The Fear Street movies on Netflix have taken the world by storm, and rightfully so. While these films aren’t directly based off of R.L. Stine’s books of the same name, they channel every campy horror movie-esque vibe that he wrote on the pages all those years ago. The trilogy follows a curse on a town called Shadyside over multiple centuries, spanning from 1666 all the way to 1994. Though the trilogy proceeds in reverse chronological order, more and more about the curse is revealed with each film. Along with the thrilling story comes an even more captivating cast of characters who are subjected to the effects of the curse. One thing I love about this series is how lovable and relatable the characters are. While some arguably get what’s coming to them, most of the characters suffer a tragic fate that is undeniably undeserved. This list doesn’t begin to cover how many Fear Street characters deserved better, but these are just eight who deserved so much more (in my humble opinion).
WARNING: The following list contains spoilers for the Fear Street Trilogy. Read at your own risk!
8. Thomas “Tommy” Slater: Fear Street 1978
We meet Tommy, boyfriend of Cindy Berman, at the sleepaway Camp Nightwing. He is an easygoing camp counselor who meets his fate quite quickly. While we know one of the notorious Shadyside killers is dubbed the Camp Nightwing Killer, we don’t know until this point that the killer is none other than Tommy Slater himself. Cindy’s boyfriend, seemingly out of nowhere, snaps and becomes a brutal killer during the summer of 1978. It is later revealed that Tommy’s madness was one hundred percent out of his control, which tugs at the heartstrings of many viewers. Tommy’s character barely even gets to be explored before he becomes bloodthirsty, and for that reason, he earns a spot on this list.
7. Nurse Lane: Fear Street 1978
Nurse Lane is the nurse on duty at Camp Nightwing. Her claim to fame is the fact that her daughter, Ruby Lane, went mad a few years earlier and slaughtered people as one of the Shadyside killers. Because of this, the camp avoids her and her only relationship is found in young camper Ziggy Berman. In light of the events surrounding her daughter, Nurse Lane compiles research about the Shadyside killers and plots to stop the next one (Tommy) before tragedy can strike again. However, her plan is cut short when she attacks Tommy before his possession and she is sent to a mental hospital. In hindsight, she was only trying to keep the camp safe, and her motherly and caring nature is sadly all for naught.
6. Deena Johnson: Fear Street 1994/1666
Deena is one of the main characters of the series, so naturally she experiences an immense amount of trauma throughout the films. For starters, we learn that Deena’s ex-girlfriend Sam, a cheerleader who lives in Shadyside’s rich counterpart Sunnyvale has moved on from her insanely quickly. The two are forced to reconcile quickly, however, when they are the first characters of the series to be pursued by the Shadyside killers. Throughout the first film, Deena loses two of her best friends and is forced to drown Sam (then later revive her) all while taking care of her younger brother, Josh. She also has to bear the burden of finding out the truth of Shadyside’s curse and reuniting Sarah Fier’s bones in order to lay her to rest. Deena is an unapologetic badass throughout the entire series, and I know I wouldn’t be able to be so level-headed in such dire circumstances. While she is a survivor of the series, she loses many that she loves and almost loses her on-again off-again girlfriend, Sam.
5. Simon Kalivoda: Fear Street 1994
Simon is arguably the funniest character in the Fear Street Trilogy. Throughout the first movie, he provides amazing one-liners and comedic relief. Not only is he hilarious, but he is always ready to provide a helping hand throughout the film. He even goes as far as to paint himself in Deena’s blood in order to lure the Shadyside killers away from her. During this pursuit, he meets his unfortunate end at the hands of a Shadyside killer in a grocery store. His death genuinely made me gasp out loud—his happy-go-lucky demeanor was sorely missed throughout the rest of the films.
4. Hannah Miller: Fear Street 1666
Hannah is one of the most tragic characters of the series. She’s a young girl living in late 17th-century Union, which eventually turns into Shadyside. She is the daughter of conservative parents, which causes trouble when she sparks a romance with the Shadyside witch, Sarah Fier. The two kindle their romance at a moonlight party, and it doesn’t take long for the early settlement to catch wind of their relationship. This, predictably, leads to the townspeople accusing Hannah and Sarah of witchcraft. Although Solomon Goode, an ancestor of Nick Goode, is revealed to be the origin of the real witchcraft in the town, both of them are sentenced to hanging. To save Hannah, at the last minute Sarah confesses to the whole thing. Ultimately, Sarah is put to death while a heartbroken Hannah begs for her life. The whole scene is absolutely gut-wrenching, especially when Hannah cries at the feet of her dead lover. Though she survives, the fate of watching your innocent lover sentenced to death is arguably a fate worse than being found guilty of witchcraft.
3. Cindy Berman: Fear Street 1978
Cindy, as mentioned before, is the goody-two-shoes of Camp Nightwing. She comes from a broken family in Shadyside and overcompensates by being an overbearing sister to Ziggy. Throughout the film, she exhibits an immense change in character when she breaks her rule-following ways and vows that nothing will ever come between her and Ziggy again. She navigates the labyrinth of the camp, which is an elaborate set of tunnels in which the sacrificial curse takes place (perpetrated by the Goode family). Cindy meets her fate alongside her sister to a horde of Shadyside killers while trying to stop the curse. They are unsuccessful, and while Ziggy survives the attack, Cindy does not. They die mere inches apart from each other, hands outstretched to try and reach each other. Cindy’s death is heartbreaking, because she dies thinking that she was unable to save her younger sister. Her last moments are spent thinking that Ziggy is dying as well, and like Hannah, that is perhaps one of the saddest fates of all.
2. Sarah Fier: Fear Street 1666
Sarah Fier is hyped up as the town witch throughout the entire Fear Street series. Much of the trilogy centers on trying to reunite her hand with her body, which is said to have been cut from her body as she was hanged in order to place a curse on Shadyside. The Shadysiders of 1978 and beyond all know Sarah Fier’s name well, and they know her story even better. The twist? Sarah wasn’t actually the one making a deal with the Devil at all–it was the Goodes. For the price of one Shadyside soul every few years, the Goodes get to live in luxury and surplus for the rest of time. Sarah was framed for the misfortune of Union by Solomon Goode. Her only crime was loving Hannah Miller. She ultimately confesses to corrupting Hannah’s mind in order to save her life, but in doing so seals her own fate. As the noose is placed around her neck, however, she places a curse on the Goodes, vowing that she will never rest until they pay one day. After we learn the truth about Sarah, it’s hard not to feel for her as a character. The writers take the witch trope and completely flip it on its side, making for a fleshed-out character we grow to love. Her true story is revealed in due time, but not before she has paid the ultimate price.
1. Christine “Ziggy” Berman: Fear Street 1978/1966
Ziggy undeniably deserved the most out of any Fear Street character. When meet her as an angsty teenager at Camp Nightwing, it isn’t hard to see why. Her older sister, Cindy, is dead set on leaving behind the Shadyside legacy and making a better name for herself. In the process, though, she is harsh and demanding of Ziggy. All the while, Ziggy is tormented by the camp’s bullies (including being burnt with a lighter and having her room trashed). Ziggy’s light in the dark is Nick Goode, a counselor who is both the notorious heir to the sheriff position in Shadyside and the sacrificial practitioner of the Shadyside curse. After losing her sister in a bloody showdown between the Bermans and the Shadyside killers, Nick throws her under the bus and convinces everyone that the Shadyside curse isn’t real (after previously telling Ziggy he believed her). Ziggy ends up living the rest of her life in solitude, finding a friend in Sheriff Nick Goode and attempting to keep herself safe from the Shadyside killers. When Nick Goode is eventually revealed to be at the heart of the curse, Ziggy loses her last friend that she thought she could trust. After all that she’s been through, you’d think that the writers would cut her a break, but she ends up being the character that suffers the most throughout the series. All hope isn’t lost, though, because she ends up reconnecting with Nurse Lane after all is said and done.
While this only begins to scratch the surface of the amazing characters in the Fear Street trilogy, this list brings together some of the best and appreciates them for everything they have to offer to us viewers. If you haven’t already, watch Fear Street on Netflix and witness for yourself the amazing characters and their trials!