The R.L. Stine tribute trilogy is a series of three children’s books written by the author, Rick Riordan, which are based on three of his famous horror novels, Goosebumps, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and One Day at Horrorland.
The goosebumps r.l. stine wiki is a great place to start for anyone interested in the author’s life and work.
With the release of Fear Street Part 3: 1666 on Netflix, a trilogy that has been in the works for decades finally comes to a close, bringing the tales of our Shadyside heroes and their battles with the forces of evil to a close. For better or worse, director and co-writer Leigh Janiak makes this third episode probably the least influenced by the original book series, enabling her to really make the experience her own. Despite those apparent constraints, Janiak manages to honor not only the source material, but also the characters we’ve grown to love over the last few weeks, resulting in an entirely satisfying and delightful journey that is hopefully just the tip of the iceberg of what both Janiak and this R.L. Stine-inspired franchise has to offer.
We are ultimately taken back to the moment of Sarah Fier’s murder to get insight into the catastrophe she experienced after just hearing tales about what happened to her in earlier films and even seeing her remains. Because of the nature of the show, viewers will witness actress Kiana Madeira in the role of Sarah in the flashback to centuries ago, as well as a number of other stars in the role of people in 1666. We discover that Sarah’s death for being a witch, although never justified, was a much more complex and distressing scenario than we could have imagined, with the Fear Street series finale delivering a lot of startling revelations to wrap up the epic trilogy.
“Ambitious” is a term that comes up often when discussing the Fear Street trilogy, and 1666 continues that tendency. The magical quality of the films that came before it would almost certainly lead us to think that our heroes might be transported back in time, leading some viewers to believe that these characters were sent to a distant century themselves. Instead, Janiak demonstrates that these actors are channeling the soul of characters they’ve previously portrayed in the series, giving the narrative more weight. Deena and Sarah must have shared experiences, although being separated by hundreds of years, which helps to enhance this story, as does the participation of other supporting characters, who serve as a shorthand for establishing the community’s dynamic. This also introduces some clear narrative links, heightening the impact of earlier films’ events.
On the subject of ambition, whereas films set in the 1990s or 1970s may instantly appeal to viewers owing to nostalgia, bringing the narrative all the way back to the 17th century introduces obstacles for the audience to overcome, displaying Janiak’s bravery once again. When two episodes are separated by 16 years and the third installment adds centuries of distance, most viewers won’t immediately perceive a throughline, but it enables the atmosphere and real adventure to fully embrace a whole new period without resting on its past achievements. It also gives the ideas being explored a timeless quality, since it can no longer depend on snappy language or creative needle drops to win over the audience.
In some ways, it’s difficult to compare 1666 to the other two films, since they were mostly slashers with supernatural elements, while this third part instead concentrates on the paranoia of a tiny town as horrific events occur. 1666 is more akin to The Crucible or The Witch, eschewing the slasher aspects in favor of more Satanic tension. Despite being well executed and mirroring the thematic persecution of outsiders that the characters were previously exposed to, these themes will not connect with many viewers. For the most of its runtime, this installment is the outlier of the trio, but it does manage to keep the spirit of the others. Fier’s background, however, seems reminiscent of tales seen in previous films, despite the fact that the narrative is nonetheless well-crafted.
Janiak surprised us by apparently closing off a three-film series with the part that chronologically took place at the conclusion of the trip, as we noted in our Fear Street Part 1: 1994 review. What makes 1666 so powerful is something completely unexpected and startling, to the point that discussing it here would deprive the viewer of that surprise. Complicating things, this unexpected surprise elevates the horrific portrayal of persecution inside a society to a whole new level, finding new ways to tie the trilogy’s entire narrative together. The last act of the final episode is probably the most enjoyable segment of the whole series, with a number of wonderful and frightening interactions previously.
We can’t help but think how much more fun this trilogy would have been if it had been released as a trilogy on the big screen, with each episode released a month apart. The coronavirus epidemic, understandably, had a role in Netflix’s purchase and dissemination of the films, with the weekly release schedule resulting in an experience that seems more episodic than eventized. Because the films were released on a streaming service, they had the same look and feel as all of Netflix’s other products, regardless of whether they were feature films or TV series. This has no bearing on the films’ quality; rather, many people were surprised to learn that they were pictures that deserved to be viewed on the big screen.
It was originally perplexing that we weren’t seeing particular story elements from R.L. Stine’s Fear Street books included into this trilogy, but now that we’ve seen it come to a close, it’s the only way such a project could have been completed. For lovers of the novels, this last chapter may be the most tonally unexpected, but the end of its solo story and of the whole trilogy feels deserved and creative, showing Janiak was the right person for the job. Fear Street Part 3: 1666 is terrifying, entertaining, and original, making us wish we could go back to the Scholastic Book Fair to finish our Fear Street collection.
4 out of 5 stars
Fear Street 3: 1666 is now available to watch on Netflix.
The fear street books is a series of three books written by R.L. Stine that are based on the popular children’s horror novel series, Goosebumps. It was released in 2009 and 2010 to celebrate the author’s 100th birthday.
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