The Fear Street trilogy is the latest must-watch Netflix original. Based on R. L. Stine's book series by the same name, it follows a group of teenagers in the town of Shadyside; a place that churns out serial killers at a rate where the locals have all but accepted their curse. But when Deena and her friends turn into the ones being hunted, they go seeking answers.
This series follows the trend of 80s-style horror aesthetic, colourful and not worried about staying too based in reality, it hits that spot of fun but still manages to remain thrilling without losing plot to style. And with big horror hits favouring the grittier side of the genre over the last few years, this bloodied-up Goosebumps dives headfirst into being the campy slasher that cracks that trend.
Fear Street starts in 1994 and then travels back to 1978 and 1666 in Parts 2 and 3 respectively, with each instalment giving the backstory to the town's tragic history and its link to Sarah Fier; a witch who, according to legend, cursed the town before being hanged by the Villagers.
With each new chapter you can see the influence and homage to classic flicks like Scream, Halloween, and Poltergeist. The second movie was actually filmed on the same camp site as Friday the 13th, so unsurprisingly follows suit with having the most amount of horror cliches (but that seems like the point). It's a love letter to those old school classics; its sleepover horror you can binge and still sleep easily after viewing. But, just because it packs in the tropes doesn't mean it doesn't have surprises.
There are some points where you wish it was a series, being about two hours long each there are some moments here you want to spend some more time with the side characters. Throughout we’re following our main protagonist Deena, her brother Josh and ex-girlfriend Sam, as they unearth the truth of their small town through their interactions with other Shadysiders, but even 1666 has a part two in its own run-time, where we return to 1994 for the final act.
Spending more time in the origins of Sarah Fier is something that would have been cool to explore, since the world is so well built and set up in its prequels.
The colours and lighting, stealthily-placed 90s references and mix of horror and comedy make Fear Street a perfectly packaged, modern answer to this generation's need for nostalgia.
Comparable to Stranger Things and 2017's IT, Fear Street is a great addition to the slew of 80s-inspired media coming out in recent years. This series is just a trilogy whereas R. L. Stine's novels span 17 books, and so questions as to whether we will be getting more have already been circulating. Nothing is confirmed however with its success fans think we could be seeing Fear Street 4 soon. We will just have to wait and see.
Until then, Fear Street is available exclusively on Netflix.
Words by Josie Lauren for Female First.
MORE FROM NETFLIX: Trailer drops for Netflix original anime film The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf
Tagged in Netflix