New Fear Street adaptation is in the works at Netflix, reveals author RL Stein

Fear Street fans rejoice: another film adaptation of RL Stein’s horror book series is in the works.

Stein himself shared the happy news on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday (13 January).

The author, best known for his much-loved Goosebumps book series, wrote: “Movie news: I can finally announce that a new Fear Street movie is about to go into production for Netflix.”

Stein, 80, revealed that the film will be an adaptation of his 1992 Fear Street novel The Prom Queen.

“A spring night…soft moonlight…five beautiful Prom Queen candidates…dancing couples at the Shadyside High prom – these should be the ingredients for romance. But stir in one brutal murder — then another, and another – and the recipe quickly turns to horror,” reads the book description, as per Stine’s official website.

“Lizzie McVay realises that someone is murdering the five Prom Queen candidates one by one – and that she may be next on the list! Can she stop the murderer before the dance is over – for good?”

This will be the fourth Fear Street film adapted by Netflix, following on from the huge success of Fear Street Part One: 1994, Fear Street Part Two: 1978, and Fear Street Part Three: 1666.

The 2021 trilogy, led by Stranger Things star Sadie Sink and Kiana Madeira, followed a group of teenagers living in Shadyside, Ohio, whose lives are turned upside down by the ghostly hauntings that plague their town.

Directed by Leigh Janiak, the films were released within one week of one another in July 2021. They were received positively by fans, who applauded the show’s LGBTQ+ representation.

The Prom Queen will feature a new cast of characters, but no actors have yet been announced.

The first three Fear Street films received 84 per cent, 87 per cent, and 88 per cent critics scores on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, for Parts One, Two, and Three, respectively.

The first two instalments received four stars from The Independent’s film critic Clarisse Loughrey, with the third entry receiving a middling three-star review.

“The film is laced with giddy memories of childhood sleepovers, trembling hands holding flashlights up to faces, and creaky, old urban legends so familiar that they gain a life of their own,” wrote Loughrey in her review of Part One.

A release date for Fear Street 4 is yet to be announced.