Fear Street Becomes Queer Street in Austin This Weekend

Welcome to Queer Street in this weekend's celebration of Netflix's Fear Street trilogy (Image Courtesy of Netflix)

Horror has found its way back into Austin early this year, and as things in Texas often do, it’s returning big. This Sunday, July 11, a celebration of Netflix’s newly released Fear Street saga will be taking to the queer streets of downtown Austin.

Directed by Leigh Janiak, and based on R. L. Stine’s novels of the same name, the Fear Street trilogy follows a female protagonist on a mission to save her ex-girlfriend from the evil forces tormenting them. To memorialize this step forward in queer representation within the horror genre, Austin will be partaking in Queer Street, celebrating queer horror lovers in one festive event.

Taking place at both the Coconut Club (310B Colorado) & Neon Grotto (318 Colorado), Austin’s Fear Street celebration will showcase a wide variety of local queer talent. There will be DJ sets by artists such as Boyfriend ATX and Sin Morera, and special performances from P1nkstar, Y2K and more. During the show, a Queer Street-themed mural will be painted live by Xavier Schipani, whose previous work has been focused on sexuality and queer identity.

The Chronicle’s very own Trace Thurman will be MCing the event on behalf of his podcast Horror Queers, and he said he is looking forward to celebrating queerness and horror under one roof. “Austin has such a fun and lively queer community and I’m thrilled to be a part of it,” Thurman said. “This event, while promoting the Fear Street trilogy, is meant to serve as a form of queer expression.”

High-budget horror films rarely present queer characters at the center of their stories. While it is becoming more common to see side characters who are part of the LGBTQ+ community, having them be the central star is still a work in progress. However, Fear Street is a step forward, and Thurman said it is something worth celebrating. “Queer horror is undoubtedly on the rise. Most of it is relegated to the indie scene, but the Fear Street trilogy is an early adopter in a major studio horror release that puts its queer characters front and center. We can only hope that the films’ success will encourage other studios to do the same.”

Austin’s Queer Street event is free and will begin at 3pm. As each of the Fear Street films takes place in a different decade, attendees are encouraged to wear their 60s - 80s horror best, while artists and performers will be doing the same. Though matter what you wear, this unique event will undoubtedly be a show to remember.

Catch the entire Fear Street at netflix.com/fearstreet.