The Fear Street trilogy is still the best movie series from Netflix

When it comes to movie series, Netflix has a few really successful originals under its belt. From the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy to The Kissing Booth films, the streamer does a great job at introducing wonderful characters who viewers want to keep watching for multiple installments. Clearly, they’ve got the rom-com genre down pat, but they also pleasantly surprised many with their Fear Street trilogy which came out in July 2021.

With the exception of Stranger Things, Netflix really wasn’t a strong streaming service for horror movies and shows. Though they’ve had some great ones added to the platform, they fell short when it came to their original programming. That started changing, however, with Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting series, his more recent show Midnight Mass and of course, the Fear Street movies.

2021 was a game-changer for the genre on Netflix, and the Fear Street trilogy still stands out as the best original movie series the streamer has ever created. Each installment — Fear Street: 1994, Fear Street: 1978 and Fear Street: 1666 — takes place in the same fictional town in Ohio, Shadyside, which is believed to be cursed.

Netflix Life celebrates “The Besties” this week — an awards show where we highlight the best, the worst and the craziest moments from Netflix in the past year — and we have to take the time to celebrate Fear Street.

Netflix wins with the Fear Street trilogy

The movies, based on the book series of the same name by R.L. Stine, were filmed back to back and were originally supposed to be released once a month in theaters. With COVID-19 throwing a wrench in those plans, however, Netflix acquired the rights and released the installments weekly, making for a really fun summer lineup in the middle of a pandemic.

The trilogy served as something to look forward to and each movie really delivered. When looking back at 2021, the Fear Street series was a big highlight for me and many others.

Though the trilogy is based on a YA book series, the movies are R-rated and for good reason. They’re gory and feature super original kills that any horror fan would appreciate. But Fear Street isn’t only for horror fans. The story throughout each movie is really heartfelt, engaging and just fun as hell. Viewers will recognize actors Gillian Jacobs and Ashley Zukerman, who play prominent roles, and will fall in love with Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch and Benjamin Flores Jr., up-and-comers who star in each film.

Plus, I can’t not talk about the music in this series. Because each installment takes place in a different era, they really play into the nostalgia and include some of the biggest songs, fashion trends and nods to other horror movies of the time. Well, this is true with 1994 and 1978 at least, which features songs like “Hey” by The Pixies, “Creep” by Radiohead, “The Man Who Sold the World” by Nirvana and “Cherry Bomb” by The Runaways.

Each Fear Street film is directed by Leigh Janiak (Honeymoon), who’s actually married to Ross Duffer, the co-creator of Stranger Things. The movies definitely have a Stranger Things vibe, and we’d recommend the trilogy for anyone who loves the Netflix series.

Fear Street isn’t the strongest horror movie series ever made, but it’s certainly one of the best things Netflix has done in a very long time.