{"id":132055,"date":"2025-05-26T01:47:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-26T01:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/132055\/"},"modified":"2025-05-26T01:47:10","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T01:47:10","slug":"the-best-fear-street-movies-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/132055\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Fear Street Movies, Ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Most film critics turned their backs on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiewire.com\/criticism\/movies\/fear-street-prom-queen-review-1235125868\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cFear Street: Prom Queen\u201d<\/a> the day it started streaming. And yet, halfway through its world premiere weekend, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiewire.com\/gallery\/netflix-best-indie-movies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Netflix<\/a>\u2018s trending teen slasher is still popular with plenty of subscribers.\u00a0Co-written by director Matt Palmer and Donald McLeary, \u201cProm Queen\u201d is a goofy-gory throwback about a pack of high school frenemies battling a masked killer in 1988.<\/p>\n<p>A victim of the Shadyside curse series fans know all too well, Lori Granger (India Fowler) is convinced that winning the prom queen crown will clear her disgraced family name. But when the confetti flies and student blood starts to spill, our final girl becomes the epicenter for one of the worst massacres in the town\u2019s history. Stalked by a silently snarky figure in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiewire.com\/news\/trailers\/i-know-what-you-did-last-summer-2025-trailer-1235117181\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bright-red raincoat<\/a>, queen bee Tiffany (Fina Strazza), \u201cCarrie\u201d-esque love interest Tyler (David Iacono), gossip Debbie (Rebecca Ablack), straight-A student Linda (Ilan O\u2019Driscoll), pot dealer Christy (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiewire.com\/criticism\/movies\/borderlands-review-cate-blanchett-eli-roth-1235033545\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ariana Greenblatt<\/a>), fickle henchmen Melissa (Ella Rubin), special effects-obsessed weirdo Megan (Suzanna Son), and more familiar genre faces converge on a nightmare to remember.<\/p>\n<p>The standalone spinoff scored a B+ at IndieWire, but the adaptation veers considerably closer to R.L. Stine\u2019s book series than some audiences say they were led to expect. Filmmaker Leigh Janiak\u2019s three-part film adaptation from 2021 was a high point in Netflix\u2019s lockdown era, and prom doesn\u2019t mean anything without a little competition. But ranking a single campy feature against the epic choreographed release of an emotional trilogy doesn\u2019t make sense \u2014 or feel fair. Much in the same way <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indiewire.com\/gallery\/halloween-jamie-lee-curtis-john-carpenter-movies-ranked\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cHalloween III: Season of the Witch\u201d<\/a> was technically made with Michael Myers fans in mind, \u201cProm Queen\u201d breaks from the moodier \u201cFear Street\u201d tradition to explore a different corner of horror than the more emotional chapters before it.<\/p>\n<p>Still, viewers are ranking these movies against each other, and we\u2019d be remiss to not stump for our \u201cProm Queen.\u201d Assessed on their individual merits alone, the four \u201cFear Street\u201d films from Netflix \u2014 \u201cPart One: 1994,\u201d \u201cPart Two: 1978,\u201d \u201cPart Three: 1666,\u201d and finally \u201cProm Queen\u201d \u2014 offer spooky sampler tray that even with its flaws tastes better than most modern offerings. Read on for Netflix\u2019s \u201cFear Street\u201d ranked. \u2014Alison Foreman<\/p>\n<ul class=\"pmc-fallback-list-items lrv-a-unstyle-list lrv-u-margin-t-2\">\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<p>\t4. \u201cFear Street Part Three: 1666\u201d (2021)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"126\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MCDFEST_ZX023.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"FEAR STREET: PART THREE  1666, (aka FEAR STREET: 1666, aka FEAR STREET), Kiana Madeira, 2021. &#xA9; Netflix \/Courtesy Everett Collection\"  \/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: \u00a9Netflix\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>The third \u201cFear Street\u201d film isn\u2019t terrible, necessarily, but it\u2019s the exact moment when you can feel the conceit of the original trilogy start to crumble. Awkwardly split into two parts (\u201c1666\u201d and \u201c1994: Part 2\u201d), Part Three has to introduce another\u00a0timeline to this story with a spooky tale set in colonial times, which is essential to explaining the witch\u2019s curse that spurred the events of the original. In a goofy detail, much of the ensemble of the past two movies pulls double duty to play the inhabitants of 1666, which feels more like a bad sitcom episode than a strong creative choice.<\/p>\n<p>Add in the cheap look of this historical period and a decided lack of frights, and the first half is a chore. Thankfully, the second half \u2014 which heads back to 1994 to close out the story \u2014 is stronger, offering a satisfying ending to the original arc that ends the series on a high note. Just a shame about what it took to get there. \u2014Wilson Chapman<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<p>\t3. \u201cFear Street: Prom Queen\u201d (2025)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MCDFEST_ZX050_5bac5c.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN, Ella Rubin (left), 2025. ph: Alan Markfield \/ &#xA9; Netflix \/ Courtesy Everett Collection\"  \/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: \u00a9Netflix\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>You know this story. Boy meets girl. Girl gets accused of murdering boy. Girl\u2019s baby carries the stigma of her mother\u2019s acquittal for the rest of her miserable days. Right? Well, not if Lori Granger (India Fowler) has anything to say about it. Director Matt Palmer can\u2019t beat Leigh Janiak\u2019s first two \u201cFear Street\u201d films, but \u201cProm Queen\u201d isn\u2019t the worst of the four.<\/p>\n<p>Ideal for fans of R.L. Stine\u2019s beloved book series but a massive departure from the popular 2021 streaming trilogy, this snappy song-and-dance stays true to itself \u2014 delivering an imperfect story that, for good or bad, is exactly as advertised. Funny, freaky, fiendish, and flirty, Lori\u2019s campaign for her high school\u2019s most sought-after crown boasts ridiculously creative kills, a vicious editing style, and at least a handful of \u201cHeathers\u201d-esque zingers this movie wouldn\u2019t feel so \u201980s without. Cutting against not just Janiak\u2019s work at Netflix but also the behemoth of \u201cStranger Things\u201d (finally back this summer), \u201cProm Queen\u201d seems designed to fail. And yet, she shines: an imperfect and wonderful weirdo forced to shoulder the sins of her past. \u2014AF<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<p>\t2. \u201cFear Street Part One: 1994\u201d (2021)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"151\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MCDFEST_ZX008.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"FEAR STREET PART ONE: 1994, (aka FEAR STREET), 2021. &#xA9; Netflix \/Courtesy Everett Collection\"  \/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: \u00a9Netflix\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>The \u201cFear Street\u201d franchise kicked off partying like it was the late \u201990s, with 1994 directly harkening back to the days of December 1996 with a Maya Hawke-starring opening scene that evokes the glory days of \u201cScream.\u201d It\u2019s a pleasingly nostalgic and effective introduction to the franchise\u2019s referential approach to horror and sets up the goofy fun of the first installment, which features an oh-so \u201990s soundtrack, a collection of lovable teen stereotypes out of a classic John Hughes movie, and a series of masked killers for them to contend with.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not particularly deep, and the cliffhanger ending frustrates a bit, but it\u2019s a lot of fun. Janiak directs the kills with panache and some pleasing gore, while the lesbian romance between leads Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Samantha (Olivia Scott Welch) is sweet, offereing the chance for modern queer horror fans to really see themselves onscreen. If \u201c1994\u201d feels a bit like a bootleg \u201cScream,\u201d answer this: When has that ever been a \u201cbad\u201d thing? \u2014WC<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"pmc-fallback-list-item-wrap lrv-u-margin-b-2\">\n<p>\t1. \u201cFear Street Part Two: 1978\u201d (2021)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"125\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/MCDFEST_ZX014.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"FEAR STREET PART TWO: 1978, (aka FEAR STREET), from left: Emily Rudd, Sadie Sink, 2021. &#xA9; Netflix \/ Courtesy Everett Collection\"  \/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: \u00a9Netflix\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>Judging the \u201cFear Street\u201d films as separate movies is somewhat missing the point. The trilogy is, essentially, a movie as a TV show, with both the first and third parts not making much of an attempt to serve as complete viewing experiences.<\/p>\n<p>Part of what makes \u201c1978\u201d so satisfying is that it\u2019s the exception to that rule, getting the business of connecting to the first film out of the way before telling a relatively closed story that is easily strong enough to be it\u2019s own standalone \u201970s slasher throwback. Inspired heavily by \u201cSleepaway Camp\u201d and \u201cFriday the 13th,\u201d \u201c1978\u201d departs from the original\u2019s suburbia for a summer at Camp Nightwing \u2014 where a group of teens fight for their lives after a killing spree ruins their summer plans.<\/p>\n<p>Janiak is at her most comfortable here, emulating the visual style of the period beautifully. This film also offers the best scares and most macabre kills of the franchise. Plus, the actors \u2014 particularly Sadie Sink and Emily Rudd, who are terrific as two warring sisters and the story\u2019s an emotional core \u2014 are fantastic. They elevate the horror and tension to a place the other films don\u2019t come close to. \u201cFear Street\u201d has always been fun, but \u201c1978\u201d is the only time it dipped its toes into the bloodied waters of slasher greatness. \u2014WC<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Most film critics turned their backs on \u201cFear Street: Prom Queen\u201d the day it started streaming. And yet,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":123777,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3935],"tags":[77,56152,58176,986,3943,451,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-132055","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-fear-street","10":"tag-fear-street-prom-queen","11":"tag-horror","12":"tag-movies","13":"tag-netflix","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114571617710234415","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123777"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}