FEAR STREET: PART ONE – 1994
Netflix‘s the Fear Street horror trilogy, based on the R.L. Stine books, is off to an exciting start with 1994. Through the centuries, the town of Shadyside has been bedeviled by brutal mass murders that many blame on a witch’s curse. This would never happen in fancy schmancy Sunnyvale. In this part, a killer in a skull mask attacks at the local mall, and they’re just one of many who show up to spill blood. I’ll save those for you all to see for yourselves. Just know they’re hunting Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) after a car crash awakens an evil from below. Her ex, Deena (Kiana Madeira), isn’t going to let her die like the others. Deena’s brother Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr) and friends Simon (Fred Hechinger) and Kate (Julia Rehwald) get pulled into the terrifying fun with them. Together, they must try to understand what’s going on and how to put an end to it before it’s too late.
The talented young cast is charismatic, portraying characters we want to see make it through the gory truculence. The story is arresting, the music is awesome, and the killings are…well…killer! Co-writer/director Leigh Janiak’s confidence in what makes this sub-genre great is why 1994 looks and feels the way it does. The love for slashers is splattered all over this. The Scream energy alone will put a smile on your face. It’s no secret movies like this have been done before. However, when they work as well as 1994 does – who cares?
FEAR STREET: PART TWO – 1978
Co-writer/director Leigh Janiak takes us back to 1978 with a chilling summer camp slasher, adding to the mythos of this R.L. Stine inspired horror trilogy. C Berman (Gillian Jacobs) has been where Sam is from 1994 and lives to tell about surviving the Camp Nightwing Massacre. Unfortunately, we’re told that her sister wasn’t so lucky. Rewind to where it all went down, and the Berman sisters are living two separate lives. Cindy (Emily Rudd), the older sister, is a goody goody camp counselor who has chosen the Sunnyvale side of life with her precious boyfriend Tommy (McCabe Slye) so to erase her family troubles in Shadyside.
Though, her outcast sister Ziggy (Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink) carries that parental baggage with her, which explains her rebellious attitude. It also welcomes trouble from Sunnyvalers, accusing her of being a witch and putting a flame to her flesh – performing their own burning at the stake. But before too long, there’s an actual possessed person who becomes an axe-wielding psycho who should look familiar from 1994.
As an homage to 80s horror classics such as Friday the 13th, this solid second part is darker and bloodier than the first. Likewise, Janiak builds on what she effectively establishes in 1994, taking a deeper dive into Shadyside’s horrific history – even if it does get a little repetitive in doing so. A lot of the success of this second outing comes from the performances of Sink and Rudd as siblings who have drifted apart; but we’re rooting for them to find their way back to each other for the little bit of time they have left. Part of the fun with 1978 is discovering connections between characters we know and those we’re just getting introduced to, learning more and more of where this supernatural horror came from and the massacres its made happen. The origin of when this curse was born is up next. Bring on 1666!
FEAR STREET: PART THREE – 1666
If you’ve made it this far then it’s safe to say you know all about Sarah Feir – the reputed witch who has been the cause of all of this sickening bloodshed. In this final part of the Fear Street trilogy, co-writer/director Leigh Janiak takes audiences back to where it all started, finally revealing the origins of the three hundred year-old curse and what exactly happened to Sarah. It’s the answers we’ve been waiting for to bring this full circle!
Regrettably, 1666 is the weakest of the bunch. Combining the casts of 1994 and 1978 to play different yet the same sort of characters, this story isn’t nearly as intriguing and rather predictable. Yes, the “big” twist is discovered but it’s less than shocking when it happens. In addition to everything else, we only visit 1666 for half the time before returning back to 1994. After all of this build-up, you can’t help but feel shortchanged by that decision. 1666 could’ve and should’ve been more. When ‘94 returns, everything is explained in a minute or two and the remaining survivors are off to the races to save Shadyside.
As a whole, Fear Street is a well-shaped slasher that’s done a tremendous job in capturing everything that makes this blood-covered sub-genre a blast to watch. Even so, it could’ve been great if not for 1666 getting really close to wearing out its welcome, feeling tiresome in its finale. I guess all of the fun was used up on the two previous entries. It’s a disappointing end, though when putting the years together – too much was done right to not enjoy and appreciate such twisted, otherworldly carnage.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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