character's perverted nature. Almost always transfemme (or male killers dressing up in feminine clothing), these villains are portrayed as finding sexual arousal both at the prospect of killing and at dressing as a woman. While often added to introduce a layer of complexity to an otherwise generic type of character, it serves to perpetuate historical ideas of autogynephilia [1] and trans women being predatory [2].

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One of the most famous examples of this trope and perhaps the most famous trans/GNC character within horror media is Buffalo Bill from the 1991 movie The Silence of the Lambs. Within the movie, he's described as targeting women and killing/skinning them to create a "woman suit" for himself. Furthermore, an FBI agent within the film reveals that Bill had publicly claimed to be a "transsexual", but had been denied a sex change due to his violent tendencies. After an hour plus of working to find out where the killer is, FBI trainee and protagonist Clarice finds herself trapped in the same house as Bill. One of the most prominent scenes of the film cuts between Clarice attempting to escape as Bill dances naked and applies make-up in another room. Wearing the scalp of one of his victims as a wig, he asks the mirror "Would you fuck me? I'd fuck me - I'd fuck me so hard." These words make it abundantly clear that he's experiencing some sort of arousal by being dressed as a woman.

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A somewhat lesser known but still mainstream example of this trope is seen within the 1980 film Dressed to Kill. The majority of the film consists of protagonist Liz attempting to find the identity and birth name of a transgender woman by the name of Bobbi, who Liz witnessed killing someone. The eventual identity reveal of Bobbi is treated as a plot twist similar to Psycho and Sleepaway Camp. She is described as being the repressed transgender side of therapist and prominent character Dr. Elliot, who becomes unstable and vengeful upon being aroused by a woman. While Elliot perhaps more closely resembles Peter or Norman as described in the previous section, the explicit description of Bobbi as an extension of Elliot's personality and as a result of intentional repression rather than an emulation of one of his dead family members placed him here.

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Both of these are single examples in the media of larger overall harmful stereotypes regarding transfemme people. The first of which is that being trans, specifically transfemme, comes as a result of someone finding themselves sexually aroused upon dressing as a woman rather than actually wishing to live as a woman; a phenomenon known as autogynephilia. The term was coined in the late '80s [3] but had been popular for decades prior. Although it can describe how some people experience their gender identity, the claim that every trans woman feels the same way is baseless and proclaims an inherent connection between sex and queerness. A connection that re-emerges in the second harmful stereotype, where trans women are seen and treated as predators. While most historical connections between queerness and predatory actions reference cis gay men and lesbians, recent claims have been directed towards trans women. The films discussed demonstrate if not outright prove that these stereotypes were alive and well throughout the latter half of the 20th century.

References 

[1] Lawrence AA. Autogynephilia: an underappreciated paraphilia. Adv Psychosom Med. 2011;31:135-48. doi: 10.1159/000328921. Epub 2011 Oct 10. PMID: 22005209.
[2] Locantore, D. C., & Wasarhaley, N. E. (2020). Mentally ill, HIV-positive, or sexual predator? Determining myths perceived as representative of transgender people. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 23(3), 378–401. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430219835032
[3] Blanchard, R. Early History of the Concept of Autogynephilia. Arch Sex Behav 34, 439–446 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-005-4343-8