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Deb Cartelli
"We knew right from the beginning that we wanted to do a family rivalry," Stine says about his approach to the books, which saw the Fiers (who would eventually change the spelling of their last name to "Fear" and thus go on to have a street named for them) go up against the Goodes in most of the installments of that series. "We wanted the Fier family and the Goode family to be eternally cursed and to always be fighting each other and always be bad luck for each other."
Though aspects of the Fier-Goode relationship may have been tweaked when the series made the jump from page to screen, another aspect of the Fear Street books does make it into the movies. Taken as a whole, the trilogy has a relatively happy ending for a horror movie, something Stine says he himself learned the hard way when he wrote and published The Best Friend, which sees its protagonist end up in prison while the murderer themselves goes free.
Stine experienced the importance of that particular feature firsthand when he spoke to a child psychologist years ago, when the Fear Street novels were still being published monthly. "This patient would come to see him every week and she would just recite Fear Street plots to him. And it was sort of a way for her to deal with her fears."
Stine has seen and enjoyed all three Fear Street films, but he doesn't actually watch or read much horror when he's not at work creating his own, preferring instead to dive into a good thriller by Harlan Coben or Michael Connelly, having recently finished and loved The Law of Innocence. And much like many other pop culture fans, he enjoyed Bridgerton and Sweet Tooth, and is currently all caught up on Loki.
"I like the kind of horror movies that are witty and funny at the same time. They're not just straight-out horror. I like the Scream movies. They have another level to them, [more] satirical [and] meta. I really admired those films. And Cabin in the Woods. That film starts out with teenagers trapped in a cabin, and it turns out to be something completely different. I love that," says Stine.
The streamer is set to release its brand new horror film trilogy, Fear Street, on a back-to-back-to-back basis this coming July. Based on the popular horror book series of the same name, Fear Street looks like it could very easily give Netflix subscribers the kind of summer horror thrills that they, unfortunately, had to go without for the most part in 2020.
The trailer opens with some scattered dialogue referencing a witch said to have placed a curse on the central fictional town of the trilogy. Some characters even claim the witch is using her powers to possess people and turn them into killers in order to take revenge on the town.
The rest of the trailer is pretty light on plot details, but is full of quick jump scares and shots of costumed killers chasing and sneaking up on unsuspecting teenagers. It all looks like fairly standard horror movie fare, but with talented and likable actors starring in all three films and more than enough visual style to spare, Fear Street should be a summer movie event worth checking out.
All three of the Fear Street films are directed by Leigh Janiak, a filmmaker well-versed in the horror genre following her work directing episodes of Scream: The TV Series, Outcast, and the underrated 2014 indie horror film, Honeymoon. The three films were all shot over the course of one summer, and feature impressive casts full of recognizable actors (some of whom even star in more than one installment).
Despite the significant backward time jump, the cast is largely made up of actors who appeared in the first films, but most of them are playing dual roles, including Kiana Madeira, who appears not only as the first film's protagonist Deena but also as Sarah Fier herself.
Be sure to check out our Fear Street Part One review to find out whether the first entry in the series is worth your time, and keep checking back here for fresh details on the third sequel on its way this month.
The final instalment in the series, Feat Street Part 3: 1666, will arrive on Netflix on Friday 16th July 2021, exactly one week after the second part debuted on Friday 9th July and two weeks after the first film was released on Friday 2nd July.
Similarly to the second film, the trailer for Fear Start Part 3: 1666 arrived just a couple of days before the debut of the new film, and it looks like this film is going to have a slightly different vibe from the other two, watch it below:
Fear Street Part 1:1994 got its own trailer back in June 2021, featuring a retro '90s chatroom, a better look at the plot's supernatural elements and Maya Hawke yet again running into trouble in a mall.
Often referred to as the Stephen King of children's literature, RL Stine is best known for the multi-million selling Goosebumps series, but has written plenty of other horror fiction novels - including the more teen-focused Fear Street books.
The Fear Street series began with the release of The New Girl in 1989, and would continue until 1999, with Stine then reviving the series in 2005 and 2014. Several spin-off series have been released including Fear Street Sagas and Ghosts of Fear Street, which combined have sold over 80 million copies.
The Fear Street books are set in the fictional city of Shadyside, and follow teenagers as they encounter hostile and occasionally paranormal adversaries. Much like the Goosebumps series, the characters usually change in each book, though some characters - in particular the titular Fear family - reappear or are mentioned in several novels.
Director Leigh Janiak has hinted that much like Stranger Things, Fear Street pays homage to classic films released during the '80s and '90s - though opted for decidedly more scary choices than Netflix's other nostalgic franchise.
You can order the Fear Street novels on Amazon. Looking for something else to watch in the meantime? Check out our compilation of the best series on Netflix or the best movies on Netflix. You can also plan your viewing with our TV Guide. For the latest film news, visit our Movies hub.
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