First we got a movie re-boot of our favourite ‘90s YA book series Goosebumps, and now we’re getting a Netflix trilogy based on the Fear Street series. We couldn’t be more thrilled to see R.L. Stine drawing in a new generation of spook-seeking youngsters.
Fear Street Part 1: 1994 / Photo Credit: Netflix
Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is the first of three releases on the streaming platform set to drop on Friday. Set in the fictional city of Shadyside, we meet a group of teenagers who uncover the secret connection between all the horrific events that have plagued the town for three centuries, and realise that they may well become the victims of the next terrifying incident to befall the residents.
For those expecting another Goosebumps-esque release - be warned. Fear Street is ultimately more gruesome and more deadly than the comparatively tame horror series. Blood and murder is the order of the day on Fear Street.
The premise explores a terrible curse that can be traced back to the Fier family; a family who later changed their name to “Fear” to alleviate the curse, given how “Fier” is an anagram of “fire” and it all began with a witch-burning. Yes, we’re ignoring the elephant in the room; “Fear” seems much worse than “Fier”. But that’s Stine for you!
Key cast members include Kiana Madeira (Trinkets), Olivia Scott Welch (Panic), Benjamin Flores Jr. (Your Honor), Fred Hechinger (The Woman in the Window), Ashley Zukerman (Manhattan), Maya Hawke (Stranger Things), Darrell Britt-Gibson (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Jordana Spiro (Ozark), Jordan DiNatale (The Irishman) and newcomer Julia Rehwald.
The film has been directed and co-written by Leigh Janiak (Honeymoon, Scream: The TV Series) with her Honeymoon co-writer Phil Graziadei, with R.L. Stine’s wife Jane serving on the team of executive producers.
The evil will be followed up by Fear Street Part Two: 1978 on July 9th which sees teens fighting for their lives at Camp Nightwing, and Fear Street Part Three: 1666 on July 16th which will take us back to the very beginning of the horror in the midst of a witch hunting hysteria.
If you were wondering how much of the books you’ll see in the movies, it seems to be a case of new characters in new adventures loosely based around the original premise. But you’ll have to wait for the trilogy to find the similarities. That’s if, of course, you can remember what happened in the books. Some of us haven’t picked up a Fear Street story for at least sixteen years.
Fear Street Part 1: 1994 will be available to stream on Netflix from July 2nd 2021.