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The Fear Street trilogy on Netflix, which debuted in July 2021, was a welcome surprise to fans of the Fear Street books by R.L. Stine. It packed a nostalgic punch for those missing the glory days of Stine while still providing fans with something new to chew on. 

Now that director Leigh Janiak expressed interest in creating a Fear Street universe, fans have begun to speculate about the plot for a fourth installment. Here’s an idea of how some fans think the story could go.

Maya Hawke screaming in a production still from 'Fear Street: 1994.'
Maya Hawke as Heather in ‘Fear Street: 1994.’ | Netflix

A quick ‘Fear Street’ trilogy recap

The movies Fear Street: 1994, Fear Street: 1978, and Fear Street: 1666 were released in that order, which seemed odd. Why would the storyline go backward? Fans quickly learned the story spanned over hundreds of years and was tied up nicely in the last third of Fear Street: 1666.

We meet Deena (Kiana Madeira) in Fear Street: 1994, and she is determined to save her girlfriend Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) from the curse placed on Shadyside by Sarah Fier (Elizabeth Scopel.) A witch from the 1600s supposedly cursed Shadyside, the town in the movies. Because of this, Shadyside never prospered while the neighboring city of Sunnyvale did. 

In Fear Street: 1978, we meet Cindy and Ziggy Berman (Emily Rudd and Sadie Sink), who witnessed the Camp Nightwing massacre. Finally, in Fear Street: 1666, we learn the backstory of the Shadyside curse and see the ending to Deena and Sam’s story. The movie does end on a cliffhanger, though, as audiences see someone take the Witch’s Book but aren’t told who.

All three movies do a great job complementing one another. Now that audiences have heard about Janiak’s hopes, fans have started theorizing what could happen in a potential fourth movie.

Who took the Witch’s Book?

We meet several different characters throughout the trilogy. One of those characters is Ruby Lane (Jordyn DiNatale,) a teenage girl in the 1960s who fell victim to the curse and went on a killing spree. Her mother, Mrs. Lane (Jordana Spiro), is in the first two movies. The actor who plays Ruby’s mother also portrays a widow in the third movie, and she supposedly dabbled in witchcraft. This hints that the Lanes are possible descendants of the widow, which could create an antagonist for future films.

One Redditor had this to say, “Ruby Lane’s mother is the one that took the book. She still hasn’t gotten over her daughter’s death and uses the book to bring Ruby back to life. She forms a cult with other parents who had lost their kids to Shadyside massacres and many of the victims come back to life, a la Pet Sematary. Deena and the crew have to stop her.”

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Kiana Madeira’s theory for a future movie

Madeira, on the other hand, is leaning a different way. She said, in an interview with Collider, “I only started thinking about this after everyone was talking about it. Actually, when we finished filming, I was like, ‘I don’t know!’ I didn’t think about it. But, I’ve seen some people’s theories and I think the one that I’m on board with the most that I think would make most sense is maybe Ziggy. Maybe Gillian’s character. Maybe she still feels unfulfilled because her sister died and she never really got her revenge for it. I don’t know! I saw someone pose that theory and I was like, maybe.”

With Janiak’s ideas for other stories within the Fear Street universe, it’s safe to say fans will keep guessing at future storylines until the real one comes along. The entire Fear Street trilogy is streaming on Netflix.

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