1. The fictional town of Shadyside was basically the most dangerous place ever...and still, you wanted to go to there.
2. In fact, you would have totally lived in Shadyside and ON Fear Street, despite all the scary stuff that went on there — death, murder, ghosts, jealous lovers.
3. On Fear Street, someone always has to "pay." And not with money. WITH THEIR LIVES. MUAHAHA.
4. Obtaining copies of Fear Street meant going to the bookstore with your mom and begging her to buy them.
5. And she'd look them over and be all, "What IS this?"
6. Especially if the cover was one of those sexy ones or one with a rapey looking boy on it — you tried to keep these ones away from your parents.
7. She'd make a deal with you: You could get the Fear Street books so long as you read one "real" book for each as well.
8. And you were like, UGHHHHHHH OK FINE.
9. Out of the dozens of Fear Streets, there were common themes, and addicts usually had their favorites. Like the ones with ghosts.
10. Or maybe you were into the murder-y ones.
11. Either way, there was always a sexy passage or two.
12. And you'd be all...let's bookmark this for later.
13. Then there were special editions. Super Chillers were the best!
14. And remember the Fear Street Saga trilogy? This one was rad because it went way back in time to explain Shadyside's history.
The Saga summary:
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.
15. Some were downright weird...but you read those, too.
16. Either way, a Fear Street book was best read under the covers at night. After your mom had told you to turn out the lights twice already. (Muahaha, they'll never know you defied parental orders!)
17. At this point, if someone asked you if you were afraid of the dark, you'd be like, "Fuck yeah I'm afraid of the dark. And it's awesome."
18. The death of the first character would be the point when things started getting intense. But there was no turning back now. You knew things were about to get way more scary.
19. Oh shit. Stacey just walked into a party at someone's house. The killer is so going to be there.
20. OH GOD and now the cheerleader just got shoved into a grave. HOLY FUCK this is the scariest thing you've ever imagined. You're gonna have nightmares for weeks now.
21. But by the end, you're just so relieved! Because at the last minute Sandy walked in and it was all a set up! Bad guys be gone! The important people live! You are now at peace and so calm...
22. Until you feel the draw, the pull...you can only resist for so long! Time to start another Fear Street ASAP, you think. And it all starts over again.
