Netflix debuted the first full trailer for the Fear Street film trilogy, offering a look at the three-era story of the R.L. Stine horror adaptation. The novel series began in 1989 and comprised over 150 books, with over 80 million copies sold as of 2010. Development on a film adaptation has seen several hiccups since first being announced in the works at 20th Century Fox in 2015.
Despite having assembled a cast including Community alum Gillian Jacobs and Stranger Things star Sadie Sink and having finished production, the trilogy's release status was put into doubt upon Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox known as 20th Century Studios. Luckily for all those involved, the rights to the project were also held by production company Chernin Entertainment, who signed a first-look deal with Netflix in early 2020 and subsequently sold the rights to the platform that August. Following nearly a year of plotting out its release schedule, Netflix is gearing up for the long-awaited premiere of Fear Street.
A few weeks after confirming the premiere dates of the films, Netflix has unleashed the first official trailer for the Fear Street trilogy. The video features an insight into how the films will be connected across their three distinct eras and the terrors that each film's characters will have to endure in each story. Check out the trailer below:
Stine is well-known for being the Stephen King of children's literature. Still, adaptations of his material have ensured that younger viewers don't feel alienated or traumatized by what they've seen. While some who grew up with the Goosebumps TV series may beg to differ, many of its episodes haven't aged to the point of remaining terrifying for both those who watched it at the time and modern viewers. Given Fear Street was written for a slightly older demographic and centered on a group of teenagers, it's understandable the film is taking a more mature approach to adapting its source material.
That being said, to see the latest trailer confirm that the Fear Street trilogy should assuredly terrify viewers of all ages, the anticipation for the films is sure to be skyrocketing as summer progresses. The theatrical release plan saw the films separated by a year each; the current schedule for a summer of horror with all three movies released consecutively in July will keep audiences hooked on each chapter. Plus, with a director reportedly found for a new live-action Goosebumps series, Stine's chilling world won't be absent from screens for long.
Source: Netflix