The promise of streaming services has always been that they could approach film and television differently. Forget pilots, they could order straight to series more akin to HBO. Episode orders could be as small or as large as needed, as we’ve seen with some animated shows producing seasons in parts to release sooner. Still, Fear Street is one of the more creative experiments—producing an entire film trilogy to release mere weeks apart. Sure, Lord of the Rings did it first, but to my knowledge this is the first time a horror series has done it. Like Rings, the experiment has mostly paid off.
Fear Street is loosely based on the R.L. Stine books of the same name but appears to be wholly original tales. They go in reverse chronological order with 1994 being first, followed by 1978 and 1666. That brings a unique flair to the films, as the latter two both serve as prequels. I’ve been quite clear on my feeling that prequels are superfluous, but here they work as a peeling back of a mystery that starts in the first film. Credit that success to being able to plan the whole trilogy at once and there are certainly seeds in the first two films that don’t pay off until the third.
With any mystery, revealing too much of the story would ruin the effect, but 1994 starts off as your basic Scream-style slasher film. Unlike Scream, however, no one in this world seems aware of horror movie tropes. So, when the killer comes back, everyone seems genuinely surprised. 1994 is the weakest of the trilogy for me. The early parts are so cliché for the genre and partnered with a soundtrack that is constantly pounding in some new 90s track every twenty seconds. The music and maybe one or two outfits is the only “setting” these films bother with. Outside of those quirks, the first two films could have easily taken place anytime.
1978 is more interesting because it really starts to explore the mythology of the series. Yes, it’s still their take on Friday the 13th, but that’s all backgrounded quickly in place of the real meat. It’s almost as if two separate films are happening at the same time and it mostly works. 1666, however, is the real standout. Pushing the story 300 years into the past means it really does feel different, and the simple slasher format doesn’t work anymore. Its story also helps to recontextualize the first two films. Yes, there are twists revealed, but also it more blatantly makes its case for the central theme of the series. I don’t think either of the other two films is as good without watching the third film.
Fear Street’s willingness to experiment with the format makes it something worth watching for horror fans. None of the individual films stand on their own as strongly as other modern horror classics like It Follows or The Witch, but then they’re not really made to. In that way, Fear Street may have accomplished something so many others have tried and failed—making a compelling horror TV show. Streaming just allowed for them to play with the format.
