Fear Street, not so queer anymore?
When Fear Street: Prom Queen premiered, most Sapphic viewers were disappointed to find out the main character was no longer a queer girl.
In 2021, the Sapphic community took pride in claiming the Fear Street trilogy as their own. The most important relationship in the movies was that of Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Sam (Olivia Scott Welch). No matter what they went through, the two of them always found their way back to each other. That even included surviving several death threats in their town, Shadyside.
However, when Fear Street: Prom Queen premiered, most Sapphic viewers were disappointed to find out the main character was no longer a queer girl. While Lori Granger (India Fowler) survives just as many death threats (if not more) as Deena and Sam, she is no longer the representation so many loved from the first three movies.
Deena and Sam’s relationship was key to the storyline. Fear Street has always stood out for its campy horror. While the first three movies are more serious than the last one, the acting is exaggerated, the deaths are over-the-top, the blood is plentiful, and the campy feel can be felt through the screen. But the one thing that remained real and didn’t have one bit of the camp element to it was their relationship.
Unlike its predecessors, which focused heavily on the relationships between the characters, Fear Street: Prom Queen focused more on building the tension, creating unthinkable deaths, and trying to surprise viewers with the exaggeration of every kill. The relationships between the characters weren’t as important as they used to be. What stands out, however, is how much Lori and Tiffany (Fina Strazza) hated each other. Eventually, that is what pushes the killer to kill as many characters as they did.
The only other relationship that might stand out is the friendship between Lori and Megan (Suzanna Son). And even though the queer element didn’t seem as important as they once were, this friendship is what brings the queerness to the screen. While it is clear that Lori has no romantic feelings for Megan because she is in love with Tyler (David Iacono), the same can’t be said for Megan. Megan is clearly in love with her best friend. Even though it’s not the key element of the movie, it still adds that Sapphic connection that the previous movies had.
Some might even go so far as to think that there is more between Tiffany and Melissa (Ella Rubin) than just a friendship. However, that relationship was explored much less on screen, and Melissa was killed before we could connect the dots.
Sadly, because the clues to queer characters aren’t as obvious, it feels like Fear Street: Prom Queen is erasing the Sapphic characteristics thade made the first three movies so important. Nevertheless, that doesn’t take away from the fact that the franchise is still a Sapphic group of movies. Without Deena and Sam, there would be no story, and their sexual orientation is key to understanding who their characters are. Therefore, no matter how many queer characters are lacking from the recent movie, Fear Street still remains a franchise the Sapphic community can claim.
Photo: Netlfix
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