The past decade or so has seen something of a renaissance in the horror genre with some great films but the best modern horror trilogy likely flew under the radar. While Netflix originals are very popular, many people still look down on them compared to theatrical releases, which might’ve been the case with the Fear Street series. Arriving in 2021, the three-part film series each came out a week apart and told an impressive overarching story.

Fear Street was originally a series of books written by Goosebumps author R.L. Stine, mostly in the ’90s. It wasn’t as popular as Goosebumps so there wasn’t a huge clamoring for a film adaptation, yet Netflix opted for it and delivered something special. The movies pay homage to the history of horror, feature a talented cast, and blend subgenres together in a seamless way.

Fear Street Is The Best Modern Horror Trilogy In Years

The Movies Were Acclaimed By Critics & Audience Members

The Fear Street films take place in the cursed town of Shadyside, which has a history of horrific killings. That allows each installment to be set in a different era. The first is in 1994, as a group of teens deal with a slew of murders by the Shadyside Killer. The second, in 1978, sees someone who survived a similar killing spree at camp retelling that story to the teens in 1994. The final entry goes a much different route, dating all the way to 1666 and showing the origins of the curse that haunts the town of Shadyside.

Despite taking place in various decades and even centuries, the story comes together almost seamlessly. Praise was heaped onto the three movies, with each receiving critical acclaim and solid reviews from Netflix users for the horror elements, performances, and storytelling. All three films were directed by Leigh Janiak, who had only previously helmed the underseen, yet also well-received, horror movie Honeymoon, starring Rose Leslie. He also directed a few episodes of the Scream TV series, which was crucial for the scenes in the 1994 entry, which feels a lot like the original Scream from 1996.

There are a handful of compeтιтors for the best modern horror trilogy. The Conjuring delivered two great entries before the third was met with a more mixed response, while its spinoff Anabelle series is also a mixed bag. David Gordon Green’s Halloween also disappointed audiences with its final entry. The two true contenders against Fear Street are A Quiet Place and Ti West’s X. There’s no denying how impressive those trilogies are but Fear Street gets a slight edge because of how it mixes multiple horror subgenres in a way the others don’t.

The Fear Street Trilogy Expertly Blends Several Horror Subgenres

It’s Part Slasher, Part Witchcraft

At first glance, Fear Street: 1994 is clearly paying homage to the slasher craze of the ’90s. The nods to Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer are evident in everything from the setting to the masked murderer. As welcome as that is for any longtime fan of horror, it is something seen often in modern slashers like Happy Death Day, You’re Next, Totally Killer, and various remakes. In order to stand out, a filmmaker has to do something different with it.

That’s where the time period aspect comes into play. The second film being a slasher flick set at a camp in the late ’70s pays homage to yet another era but still isn’t quite all that unique. It’s when the story shifts to feature an aspect of witchcraft and the supernatural that things become great. Treated poorly in the 17th century, Sarah Fier turns to a book of magic and witchcraft to exact her revenge on Shadyside, setting the tone for what happens in the later timeline.

This is a tricky balance to pull off because getting it wrong could make the overall story feel rather goofy. A killer on the loose is a grounded thing, while a supernatural tale in the 1600s has a totally different vibe. The fact that Janiak and the people behind this Fear Street series managed to blend it together so well is a testament to why this trilogy is so special.

Netflix’s Fear Street Trilogy Has An Impressive Young Cast

It Features Current & Future Stars

One common thing across the best horror franchises throughout history is that they often work to showcase rising talent in Hollywood. Halloween introduced us to Jamie Lee Curtis and went on to feature Paul Rudd and Michelle Williams. Scream featured Emma Roberts and Jenna Ortega, while the X trilogy made Mia Goth into a star. Fear Street follows that trend by featuring the likes of Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke, Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, and more.

Fear Street: 1994 uses Maya Hawke well, knowing that she’s a notable name from Stranger Things and has her be the first person killed on screen. That’s clearly a reference to the now iconic opening scenes in the Scream franchise. Sadie Sink is also a Stranger Things star who has broken out in a major way, while Madeira and Scott Welch have impressed in roles for Netflix and Prime Video. It won’t be surprising to see them in something major very soon.

2025’s Fear Street Movie Missed The Mark

It Was Missing The Good From The Trilogy

Following the release of the 2021 Fear Street trilogy, fans wanted a new film from the franchise. They waited four years and finally got one in 2025 with Fear Street: Prom Queen. The problem was that it lacked the aspects that made the first three Fear Street movies so good. While the trilogy all had scores on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer above 80%, Prom Queen sits at a mere 27%.

Prom Queen kept some elements in, like killing a familiar face early on (Ariana Greenblatt of Barbie and Avengers: Infinity War fame), but didn’t blend genres or nail the horror like the others. This installment was a straight slasher with a storyline that many criticized for making little sense. Harsh reviews also called out the movie for unnatural dialogue and being filled with generic tropes. While not part of the Fear Street trilogy, it is part of the franchise, joining many others that struggled in later installments.