Horror movies can't be scary enough for die-hards. For you, however, the wrong horror movie can make you miserable. Fear not, scaredies! Slates Scaredy Scale can help. This system is scientifically based and almost completely spoiler-free. It rates new horror movies and compares them to classics on a 10-point scale. Because everyone is different, some viewers are afraid of jump scares. Others are scared by psychological terrors. Some viewers simply cannot stomach the idea of bloody pulses. We break down each movie's scares using three criteria: suspense and spookiness.AdvertisementThe Scaredy scale takes on Fear Street, the Netflix film trilogy that is based on R.L. Stine. The movies are released weekly so we will concentrate on the first movie, which was set in 1994. The next installments will be set in 1978, and the less ominous 1666. The movie is set in Shadyside and follows Deena, a teenage girl (Kiana Madeira), as she attempts to escape from a serial killer who wields a knife. He has a connection with an ancient evil that has haunted the area for centuries.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 1994 Fear Street movie's opening is reminiscent of Scream. It also shows that Fear Street movies are serious. Leigh Janiak, who co-wrote all three movies, isn't afraid to give you a nerve-jangling jump scare. However, as the stories get more supernatural, it is not about guessing where the skull-masked killer will jump from. You don't know what to expect the more freaky things get. This makes it even more stressful.AdvertisementFear Streets killers use the same tools they used in 1994: a long-bladed knife for cooking, and a double-bladed blade axe for the 1978 summer-camp massacre. They get results. Heads and thrombones are cut off, and slits are made. Body parts are left scattered around the place like toys for children. These are not classic slasher movies, where the main purpose is to feed their characters (figuratively or literally), but they have impressive body counts.AdvertisementSubscribe to the Slate Culture newsletter and receive the best movies, TV, books, music, etc. directly to your inbox. Signing you up was not possible due to an error Please try again. To use this form, please enable jаvascript. Email address: I would like to receive updates on Slate special offers. You agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms by signing up. Thank you for signing up! You can cancel your subscription at any time.AdvertisementFear Street is a mix of supernatural horror, dude-with an-axe slasher and winking metamovie. The level of spookyness depends on the mode you're in (and what movie). When a young woman's terror takes over screen space, it is hard to not feel a chill. While there are moments of genuine eerieness, the movies don't aim to evoke deep-seated fear.AdvertisementFear Street is in love with classic slasher flicks and the movies' trilogy oozes that love through every open pore. There's plenty of blood, plenty of shocks that will look out for you, and an enduringly haunting image. Plus, there's an understory about down-on their luck Shadysiders taking revenge on their wealthy Sunnydale neighbors. It's a horrible gas and could be the perfect on-ramp to tweens who grew up on R.L. Stine books to progress to full-fledged terror. This is too difficult for younger children, regardless of how much they love Goosebumps. But for those who were raised on themor, Stephen King gets a shout-out in Chapter 70. They are great, and bloody fun.
