If there’s one thing that Netflix is great at, it’s building its own IP while, at the same time, adapting fan-favorite novels and video games for the small screen. From The Sandman to The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Shadow and Bone, and The Midnight Club, the streamer’s collection of outside IP is unmatched. While they’ve added tons of horror content to their slate, one title that audiences have been wondering about is a possible fourth film in the Fear Street franchise. And, beyond adaptations, what can subscribers expect to see coming from the streamer in the future? Well, in an interview with Scott Stuber, Head of Netflix Film, at the grand reopening of the American Cinematheque at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood, Collider’s Steve Weintraub gathered intel on both of these burning questions.
Boasting over 50 books in the collection, R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series offers a lot of options for on-screen adaptations, something that Stuber is fully aware of. “Obviously, there’s a lot of books,” he says, “There’s one stand-alone that we’re working on right now that we’re once again trying to get the script right, but I like it very much, and so does the team. So I feel like if we can get that script right there would be a great kind of extension of that franchise.” Although, with this bit of information it’s impossible to narrow down which story is in Stuber’s sights, it sounds like the plan is to branch out from the original trilogy and let other characters take center stage.
Beyond a fresh Fear Street film, Stuber is jonesing to break more into the horror genre. Recognizing that there’s a dedicated following behind favorite characters like Michael Myers, Freddy, Jason, and Chucky, he says, “I think there are two complexities to it; one, it’s an event right now in theaters, right? It’s a communal event that really is working theatrically, and so for us to be able to get the right stories, I think it’s imperative, and to be a little more aggressive in that space.”
Seeing plenty of space for Netflix’s growth in the genre, Stuber adds, “If you look at its history, which I love horror, I’d like us to find our own Freddy Krueger, our own Jason, our own kind of iconic horror character, and we haven’t really honed in on that yet. So the team is working hard on that because I think there’s a real opportunity there. You know, you’ve got so many great characters.” As this year alone saw the arrival of the Five Nights at Freddy’s adaptation and a new installment in The Exorcist franchise, Stuber says that he’s taken notice. “Every Halloween, basically, I look and go, ‘Okay, there’s 20 great characters to pick from. We should be making those movies.’”
What Horror Content Is On Netflix Now?
Along with the Fear Street trilogy and the other titles mentioned at the top, Netflix has plenty of terrific and horrific tales to satiate your horror craving. One of the most popular titles to have come out recently is Mike Flanagan’s final collaboration with the studio, the mini-series, The Fall of the House of Usher. The director has also contributed a slew of other bingeable titles including The Haunting of Hill House and Midnight Mass. There’s also the 2022 sequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the spine-chilling adaptation of Stephen King and Joe Hill’s novella, In the Tall Grass.
via Collider