While horror has always been a very hit-or-miss genre, many recent horror movies have become all-time classics, and joining those ranks is the upcoming Fear Street: Prom Queen, the fourth installment in the Fear Street franchise. The film is set to be released on Netflix on May 23, meaning that now is the perfect time to go back and watch the previous three films in the series, which are all available on the platform.

Fear Street: Prom Queen is the first new project in the franchise since Fear Street Part Three: 1666 in 2021 and is potentially the start of even more movies based on the beloved book series. While the upcoming movie seems to be more of a standalone film, not directly connected to the previous trilogy, the lore and worldbuilding surrounding the Fear Street saga are a big part of why the franchise has been so successful. Hence, having the knowledge that comes from watching the previous movies will likely come in handy when watching the fourth installment.

Netflix Released An Entire Fear Street Trilogy In 2021, Adapting R.L. Stine’s Books

The Original Three Movies Came Out Back-To-Back

The Fear Street series was originally a trilogy with a very interesting release schedule, which has yet to be recreated by any other streamer. The three movies were all filmed at the same time, with the same behind-the-scenes crew but different casts, and were initially set to have theatrical releases, coming out over three months. However, due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, a deal was made with Netflix to release the films on that platform over three weeks, one installment per week.

The movies were based on R.L. Stine’s Fear Street book series, though there were a few differences between the original books and the films. The books were more mature than his popular Goosebumps novels, with older characters and much gorier deaths than the rest of his work. While the movies are more anthology films than most major franchises, a central story is told throughout the trilogy, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The books did have recurring characters and plot elements but were much looser with the structure of the entire story.

Why The Fear Street Movies Were So Well Received

The Franchise Was A Fun Slasher Throwback

The Fear Street movies were never perceived as high art, not reaching the heights of cinematic achievement that movies like Sinners or The Substance did. The movies were all action/slasher films that didn’t try to do anything too revolutionary because they didn’t need to be a fun movie experience. As the Fear Street books were written primarily in the ’90s, the movies were a great throwback to those times, with great performances and direction.

Sometimes, the ’80s and ’90s nostalgia can get too out of hand, with plenty of movies leaning on those references way too hard and feeling soulless. However, the Fear Street trilogy used references and nostalgic throwbacks to enhance the story and characters, rather than replacing them. It never took itself too seriously, but it was able to perfectly balance the silly, over-the-top slasher moments with well-written characters and solid relationships.

Fear Street 4 Is Coming Out Very Soon

The Newest Entry Is Releasing Imminently

Even though Fear Street 3 ended the series pretty conclusively, there is still plenty of material to mine from the books, with 51 books published as part of the original novel series, alongside many spinoffs, each with their own different take on the franchise. Prom Queen is releasing on May 23, adapting the 1992 Stine book. It is set between the events of the other movies, with an entirely new cast of characters, so hopefully, Fear Street: Prom Queen is a sign that the new filmmakers have a lot more stories to tell.