The Fear Street trilogy has taken the horror fan base by storm over the past few months since its announcement back in May of this year. Based on the fictional series by R. L. Stine and directed by Leigh Janiak, Fear Street doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it brings a beautiful universe to life. This world loves final girls, platonic female friendships, and queer relationships and wants all three to succeed more than anything. Now I didn’t read the Fear Street books growing up, as I had moved onto Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games by the time I reached the target reading age for the series. Mackenzie Lair wrote in their analysis, “What’s so Scary about Fear Street? A Feminist Analysis of R. L. Stine’s Fear Street Series” that the female protagonists in the series were “obsessed with boys”. Lair (2014) elaborates that boys “served” two purposes, to be the bad boys in the series and to act as the catalyst of relational aggression between female characters. Growing up, I remember girls were often put up against one another in some strange competition, a competition that I didn’t understand until I hit my teenage years and tried to grow into my early twenties.

The Fear Street trilogy seems to change the formulaic nature of the relationships between women (which would have been incredibly typical of the earlier 90s and 2000s) and develop final girls without the dividing havoc that male characters enabled in the book series. More often than not, these dynamics are detrimental to women and often become degrading and reductive, both to the characters and the reader. However, Janiak has scrapped that narrative for the screen and brought us into a world of multiple final girls, queer relationships, and female centred friendships. Fear Street parts 1, 2, and 3 focus on female relationships and the genuine connection of these friendships without the strain and critique of the male gaze. Each entry into the series not only centres on women and their friendships with one another, but also refuses to leave any of the female protagonists behind. By having more than one final girl, the female protagonists share the victory of their teamwork together as equals, not rivals.

In the first instalment of Fear Street, we are introduced to Deena, a teenage outsider who is struggling with her identity. We later meet one of her best friends, Kate, who not once is pitted against Deena in any way; however, we are shown that she too is imperfect, flawed, and an outsider. When we meet “Sam” for the first time, we realise that she too is an outcast, trying her best to fit in whilst struggling to admit to herself who she truly knows she is. Putting these friendships at the forefront of the movie was an incredibly inspiring moment for me. Too many times have I watched horror movies where women are contentiously put up against each other in a fight for survival, the result being only one final girl. Although an absolute disservice is done by Kate, her portrayal as Deena’s close friend shows positive platonic female friendships that are sometimes lost in weird side narratives unrelated to the friendship. Josh and Simon are excellent additions to the circle of friends, as they don’t hold any contempt for the female characters in their group by baiting them into unnecessary arguments. The deep love that these friends have for one another is shown so perfectly through their passion and commitment to their friendship; there was no leaving anyone behind under any circumstance. This is also reflected through Sam’s relationship with Deena, almost sacrificing herself to save not only her girlfriend but her best friend. Even though Kate and Sam are platonic, Kate has some reservations about Sam being amongst them trying to escape the Shadyside Killers. This reservation is most likely be because of her commitment and loyalty to her friendship with Deena.

Recently I spoke with a friend about how strange it is that so many movies, horror and otherwise, have a tendency to fetishize lesbian and bisexual relationships. Although we do experience bi-phobia with Deena’s jealousy of Sam potentially being in a heterosexual presenting relationship, a common but inexcusable trope, watching young queer relationships in Fear Street was a pleasure. Throughout Fear Street 1994, Sam and Deena are not sexualised for entertainment, and it felt like a breath of fresh air to see a young same-sex relationship not being exploited for once.

The setting of Camp Nightwing is beautiful and artistically brings to life the typical American teenage summer camp experience. Whilst we do see the antagonistic relationship between Ziggy and Sheila, there are positive displays of how friendships between young teenage women are often repaired. Alice and Cindy were friends when they were younger; however, a wedge has been forced between them, causing them to become bitter rivals. Whilst trapped under the camp, they come into their understanding of what their friendship meant to each other. The pair can reflect on what had respectively changed between them, owning their shit, and resolving the issues of their past. Those moments are crucial for young women who are discovering who they are and who they want to be friends with. I’ve had many of those moments where I realise I stopped speaking to friends during high school for the pettiest things.

There are moments of rivalry between Ziggy and Sheila, with Ziggy pouring cockroaches over Sheila in a heated moment of seeking revenge. However, would this act of retribution have happened without Nick Goode provoking Ziggy to do so? It’s when you look back on moments like these that the vexing nature of some male characters is obvious. These characters are there to “poke the bear” and perpetuate the trope of the girl vs. girl competition. Ziggy doesn’t apologise for this behaviour, but I am sure that she regrets the decision that she made. When I think about it, Ziggy is in her early teenage years, and I am sure that I went out into the world thinking that other girls were my competition. As we grow older, most of us shed this projection and can treat one another with respect and dignity. I like to think that Ziggy grew up to do the same.

“We wanted to make their relationship feel authentic to what a gay experience might’ve been like outside of a modern lens. Sam and Deena aren’t living in a fully safe world where everyone can know about them. And that was really important in shaping their journey” - Leigh Janak (Writer & Director).

The relationship between Sarah Fier and Hannah Miller embodies a liberation from the puritanical restraints and compulsory heterosexuality projected onto women. Not only do they love one another, but they also represent the spiritual connection that is often developed in female friendship. There is a deep connection between Sarah and Hannah that transcends time, something young women often feel with their first best friend. There is something that connects women emotionally and mentally, and it is this connection that gives Sarah strength in the last moments of her life. There is a deep love that a young teenage girl feels for their best friend, and watching Fear Street showed me that horror hasn’t left that concept behind. Fear Street embraced those friendships and made them important, showing audiences the amazing power of platonic relationships.

Source: Netflix Media Cente — Source: Netflix Media Centre

The Fear Street Trilogy is now streaming on Netflix.

Fear Street: A Love Letter to Kickass Final Girls, Platonic Female Friendships,and Queer Relationships.

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