Netflix Developing New Fear Street Movie - With A Twist

It's a good time to be a fan of R.L. Stine. Last month, a ten-episode adaptation of his popular "Goosebumps" series debuted on Disney+ and Hulu, introducing the author's frightening imagination to a new generation of horror fans. Luckily, the spooky on-screen adaptations won't stop there, as Netflix is currently working on a brand new "Fear Street" movie that will cover new ground in the YA saga.

The first three "Fear Street" movies are set in 1994, 1978, and 1666, respectively, but they're connected by an overarching storyline involving the cursed town of Shadyside. However, Scott Stuber, Netflix's new Head of Film, told Collider that the next installment will be its own spooky entity. "Obviously, there's a lot of books," he said. "There's one standalone that we're working on right now that we're once again trying to get the script right, but I like it very much, and so does the team. So I feel like if we can get that script right, there would be a great kind of extension of that franchise."

Stuber didn't indicate which "Fear Street" book or books would inform the upcoming flick. However, it does present an opportunity for the filmmakers to delve deeper into Stine's original stories, as the first three movies aren't exactly authentic adaptations.

The "Fear Street" movies take inspiration from R.L. Stine's best-selling series, but the show's creators set out to bring fresh ideas to the table from the get-go. Director Leigh Janiak told Den of Geek that the movies aren't inspired by the books at all, but they did mine them for inspiration. However, Netflix's main goal was to honor the edgy and subversive spirit of Stine's stories while reimagining the "Fear Street" universe for the screen. Granted, the films do pay homage to titles like "Cheerleaders: The First Evil" and "Lights Out," but these references are mostly window dressing.

Now that we've seen a fresh spin on Stine's spooky universe, there's no harm in returning to the franchise's roots. The upcoming "Fear Street" film is a chance to adapt the source material in juicier detail, which could open up a world of creative possibilities. From the mind-swapping horrors of "Switched" to the werewolf-centric "Bad Moonlight," the novels offer a wide range of stories featuring a variety of concepts, creatures, and ghouls. It'd be a waste not to bring them to the screen.

What Netflix has in store for the "Fear Street" franchise moving forward remains to be seen. Still, it's good to know that the streamer will return to this universe in the near future.