I don't usually pay much attention to "the greatest artistic achievement in television history" hype, but when the superlative-slugging ads started appearing for Fear Street, I noticed that the series of three Netflix movies were based on the "wildly popular gospel texts...um, I mean novels that gave life meaning to everyone born between 1980 and 2000, written by the greatest writer...no, the greatest person who ever lived, Our Lord and Savior R. Stine." Wait -- wasn't R. Stine Bob's favorite writer growing up? Didn't he say that he read and reread the books until they fell apart, then had his mom buy him new copies, and reread those until they fell apart, too.?
So I kept the previews under wraps, and the day it dropped, I eagerly pointed it out on my Netflix list. "Ta-da! Fear Street, an adaption of your favorite books ever, by your favorite author R. Stine! How excited you?"
Bob blinked. "Who?"
Turns out that I was mistaking R. Stine for Bruce Coville, author of Aliens Ate my Homework.
I am completely crestfallen -- try to do something nice for someone, you'd think they'd at least pretend to be enthusiastic.
Ok, so I'm watching it anyway. It better be superlative.
It's 1994, and the horrible small town of Shadyside, Ohio is living in the shadow of the snooty, squeaky-clean Sunnydale (isn't that where Buffy the Vampire Slayer lives?). Other than poverty, urban disorganization, drugs. gangs, and ennui, the town's main claim to dishonor is its history of psycho-killers; every few years another group of horny teens gets sliced and diced. This has been happening for generations, but no killer is ever found. Actually, no one ever investigates; the town elders prefer to cover things up to avoid a mass exodus.
Enter a group of young teens probably destined to be the next victims:
1. Benjamin Flores Jr. as Josh, a history nerd, and his sister Deena.
2. Jeremy Ford as Peter, a boorish bully whose girlfriend, Sam, was dating Deena. A clever reversal of the usual teen movie trope of the Girl of Your Dreams dating an obnoxious jock just so you can win her. The two girls do eventually reconcile, but be careful...can't have a gay relationship end happily!
3. Fred Hechinger as the wrong-side-of-the-tracks Simon, and his drug-dealing best friend Kate.
They start an investigation to keep from being psycho-slasher fodder, and inadvertently release a malevolent presence, a witch who cursed the town back in 1666 (in Ohio? No way! The first European settlement in Ohio was Marietta, 1788. Didn't R. Stine conduct any research?).
And the bodies start rolling. Almost everybody dies! I hate that!
The cast is rounded out by:
4. David W. Thompson as Ryan Torres, who gets possessed by a malevolent spirit.
5. Ashley Zukerman (Top photo) as the Sheriff (why is it always a sheriff? Towns don't have sheriffs; counties do).
6. Matthew Zuk as his brother, the town's sinister, secret-keeping but buffed mayor.
7. Lloyd Pitts as one of the serial killers terrorizing the town, none of whom ever cross over to Sunnyvale.
8. Keil Oakley Zepernick as another serial killer. A bit grungy, but I'd date him.
9. Actor/model Jaime Matthis as serial killer chow.
10. Christian Bridges as...well, who cares? He dies before Act 3, he only has two other acting credits on IMDB, one a short, and he doesn't appear to have an instagram account. Traditionally selfies are posted shirtless, Chris.
source http://everydayheterosexism.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-top-10-hunks-of-fear-street.html
