The soundtrack to Netflix's Fear Street trilogy is getting a vinyl release from Waxwork Records complete with artwork inspired by R.L. Stine's books. The final instalment in the Fear Street series, Fear Street Part Three: 1666, was released yesterday and rounded off the trilogy of films that had been released weekly throughout July. Based on the hugely popular Fear Street books that were released throughout the 90s by prolific horror author R.L. Stine, development on the adaptation had been in the works since the late 1997. Original plans were for a film series similar to Scream, but these never materialized. Plans were reignited at Fox in 2015, prior to their acquisition by Disney, but after the merger distribution rights were instead sold to Netflix.
The Fear Street films weren't directly based on any particular book, but they drew inspiration from the overarching curse on the town of Shadyside that is believed to be responsible for malicious and supernatural occurrences. With each Fear Street film primarily set in a different decade and even century, they slowly delve further and further into the history of Shadyside and the numerous murders that have taken place there. Meanwhile the overarching plot follows a young LGBTQ+ couple who are trying to undo the curse within the town. Reception for the trilogy has been relatively positive, with many praising its retro-horror feel and its honoring of the source material.
One of the main points of praise has been in the films' soundtracks, both in terms of original score and use of period-accurate music. Now, Waxwork Records have announced on Twitter that they will be releasing vinyl printings of the Fear Street soundtrack by Marco Beltrami. Costing $50, the album will feature the soundtracks to each film across three colored wax LPs as well as liner notes by the Fear Street trilogy's writer and director Leigh Janiak. Most notably, each vinyl features artwork by Sam Gilbey which, according to Waxwork, were specifically designed "to pay homage to the classic R.L. Stine teen-horror book covers". Check out the announcements below:
The original Fear Street novels, the majority of which featured cover art by Bill Schmidt, had a distinct design to them that was symbolic of the decade of when they were released. Often they would feature the primary character staring at the reader with an expression of horror and shock while hinting at the terror they would face. Gilbey has done an excellent job of recreating this aesthetic for the album covers while weaving in the protagonists and antagonists of each film. Moreover, just as the Fear Street films feature numerous allusions to the books, so too has the artist managed to include clever references to specific Fear Street books, with both the covers for 1994 and 1978 seemingly inspired by The Wrong Number and Lights Out, respectively.
The album covers perfectly capture the aesthetics of the original Fear Street novels. Over thirty years since the series began, Stine's Fear Street novels still have a place in the hearts of many who read them as teenagers, so it's good to see Waxworks continue the film trilogy's legacy of honoring the original works. Fans can pre-order both of the Fear Street and Goosebumps soundtracks in vinyl now from Waxwork's website while they await news on a possible sequel.
Source: Waxwork Record