Fear Street is horror series for teens. It takes place in Shadyside, a town cursed with bad luck. Tragic stuff happens here. Over 50 books in this series. It’s a classic, drawing in new horror fans all the time. You might even find yourself hiding under your blanket.

Meet the characters from Fear Street

Cindy Berman

Oh man Cindy is that jittery, hyper-alert friend who notices everything — like seriously, she’ll spot the weirdest little detail in a room and won’t shut up about it. She’s protective in a kind of frantic way, always trying to keep people safe but also somehow making things ten times more chaotic. She’s equal parts sweet and snappish, like she wants to give hugs and also throw a rock, and yes she definitely has that one questionable vintage sweater she insists is “lucky.” Little random fact: she collects stickers and has a theory about birds that she’ll tell you at 3 a.m., but also she’s terrified of pigeons — go figure.

Nick Goode

Nick is the slick, all-american face of the town — charming, confident, and honestly a little too polished, in that glossy-cereal-commercial way. He can be heroic when he wants to be, but there’s always this sliver of ambition that makes you wonder how far he’ll go to stay on top. He’s got that classic “I’ve got it together” energy, but sometimes he crumbles in the quiet moments and hums terrible 90s pop to himself (not proud of it, but it happens). He’s the kind of guy who helps you move furniture and then disappears for weeks, and somehow you still forgive him because he brought pizza.

Kate

Kate is low-key and sharp, the kind of person who watches more than she speaks — but when she does speak, it lands like a punchline or a knife, sometimes both. She’s practical, a little guarded, and fiercely loyal to the people she trusts (which is a very small list, honest). There’s this soft bravery about her — she doesn’t crave the spotlight but will absolutely step in when things get real — and she wears tiny, ridiculous barrettes like a secret rebellion. Also, she likes cheesy romance novels and pretends not to; she’s complicated, ok?

Simon

Simon struts in with a bully’s bravado and a smirk that thinks it’s winning — loud, stubborn, and convinced he’s always right. But he’s not just one note; underneath the bluster there’s real insecurity, like a kid putting on armor because life’s been rough. He swings between being obnoxiously confident and suddenly weirdly thoughtful, which is confusing but also makes him dangerous in an interesting way. He likes to break rules, but then will get squeamish about very specific tiny things — like, he will trash a car and then refuse to touch a sponge.

Samantha Fraser

Samantha is the fragile-seeming outsider who’s actually made of steel, and yes everyone underestimates her at first which is their downfall. She carries a lot of history — family stuff, town stuff, probably too many secrets — and you can always sense that she’s holding her breath and waiting for the next bad thing. There’s a softness to her humor, dry and unexpected, and she’s weirdly into DIY crafts even though she swears she’s not. She’ll surprise you by being both petty and profoundly brave in the same breath.

Martin

Martin reads like the guy who took a job to help people and then got way too attached to rules — dependable, methodical, and occasionally maddening in his insistence on following procedure. He’s the type who will make a spreadsheet for feelings and genuinely thinks calendars fix everything. But he’s not a robot; he has these tiny, almost embarrassing moments of tenderness — like humming to himself when no one’s watching — that betray a softer heart. Also, he has a suspiciously large pen collection and will absolutely lecture you about ink types if you let him.

Sarah Fier

Sarah Fier is the legendary, unsettling presence — more myth than person at this point, and that’s half the charm and half the nightmare. She’s fierce (pun maybe intended), vengeful, and woven into the town’s history like a dark thread nobody can ignore; also, there’s this tragic, almost sympathetic side if you squint. She has that witchy mystique but also apparently enjoys mundane things like knitting? Maybe not, but I like to imagine it. People tell stories about her in whispers and s’more-roasting settings, but she’s more complicated than a campfire tale — she’s the whole forest.

Deena

Deena is fire in human form — angry, quick-witted, skeptical, and also deeply, messily loyal to the people she loves. She has a very specific brand of sarcasm that doubles as armor, and she’ll punch the patriarchy and then cry in a closet about pizza, sometimes in the same hour. She’s the natural leader who didn’t ask for the crown but grabs it anyway, and she keeps surprising you with how stubbornly she refuses to back down. Quirk: she absolutely hoards scarves and swears each one has a backstory, some of which are definitely made up.

Josh

Josh is the soft, earnest guy who’s trying so hard to be brave and kind, and bless him, he mostly succeeds — or at least he tries with heart. He’s sweet to a fault, a little awkward, and the kind of person who brings you soup when you’re sick and makes you playlists with weird throwback songs. He can be naïve sometimes, but that innocence is part of what makes him likable — until he’s put through stuff that forces him to grow up overnight. Tiny detail: he really loves trivia about pizza toppings, for reasons unknown.

Ziggy Berman

Ziggy is chaotic, loud, and impossibly loyal — the scrappy, punk-energy friend who charges into danger with a dare and a grin. She’s fiercely protective of family (seriously, she carries grudges like badges) and has this punk-rock aesthetic that says “I don’t care” while actually caring very much. She’s equal parts vulnerable and furious, which makes her both magnetic and kind of unpredictable — you never know if she’ll start a fight or start a hug. Also yes she has an impressive collection of flannel shirts and an almost unhealthy relationship with licorice.