Do you think that just because it’s the season of merriment and holiday spirit that you can escape the horror of Fear Street?
Tagline
Sometimes friendship can be murder…
Synopsis
Stine does Single, White Female, Fear Street style.
Cover
Obviously, I picked this one for the festive cover, but it’s totally misleading. While the setting is Christmas, there are no butcher knives in presents to be found. Also, what’s with the mom hair, Bill? I guess it is intended to mirror this:
Let’s do it one better:
Still festive, but far more compelling and far better hair.
Summary
Becka Norwood is hanging out with her best friends, Lilah and Trish, and discussing Trish’s annual Christmas party. Suddenly a strange auburn-haired girl shows up and flings herself on Becka. This stranger gushes about how much she missed her “best friend” Becka. Becka has no idea who this chick is so her besties slyly pull the “I’m so-and-so, and you are?” We find out auburn-haired girl is Honey Perkins (no, seriously), and she is wearing:
“A bright orange sweater that clashed with her hair and a green miniskirt over black tights.”
This is clearly a sign that Honey is crazy because the Fear Street girls frequently wear clothing that clashes with their all-too-often red hair and our fashionista-author always insists how they can pull it off. Remember Jade and the catsuits? She was a redhead and even wore red catsuits.
Becka and Honey were supposedly best friends in the fourth grade, but then Honey moved away. Honey and her father recently moved back to Shadyside after Honey’s mother died of cancer. Bummer.
Becka does not remember Honey at all. She does, however, remember Deena Martinson as her best friend. Anyway, Honey gushes over how awesome Becka is and pretty much ignores Lilah and Trish. Once Honey leaves, the trio pulls out the old yearbooks, and there’s Honey. They remember Honey as an odd girl who randomly burst into tears. Aw, I feel bad for fourth grade Honey, but Honey totally swiped Becka’s “stylish” enamel parrot pin. Becka sees this as egregious, but I think Honey was doing her a favor because these are never “stylish”:
Becka comes home after school to find Honey raiding her closet. Honey claims Becka’s mom let her in. Becka asks her about the parrot pin, and Honey swears Becka gave it to her. Becka attempts to argue with her, but then Honey tries to choke her. Oh, but she’s just kidding! Apparently, as kids they played this as a game.
Honey finally leaves, and Becka finds out that her mom didn’t in fact let Honey in:
After school the following day, Becka and Lilah are planning on a long bike ride. Honey wants to come along, but Becka tells her she can’t because this is still the fourth grade apparently. As they are biking along, they approach an intersection, but Lilah can’t brake. Someone cut her breaks! Lilah manages to survive, but not without a shit-ton of physical therapy. Becka is understandably distraught, and Honey is there to comfort her — she even bestie-blocks Trish.
Later, Honey shows up at school with Becka’s super stylish mom hair:
Then Honey starts dating Becka’s ex, Eric. Becka is suspicious of Honey and raises her concerns to her friends, but Becka is known for being high strung so everyone treats her like another Fear Street heroine that no one wanted to believe. Becka’s locker gets trashed, and she confronts Honey in the school bathroom. Honey pulls a gun on Becka, but it’s just a water pistol. This was pre-Columbine so potentially less terrifying in 1992, though it certainly makes it more terrifying in 2014.
Important: Becka makes out with her new beau Bill, but is thinking about Honey. So many fascinating queer undertones in Fear Street. We also learn that Lisa Blume is dating someone other than Corey Brooks, not quite in line with my “fanfic,” but still.
It is finally the night of Trish’s annual Christmas party, and Honey shows up wearing the exact same outfit as Becka — a silver skirt over a black catsuit. Did people really wear catsuits this often in the 90s? I suppose the better to run away from Fear Street murderers, ghosts, and the like.
So Becka freaks out, and Honey pushes Trish down the stairs, but only Becka, of course, sees this. Trish lives, but with a broken neck.
Post-Christmas party trauma, Becka is sick. Honey calls to check on her and invites Becka over to her house. Despite being feverish, Becka heads over and spies Honey in the kitchen with Bill. Becka flips out and decides to kill Honey. She enters the house, grabs a knife in the kitchen, and goes after Honey, but being feverish, Becka loses consciousness. Bill tries to check on Becka, but Honey warns him away from her “best friend” with the knife. Honey swipes at him, and Bill “tumbles” onto the knife. (Ugh, why can’t she just have killed him? Why’s it have to be accidental. Fear Street seemed edgier when I was a kid – more gruesome, INTENTIONAL deaths.) Anyway, Becka recovers and sees dead and bleeding Bill:
“Becka saw the blood-soaked blade. Red and silver. Red and silver. It glistened like a shiny Christmas tree ornament.”
Honey convinces Becka that Becka did it, but Honey insists she will cover it up for Becka. Becka is relieved that her “best friend” is there for her.
Moral of the Story
1 dead body in Fear Street is not enough.
Body Count
1, see above.
Horror Tropes
The Single, White Female treatment, butcher knives, nobody believes the teenage girl
90s-isms
Sassy magazine, “stylish” enamel parrot pins, more catsuits, Guns n’ Roses Christmas album (no, seriously, go watch this.)
Trolls Earned
3 out of 5 trolls. It was definitely a page-turner, but mainly because I was wondering if it was going to be another Switched style twist ending. No such luck.
Apparently, there’s a Best Friend 2, but it’s a 1997 book, and the cover is one of the late 90s covers which means I probably didn’t read it. But have no fear, there will be more Christmas horror to come with Silent Night 1, 2, and 3!
