Movie review
June 28, 2021 · 108 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Fear Street: 1994 is a 2021 Netflix slasher horror movie set in the cursed town of Shadyside. A Black teen named Deena and her friends battle brutal killers tied to an old witch while dealing with a messy breakup. The story puts a lesbian romance between Deena and her ex-girlfriend Sam at the center of the emotional plot and shows clear class tension between poor Shadyside and rich Sunnyvale.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Fear Street: 1994.
Woke representation / casting
Black female lead and a very visible central lesbian romance between two teen girls stand out. The mixed friend group fits a normal 1994 American town with no story-world mismatch. Creators openly called the queer addition an intentional update.
Woke political dialogue
Teens talk about the unfair split between poor Shadyside and rich Sunnyvale, but there are no long speeches, activist slogans, or modern political lectures.
Identity-driven story themes
The lesbian relationship between Deena and Sam is a core emotional engine and links to the curse. Class-based “outsider” feelings for Shadyside kids are clear and repeated. Queer elements are front and center by design.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Shadyside is shown as a neglected poor town while Sunnyvale stays rich and safe, suggesting unfair treatment by society and authorities. This stays mostly class-based and inside the horror plot without heavy modern activist attacks in this chapter.
Woke character or canon changes
R.L. Stine’s original books had no prominent queer characters or strong diversity focus. The film adds a driving lesbian romance and diverse leads, which the team described as a deliberate modern choice.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
A handful of online comments complained about “woke” characters or too much diversity, but there was no widespread media storm or organized right-leaning backlash accusing the film of pushing identity politics.
Creator track record context
Director Leigh Janiak and writer Phil Graziadei have a repeated focus on queer stories and outsider/marginalization themes in horror. Other writers and producers show little to no such pattern.
Production
