On screen, Axis is just another person walking home at night. Off screen, the terror in Walk Me Home cuts deep into real queer and trans fear.
The short film, directed by Kaye Adelaide and written by and starring Andi E McQueen, merges supernatural unease with all-too-familiar dangers.
And it will be featured at the Toronto Indie Horror Film Festival on Sept. 30 along with Adelaide’s TransVengeance.
A Safe Sandbox for Queer and Trans Horror
For Adelaide, horror offers both a creative outlet and a survival tool.
“As someone who has lived with a great deal of anxiety, horror is a helpful outlet,” she says.
“The boundaries of horror films can be a safe sandbox to feel the intensity of feelings we have around scary parts of life, but we are able to step out of it and feel relief when the movie ends.”
McQueen, who plays Axis, finds release in the fear.
“It was cathartic to sit in a familiar situation that’s scary for me, with the knowledge that this time, it isn’t real,” they say. “I let myself feel what it’s like to be far from my safe people, disoriented and vulnerable.”
Embodying Fear Without Words
The character’s terror often plays out in silence.
“I thought a lot about how much space this person would take up in different scenarios,” McQueen says.
McQueen treats Axis’s phone—which Axis has during their night walk—as a lifeline. “The idea of the phone meaning safety to this [character], like a cowboy with their gun, was fun to play with.”
That physical language gave the performance its weight.
Whether clutching the phone or stripped of it, Axis carries the tension of someone who knows the world can turn hostile at any moment.
Queer and Trans Horror as Resistance
Adelaide says horror has always been a home for outsiders.
“Anyone who can’t find their place in the realm of mainstream interests will likely feel alienation from their culture at large,” she says.
“This alienation can lead to isolation and anxiety that needs an outlet. Horror also often deals in extremes which can veer into camp, which queer audiences eat up with a spoon.”
McQueen agrees, describing horror as a genre that is “so powerful, so for the people, and so queer.”
Collaboration in Fear
The duo thrive in their creative partnership. McQueen enjoyed writing the script for Walk Me Home, then stepping back.
“The script then became source material and Kaye’s wonderful brain made it what it is along with the rest of the team,” they say.
“It’s thrilling to me that I can write a script and get to see what brand new shape it takes,” McQueen adds.
What Audiences Take Away
For Adelaide, both Walk Me Home and her other short, TransVengeance, strike a balance between violence and resilience.
“I hope for audiences to feel catharsis and relief from their fears if even for a brief moment,” she says.
McQueen hopes viewers feel less alone.
“I hope there are folks who see something that comforts them or makes them feel seen and understood,” they say.
Horror: A Ride-Or-Die Genre
Adelaide has no plans to leave the horror genre.
“I always feel a bit betrayed when filmmakers start their career in horror then move on to only directing dramas in a misguided attempt to gain more clout,” she says.
“I am absolutely a ride or die for genre filmmaking.”
For both Adelaide and McQueen, horror is more than a genre.
It’s a language of survival, and a space to share their fears.
And that’s exactly what the viewer sees as they watch Axis walk into the night. Each of Axis’ steps shows the real fear of queer & trans lives, while reminding audiences that horror belongs to those who live it.