Many of us have been thoroughly entertained by or more often than not deeply traumatised by the works of R.L Stein. His books were usually read by flashlight under bedsheets because an early bedtime was not going to come between a child and their unfinished Goosebumps book.
(For many years I thought I was outsmarting my parents with this method, but I later learned that they just didn’t mind me staying up if I was reading).
Deeply embedded in my mind is the Jack Lenz music that made the opening theme of the Canadian television. A television show I watched to both great enjoyment and personal detriment as The Haunted Mask became a deeply rooted subconscious fear that would frequently find its way to my the forefront of my mind and help me remember to turn EVERY LAMP ON!
The success of Goosebumps in literature and television overshadowed Stein’s work for an older audience and it’s much to my shame that I completely missed the Fear Street series as I moved on to other children’s horror novels and eventually just grew up and started reading Stephen King, a move that my 12 year old self was perhaps not entirely ready for.
The release of the Fear Street Trilogy on Netflix was high priority for me as I was coming down from the Horror highs of Freaky, The Conjuring and A Quiet Place. R.L Stein is an automatic “Yes” from me and my Sunday was now fully booked.
I’ve recommended all of my colleagues watch it, but that isn’t a full marks review. I have a few issues.
The first is how removed it is from the Fear Street book series, with a story that is nearly completely unrelated to the books and with seemingly no involvement from Stein it begs the question…Why not just make an original trilogy? There is so little resemblance to the source material that the creators could rightly be credited a new trilogy that is perhaps inspired by the works of Stein.
The second issue is the horror. While Fear street utilises a unique story, it doesn’t often build tension more than that of a generic teen slasher, despite the supernatural elements of the show, its real strengths are in the coming of age aspects and not the horror.
The last issue is perhaps petty on my part, but I feel like it can’t always decide on what it is trying to be…a film trilogy or a television series. The director Leigh Janiak described the format as a “hybrid of traditional television content and movies,” with each instalment intended to both have a satisfying ending and connecting to the larger story. Objectively this is achieved in a film trilogy that often feels like a throwback to another era of film. But I don’t know any good films that start with a recap and end with a “Next time…”
All that said, these films are worth your time.
Fear street is an enjoyable series of films to watch. They boast a story that genuinely seems original despite its use of homages and inspirations of past films. The cast is incredibly talented and its difficult not to become deeply invested in their success.
The love story between Deena and Sam is genuinely sweet and they provide a strong anchor for the series. It was a divisive decision to have the main cast play the 1666 roles after utilising a new cast for the 1978 roles, but I believe the mirroring of Sam and Deena’s relationship to Fier and Miller’s sped up the world building of the film as the audience was already deeply invested in their story.
Visually the films are stunning, they each embody the years they take place in and the visual style of each film matches the story they tell. There aren’t many trilogies that so seamlessly transition from 1994’s Scream to 1666’s THE VVITCH.
Not to mention the amazing music utilised in each film is fantastic and always encapsulates the scene in which its representing. (But this isn’t fair as I am a sucker for The Pixies).
The films are enjoyable one a week or all in one sitting. They all succeed in the mission of adequate closure while each being part of a larger story and mission.
I’ll definitely be watching them again soon and I’ll be the first in line for a follow up trilogy, stand alone film or Netflix series.
But my opinion isn’t worth a damn thing, just go watch it and thank me later.
T H E N A I V E F I L M M A K E R 