Two big horror names, Chucky and Netflix's Fear Street trilogy, have been recognized for this year's 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards, Chucky for Outstanding New TV Series and Fear Street for Outstanding TV Movie.
Chucky made plenty of headlines during its premiere week, many excited to see more from the killer doll and gay teen duo, played marvelously by Brad Dourif and Zackary Arthur. Don Mancini, the creator of Child's Play and its horror icon Chucky, was thrilled to bring about the new series. “The protagonist is a 14-year-old gay boy who’s dealing with a lot of issues that I dealt with as a 14-year-old gay boy back in the late ’70s", says Mancini, when he down for an interview with The Advocate back in October of last year.
Writer of the Fear Street trilogy Phil Graziadei felt similar to Mancini in wanting to bring about a more LGBTQ friendly story. “It was very clear to us very early on that we wanted to write this about queer leads,” says Graziadel, while talking with Pride Source, “Obviously, queer representation in horror movies has a long and complicated history, for the most part. We’re only seeing ourselves on screen as monsters or as victims."
Phil Graziadel did just that, along with co-writer Kyle Killen and Fear Street director Leigh Janiak, when they introduced horror fans to Deena and Sam, played by Kiana Madeira and Olivia Scott Welch. Spread across three movies and three completely different decades, audiences got to feel the ups and downs in the story of Deena and Sam, all while they experienced the kinds of terror that could only come from the mind of R.L. Stine.
Both Chucky and the Fear Street trilogy were a treat to watch last year, and the stories they told were frightening and filled with characters that were enjoyable to watch. More is sure to come from both of the horror projects, though nothing has been confirmed from Fear Street, while Chucky was given the green light for a second season.
The GLAAD Awards were first given out in 1990 and awarded to various forms of media, like feature films and television shows, that were accurate and inclusive in representing the LGBTQ community, its people and the issues within. Be sure to tune into the 33rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards, when they are held in Los Angeles on April 2, 2022 and in New York on May 6, 2022.
