Clare Cooney: The first thing I thought is that being gay and queer is more accepted today even in high school. When I was in high school, I had maybe one gay friend. Now, more people are open about it. In some ways, I was a little concerned. I wondered if it was a little outdated. [Writer] Jose [Nateras] and I are operating from our high school experience and what things were like. At the same time, there aren't many queer high school films or queer horror films, so clearly, it's not talked about enough. Even though in some cities and some high schools, it's more common, it's not in others. I still think it's very much something to wrestle with and talk about, but I did like that, with this film, it's not the main topic of conversation. Javier is who he is. He accepts himself. He's very comfortable with who he is. There are characters who do struggle with their identity. It's the best of both worlds. It's a modern take on a teen coming into himself and owning himself and showing the opposite of that as well.