Happy Halloween month! We’re pushing on those spooky traditions with another awesome listicle. But this time, I’m going to prove nostalgia isn’t dead (or that I’m just getting older with no idea about how to talk about something new) by counting down my Top 10 BEST Fear Street books by R.L. Stine. Now remember, Fear Street was the big-kid Goosebumps, only they were murderous and skanky and everyone fought and pulled each other’s hair.
It was amazing.
So reader, if you please, you’re in for some sleaze.
I’ll show myself out, thanks.
10) Fear Street Cheerleaders: The First Evil
A team of cheerleaders, led by twins Bobbi and Corky Corcoran where crazy, violent things happen to the squad one by one. But the craziest scene that stood out to me was Bobbi’s death scene. Remember, these are high schoolers. Bobbi goes into the shower after practice and the shower heads go crazy (familiar trope, it happened in Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and more famously, the Tim Curry version of It. But in this book, the water turns scalding hot and boils Bobbi alive. Naturally, her sister finds her dead in the shower room. It’s just a gnarly scene that gets this book in at number ten.
9) Silent Night
Man, Reva Dalby is such a bitch. Reva is a repeat Fear Street character whose parents own a very successful department store called Dalby’s. So in the Paris Hilton tradition, she’s a mean, nasty girl. Someone is going to teach her a lesson this Christmas. But when so many people hate her, how will she ever figure out who is trying to kill her!?
I love it.
8) The Rich Girl
This story is almost sad. A poor girl has a rich girl as a best friend. Together, they find a duffel bag full of cash. They want to keep it, but the rich girl thinks she starts slowly going crazy. The ending twist in not only was the rich girl’s boyfriend cheating on her with the poor best friend the whole time, but they were in cahoots to drive the rich girl crazy. Rich girl is sent to a mental hospital, and the “victorious” new couple goes shopping. Too bad that duffel bag full of cash was all counterfeit bills…
7) Goodnight Kiss
Oh what luck- a summer vacation filled with sexy vampires. Gabri the vampire is so moody and gothic and Jessica is a basically…well…literally a vampiric Jessica Rabbit. It’s trashy and everyone is making out, swapping partners, and just freakin’ incredible.
6) The Stepsister
Mom marries a man and families combine. Maggie now has a new stepbrother who only reads Stephen King, and a stepsister who is blonde and perfect– who she thinks is a killer! The surprise twist ending? It’s Maggie’s own sister Nancy who is causing all the mayhem!
Side note: R.L. Stine really seems to have it out for chubby redheads. They make appearances in many of his books and it’s never a good thing.
5) The Secret Bedroom
Leah moves into a new home and there’s a boarded up tiny door in the attic. She removes the boards and spends her time up in the room with a ghost who wants to escape the room. Scares and boos ensue right up until the twist ending where we learn Leah was crazy the entire time and never even removed the boards from the door. Which means surprise- there really wasn’t ever a ghost either.
4) The Wrong Number
Okay, let’s start with this cover. Check out them gams on that underage girl! But really– The Wrong Number might have been my first Fear Street and to this day I just love it. Dina Martinson and her best friend Jade (the one with the legs) decide to have some fun with prank phone calls. Dina’s stepbrother…or half brother….whatever Chuck (who is home from boarding school or Juvie, I don’t remember) shows the girls how real calls are made. Well, the trio of teens dial a home where the husband is in the process of murdering his wife. Thus, they go over to the house to see what’s going on. Bros– seriously. Call the police. You won’t get in trouble for prank calling. The book ends in this weird climax where they’re hiding in the murder’s house and he’s getting ready to throw them out of windows or whatever. It’s all very bizarre (albeit exciting) action!
3) The Dare
A poor, lonely girl named Johanna who lives on Fear Street (remember, that’s where all the bad times take place) wants to be in with the rich kids of North Hills. She gets a crush on Dennis, who is the star of the track team. One day when their crabby old teacher, Mr. Northwood, says he won’t let Dennis take a makeup test so his family can go to the Bahamas, Johanna (in an effort to comfort and impress Dennis) says they should kill their teacher. It’s a downward spiral from there of planning to murder him, with Dennis pretending he has feelings for Johanna. The drama is unparalleled in this tale of teenage murder and double crossing!
2) Sunburn
Sunburn is a Fear Street book I just read on repeat. It had EVERYTHING you could need. Four girls, Claudia, Marla, Sophie, and Joy were bunkmates at summer camp last year. Now, Marla has invited the girls to her family’s beach estate for a reunion. The story is told from Claudia’s POV, and through the story, it’s revealed that Marla had a younger sister named Alison who all the girls loathed. Alison, in an attempt to fit in with the older girls, fell off a log over a river at summer camp and was carried away. She was convinced no one loved her and they all wanted her dead. So she comes back, murders her sister, and vows revenge on the camp girls one by one. Side note: The book starts with Claudia waking up on the beach, buried up to her neck in sand. She doesn’t remember how she got there and her face is BURNED CRIMSON with a blistering sunburn. SH*T THE F*CK guys!?!
1) Broken Hearts
Broken Hearts– this one is my absolute favorite. To the point that I memorized it cover to cover and used to act it out in its entirety with my Barbie dolls. This book has EVERYTHING. Drama. More drama. Sleaze. More drama. Beautiful girls. Dangerous boys. And another sibling who wants her sisters dead.
All right– our prologue shows model-caliber twins Josie and Rachael going horseback riding. They’re joined by their dumpy younger sister Erica, and their beautiful friend Melissa. Rachael doesn’t wear a helmet because she doesn’t want to mess up her long, perfect, fiery red hair. Welp, she gets thrown off her horse and permanently brain damaged. Commence more drama.
Josie won’t help take care of Rachael because she’s afraid. Erica is a slave to her family. Josie is mean and manipulates boys. Rachael’s boyfriend tries to be sweet and loyal. Josie thinks Melissa’s boyfriend Dave is a killer. Erica has a crush on Josie’s boyfriend, Steve. Erica murders Josie. Melissa hooks up with Rachael’s boyfriend, Clay. It’s a mess. It’s a wreck. It’s a WHIRLWIND.
It’s perfect writing.
Did I miss your favorite Fear Street book? Which delightful adventure was your favorite? Tell Nerdbot in the comments!
