All 3 Netflix Fear Street movies ranked from worst to best

Based on R.L. Stine’s massively popular teen horror book series, Netflix’s Fear Street movies remain some of the best original films on the platform. Released over three weeks during the summer of 2021, Netflix created a riveting and entertaining horror blockbuster event that millions of subscribers could enjoy from home. It’s a shame they haven’t made these films a staple, though they are reportedly working on Fear Street 4 (finally!).

The Fear Street Trilogy is set across multiple decades, starting chin 1994 and then taking us back to Camp Nightwing in 1978 before bringing us back several centuries, all the way to 1666. The throughline for these movies is their connection to an accused witch named Sarah Fier and her history in a town known as Shadyside.

Ranking Netflix’s Fear Street movies

Several lovable teen characters anchor the films, specifically Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Sam (Olivia Scott Welch). One thing that adds to the overall charm and loyal fanbase of the Fear Street movies is the central queer romance between Deena and Sam’s characters—not to mention that a woman, the talented Leigh Janiak, directs all three films!

With the Halloween season approaching, now seemed like the perfect time to look back at these iconic horror movies and rank them as we prepare for the spookiest time of year.

3. Fear Street Part 1: 1994

Let me preface this ranking by saying that I loved all three Fear Street movies and think they’re some of the best Netflix Originals ever. I don’t believe a single Fear Street movie is “bad” or deserves the “worst” ranking, but that’s how these things work, right? Something’s gotta end up on the bottom.

Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is an excellent retro slasher film perfect for fans of Scream and Stranger Things, but, pressed to choose, it’s the weakest in the trilogy. A significant reason for that is that Fear Street isn’t your average film trilogy. These movies beg to be watched in succession, more like a television season than three separate films.

Each one feeds directly into the next, which means the first movie has the challenge of creating a cohesive story for the first film while setting up the legend of Shadyside and introducing some of the trilogy’s most pivotal characters.

It’s hard to imagine anyone watching a single Fear Street movie as a standalone because you’d be left with countless questions. It demands a sequel, but it’s still a blast to watch. Fear Street Part 1: 1994 does an admirable job of setting up the world, the villains, and the core relationship between Deena and Sam. It also contains one of the most iconic kills in the trilogy (the bread slicer, anyone?).

Where this movie falls short is in its characterizations. While the cast immediately endeared me, most characters aren’t given much room to grow, so they might feel one-dimensional to some viewers. That changes once you watch all three movies, but based on this film alone, it could have spent a little more time establishing its cast, especially the ones who only got one movie to shine and didn’t make it to the sequel.

Grade: B