Netflix's Fear Street was a killer homage to '70s and '90s slasher movies, while at the same time offering modern sensibilities packaged in a hypertrophied '80s aesthetic. Based on a few different stories in R.L. Stine's incredibly popular Fear Street series of books, it offered nostalgia for longtime fans and excitement for new fans looking for something to tide them over until the next season of Stranger Things.
Even after the curse of Sarah Fier had been abated and the Goode family had been punished, fans couldn't help but have questions about some of the plot elements throughout the movies, as well as the few cliffhangers introduced at the end. What happens next for Deena, Sam, Josh, and the rest of the Shadysiders?
What Was With All The Clocks?
After fans were fed clues to C. Berman's identity, the truth was finally revealed; Ziggy had managed to survive her encounter with the Shadyside killers, but it left a deep impact on her. The Camp Nightwing massacre, which also claimed her sister, turned her into a paranoid recluse who had multiple locks on her door, as well as a collection of labeled clocks that seemed to go off at specific times for things like "dinner" or "Jeopardy".
The trilogy seemed to present that the events affected her memory, but she remembered the summer of '78 with perfect clarity, and there were no lines of dialogue to indicate she suffered from a mental health condition that required a carefully timed schedule.
Where Was Deena's Dad?
Not many parents appeared in the trilogy, but Deena's dad was absent altogether. Conflicting reasons were given for his never being home, vacillating between him being a neglectful drunk and busy with job interviews, which left Deena in charge of her younger brother.
It's possible that like so many other kids in the '90s, Deena, Josh, and their friends were part of a "latchkey" generation, with parents too busy with work or other obligations to be home all the time. Still, it was particularly odd that he wasn't seen even briefly, nor was he made aware of what Deena and her friends were up to by Sheriff Goode.
Why Wasn't The Widow Hunted For Witchcraft?
Fear Street: 1666 was the movie that most directly focused on witchcraft, highlighting Sarah Fier and her friends interacting with The Widow, a woman who was rumored to be in league with the devil. This was most likely due to the fact that in the 17th century, a woman electing to live alone in the woods while being secluded from the community was considered abnormal.
Still, it was odd that she didn't get hunted the same way that Sarah did, especially since she actually had her own grimoire. Had she still been alive when the pastor killed the children, would she have been the first suspect? She was the closest thing to a "witch" around but unfortunately, she was killed too quickly to make her own curse.
Did Sam And Deena Stay Together?
When fans first met Deena and Sam they were in the midst of a nasty breakup, but the traumatic events they experienced brought them together by the end of the trilogy. The complexity of their relationship was a boon for queer representation, but fans couldn't help but wonder -- would they last?
Sam told Deena that she felt the most like "herself" when she was with her, and it seemed like Deena was a more pleasant person when things were going well for them, but Sam's parents were still incredibly upset about their relationship, and just because Deena and Sam knew the truth about the curse didn't mean anyone else would believe them. Shadysiders would still undoubtedly give Deena guff for dating someone from Sunnyvale, and vice versa.
Did Josh Ever Meet His Online Friend IRL?
Deena's younger brother had a robust online presence, often seen chatting online with QueenOfAirAndDarkness for hours while blasting heavy metal. Some fans wondered if Josh's chatroom friend might have been Sarah Fier all along, but at the end of the trilogy, they learned that she was actually someone who went to his school.
Once he knew who she was, did they start a friendship in person? Josh seemed like the shy type before, but perhaps after all of his trials and tribulations, he found the courage to introduce himself.
Is The Curse Really Over With Will Goode Still Alive?
With Nick Goode dead it seemed like the Shadyside curse was over, indicating the town might not be targeted every decade by killers just to keep Sunnyvale prosperous. However, Nick's brother Will was still alive and mayor of Sunnyvale, so would he simply take over the familial obligations?
While he'd have to not only have the grimoire but know how to make use of its dark magic, he was probably taught its secrets from his father in case something were to happen to Nick. If he did take the book at the end, then would anything really change for Shadysiders?
When Did The Shadyside Killers Ever Actually Die?
Throughout the trilogy, the Goode family maintained its prosperity -and the town of Sunnyvale- by having the firstborn member selecting one Shadysider every decade or so to be possessed by the devil and go on a killing spree. When Deena and her friends were close to finding out the source of their power, Nick Goode unleashes several killers on them to cover it up.
The killers had been present before, joining Tommy Slater in killing some of the campers at Camp Nightwing, and they seemed to be relentless killing machines that couldn't be stopped except by supernatural means. Did that mean they had to be specifically recalled by a Goode every time their tasks were done? Could anyone who had the grimoire control them?
Will Sunnyvale Have Its Own Run Of Bad Luck?
At the ending of the trilogy, fans saw the once bucolic community of Sunnyvale, where everyone seemed to be affluent and happy, suddenly get struck by some bad luck. With Nick Goode dead and his pact with the devil broken, Shadyside seemed on the cusp of experiencing a little positivity for the first time in centuries, while its rival would get a taste of its own medicine.
But how proportionate would Sunnyvale's bad luck be? Would it be enough to change the dynamic between the two towns? It seemed like a rivalry that had been going for generations wouldn't be stopped just because a curse -which everyone considered a fictional legend anyway- had been broken.
Who Took The Book?
It's clear that someone else now has the grimoire, but who took the book and why? An obvious guess would be Will Goode, eager to keep his family's deal with the devil in good standing, and who might also fear not being re-elected as mayor.
Another choice would be Ziggy, who might be interested in getting a little revenge on the Goode family for everything they put her through. It could also just as easily have been Sam, still slightly affected by the possession.
Will There Be Another Trilogy?
Fans have declared the trilogy one of the best homages to the horror genre in recent years, combining elements of '70s and '90s slasher movies with modern ideologies. They're already wondering if another Fear Street series could be in the works, either with the same characters or a new cast.
R.L. Stine wrote dozens of books in the Fear Street universe, so there's no shortage of source material, and based on how popular the trilogy has been it could be another hit for Netflix, perhaps in an episodic anthology form like Tale from the Crypt.