Fear Street
Encyclopedia
Fear Street is a teenage horror fiction series written by American author R. L. Stine
, starting in 1989. In 1995, a series of books inspired by the Fear Street series, called Ghosts of Fear Street
, was created for younger readers, and were more like the Goosebumps books in that they featured paranormal adversaries (ghosts, vampires, monsters, aliens, etc) and sometimes had twist endings.
R. L. Stine stopped writing Fear Street after penning the Fear Street Seniors spin-off
in 1999. In summer
2005, he brought Fear Street back with the three-part Fear Street Nights miniseries.
As of 2010, over 80 million copies of Fear Street have been sold.
preteens, and encounter malignant, sometimes paranormal, adversaries. While some of the Fear Street novels have paranormal elements, such as ghosts, others are simply murder mysteries. Although the Goosebumps books have a few deaths, the deaths presented in Fear Street, particularly the sagas, are far more gruesome, with more blood and gore.
The title of the series comes from the name of a fictional street in Shadyside, which was named after the Fear family. Their name was originally spelled as Fier, however after being told that the family was cursed and that the letters could be rearranged to spell "fire", Simon Fier changed it to Fear in the 19th century. The curse survived, however, and Simon and his wife Angelica brought it with them when they moved to Shadyside sometime after the Civil War
. It all started in Puritan
times when Benjamin and Matthew Fier had an innocent girl and her mother, Susannah and Martha Goode, burned at the stake for allegedly practicing witchcraft
. The father and husband, William Goode, put the curse on the Fiers to avenge their deaths, bringing misery and death to the previously mentioned family. Although a fire allegedly burned the last of the Fears (preventing a Fear and Goode from marrying), the series features some surviving Fears suggesting one of the brothers survived. These events are described in the Fear Street Sagas, a spinoff of the main series.
Similar to the Goosebumps series, the characters change in each book, although some characters, such as Suki Thomas, appear in one book and are mentioned in, but unrelated to the plot of, many other books. Locations that were central in one story would have a cameo appearance later on.
and Ghosts of Fear Street
. More than 80 million Fear Street books have been sold since 2003. The books appeared in many bestseller
lists, including the USA Today
and Publishers Weekly
bestseller list, and the series was listed as the bestselling young-adult book series of all time.
R. L. Stine
Robert Lawrence Stine , known as R. L. Stine, and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American writer. Stine, who is called the "Stephen King of children's literature," is the author of hundreds of horror fiction novels, including the books in the Fear Street, Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, and The...
, starting in 1989. In 1995, a series of books inspired by the Fear Street series, called Ghosts of Fear Street
Ghosts of Fear Street
Ghosts of Fear Street is a younger version of the Fear Street series by R. L. Stine, aimed at children ages 8 to 12. In every book, a 12 year old child has a terrifying adventure in Fear Street, a small street in the town of Shadyside which is known by the kids in the books to have lots of ghosts...
, was created for younger readers, and were more like the Goosebumps books in that they featured paranormal adversaries (ghosts, vampires, monsters, aliens, etc) and sometimes had twist endings.
R. L. Stine stopped writing Fear Street after penning the Fear Street Seniors spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
in 1999. In summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
2005, he brought Fear Street back with the three-part Fear Street Nights miniseries.
As of 2010, over 80 million copies of Fear Street have been sold.
Conventions
The Fear Street books take place in Shadyside, a fictional city located somewhere on the East Coast, and feature average teenagers, who are elder to the GoosebumpsGoosebumps
Goosebumps is a series of children's horror fiction novels written by American author R. L. Stine and first published by Scholastic Publishing. It is a collection of stories that feature semi-homogenous plot structures, with fictional children being involved in scary situations...
preteens, and encounter malignant, sometimes paranormal, adversaries. While some of the Fear Street novels have paranormal elements, such as ghosts, others are simply murder mysteries. Although the Goosebumps books have a few deaths, the deaths presented in Fear Street, particularly the sagas, are far more gruesome, with more blood and gore.
The title of the series comes from the name of a fictional street in Shadyside, which was named after the Fear family. Their name was originally spelled as Fier, however after being told that the family was cursed and that the letters could be rearranged to spell "fire", Simon Fier changed it to Fear in the 19th century. The curse survived, however, and Simon and his wife Angelica brought it with them when they moved to Shadyside sometime after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It all started in Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
times when Benjamin and Matthew Fier had an innocent girl and her mother, Susannah and Martha Goode, burned at the stake for allegedly practicing witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
. The father and husband, William Goode, put the curse on the Fiers to avenge their deaths, bringing misery and death to the previously mentioned family. Although a fire allegedly burned the last of the Fears (preventing a Fear and Goode from marrying), the series features some surviving Fears suggesting one of the brothers survived. These events are described in the Fear Street Sagas, a spinoff of the main series.
Similar to the Goosebumps series, the characters change in each book, although some characters, such as Suki Thomas, appear in one book and are mentioned in, but unrelated to the plot of, many other books. Locations that were central in one story would have a cameo appearance later on.
Books
The first Fear Street book, The New Girl was published in 1989. Various spin-off series were written, including the Fear Street SagasFear Street Sagas
Fear Street Sagas is a series of teen horror books by R. L. Stine. Fear Street Sagas is the spinoff of the series The Fear Street Saga and is part of the Fear Street series. Almost all of the books in this series were ghostwritten, despite being published under R. L. Stine's name.-Books:There were...
and Ghosts of Fear Street
Ghosts of Fear Street
Ghosts of Fear Street is a younger version of the Fear Street series by R. L. Stine, aimed at children ages 8 to 12. In every book, a 12 year old child has a terrifying adventure in Fear Street, a small street in the town of Shadyside which is known by the kids in the books to have lots of ghosts...
. More than 80 million Fear Street books have been sold since 2003. The books appeared in many bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
lists, including the USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
and Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
bestseller list, and the series was listed as the bestselling young-adult book series of all time.