How Netflix’s Fear Street made history with ‘groundbreaking’ queer representation

The stars of Netflix’s new Fear Street film trilogy have heaped praise on the writers for their “groundbreaking” approach to queer representation.

The films, based on the book series by RL Stine, follows lesbian high-school couple Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Samantha (Olivia Scott Welch) as they grapple with an evil force responsible for horrifying murders in the town of Shadyside.

LGBT+ fans have already heaped praise on Fear Street for its candid approach to queerness – a rarity in horror films – and the movie’s stars are proud of what the film series has achieved too.

Speaking to Gay Times, Madeira said she knew from the start that the Fear Street trilogy would be “something really special”.

“All three scripts are cohesive, it’s three movies that are telling one big overarching story,” she said.

Fear Street stars praised the trilogy for ‘centring around a queer love story’

“The fact that it’s centred around a queer love story, the fact that the protagonists, some of them, are people of colour…

“There’s so many things that make these movies groundbreaking and when we received the scripts, we could tell it was going to be something really special.”

Scott Welch said she has never seen a film before where two queer women are the lead characters and they get to “save the day”.

“So, I think we both knew that was really special going in. It was something that we were all going to cultivate and love and take care of in the movie,” she said.

Scott Welch said the response to the trilogy has been greater than she could ever have imagined, adding: “I think it’s the Netflix effect of it, where so many more people are getting to see it.”

She went on to praise the trilogy’s fans, saying the response from queer viewers has been “so cool and positive”.

“Everybody has such a good sense of humour with the movie, and it makes me so proud. It’s been the best time ever.”