Ghosts of Fear Street is a 1998 film directed by Ken Kwapis, starring Christopher Rich, Talia Balsam, and Alexandra Breckenridge. The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by R. L. Stine.
Contents
Plot
A horror writer visits his eccentric father-in-law, who lives on Fear Street, where weird things happen, with his family in his former neighborhood.
Cast
Christopher Rich as PJ Murphy
Talia Balsam as Anne Murphy
Vincent Berry as Joe Murphy
Alexandra Breckenridge as Kit Murphy
Azura Skye as Cricket
Cameron Finley as Mickey
Red Buttons as Grandpa
Alan Wilder as Safety Czar
Rick Overton as Fred the Bugman
Phillip Van Dyke as Young PJ
Stephen Allen Friedman as Young Fred
Production
In 1997, Viacom Productions signed a development deal with Parachute Entertainment to produce a primetime TV series based on the Fear Street and Ghosts of Fear Street series of books for either the 1997-98 or 1998–99 television season to debut during mid-season. The pilot was first announced by ABC in 1997 and was pitched as a "frightcom" aimed at teenage audiences. It was directed by Ken Kwapis and written by Karl Schaefer.
Karl Schaefer was appointed as creator and executive producer on the series which would focus on a family living on Fear Street who encounter quirky things in their neighborhood. The series was slated to be a mixture of adapting the books as well as original material with the idea that scripts from the series could be published as books while the books would help fuel interest in the series. Soon after Disney-owned ABC bought a Fear Street pilot. In November of that year, Red Buttons joined the cast as Grandpa and the pilot was slated to start production on November 10 under the direction of Ken Kwapis. The pilot episode for the unproduced Fear Street television series, titled Ghosts of Fear Street, aired on ABC on July 31, 1998.
Release
The pilot aired on July 31, 1998, on ABC, but the network did not produce any further episodes and the series was canceled. The pilot's airing held 89% of its men 18–34 lead-in but just 55% of its women 18–34 lead-in. The result was ABC's worst rating on record in that slot and a third-place finish for the night in homes and adults 18–49.