Netflix posted a YouTube video that explores 30 horror movie references made throughout the Fear Street trilogy. The films are based on the book series by the same name, which was written by Goosebumps author R.L. Stine. While some of the threats the protagonists face are similar to those of his other franchise, the content is more mature in nature in Fear Street. The original run went from 1989-1999, although it has now been back in publication since its revival in 2014.
Leigh Janiak (Honeymoon) directed a trilogy of Fear Street films - Fear Street Part One: 1994, Fear Street Part Two: 1978, and Fear Street Part Three: 1666. While they take place across various time periods with different characters, the core story follows a curse that has been plaguing a small town for hundreds of years. This particular curse is the direct cause of graphic murders, as a group of teenagers in 1994 try to break it once and for all.
Netflix posted a video on YouTube that takes a closer look at the trilogy's horror movie influences. The video catalogs a whopping 30 references in the trilogy. The influences range from the original Scream to Sleepaway Camp. Netflix explores the specific scenes in question that refer to the various horror movies along with an explanation, which includes both new and old titles. See below for the full video:
Given that the Fear Street trilogy incorporates the years that they take place into their titles, it's clear that Janiak is trying to capture different eras of storytelling. While they all work towards the same narrative, each installment is meant to capture their era through the physical production, as well as the aesthetics instilled through post-production. With the inclusion of movies such as 1978's Halloween having several references, the year 1978 is an obvious nod in multiple ways. With each entry being released one week apart from the previous film, it offered a small break in between each film for audiences to get excited about the next time period.
It's clear that the Fear Street trilogy is meant to be a love letter to horror cinema of the past. While some of the references are obvious through visual, narrative, or dialogue cues, some of the references are less predictable. For example, the choice to include editing reminiscent of The Exorcist is a fun nod that is a bit less clear. There are also some callbacks to horror book series, such as the works of Stephen King and Stine himself, whose books literally saved a character's life in a reference that could have easily been missed for those not paying close attention. Fear Street offers a whole lot of horror references for fans of the genre to dig into. Perhaps younger viewers will become inspired to seek out some of these horror classics that they haven't seen before. Additionally, there has been some talk about another sequel, given the cliffhanger ending at the end of the third Fear Street.
Source: Netflix