10 Great Performances In Recent Horror Movies
8. Kiana Madeira - Fear Street Trilogy
Netflix’s experimental horror trilogy - released back-to-back over three weeks - performed admirably both critically and commercially for the platform. Based on Goosebumps author R.L. Stine’s book series, the trilogy follows an unlucky group of teenagers attempting to break a Witch’s curse in the town of Shadyside over the course of 300 years; with plenty of brutal killings along the way.
The absolute standout of the show (and one of the ensemble to appear in all three instalments) was Kiana Madeira. Her central performance anchors all three flicks to a more cohesive overarching story. Madeira herself spoke about having to brush off the tropes of the ‘comic relief character’ from her previous efforts in Trinkets, to bring a more intense and focused character like Deena to life.
Deena as a character is someone willing to go to the ends of the earth for her loved ones and Madeira made this facet of her utterly believable. Praise has also been rightfully given to how Fear Street (and Madeira in particular) sensitively portray the queer love story at the heart of the plot.