Friday nights, at least in my home, are film nights. Usually horror although occasionally things get switched up. For the past three weeks, Friday has meant a trip to Fear Street as I watched the new releases on Netflix. These films are based on the work of RL Stine (the goosebumps guy) and each week brought a new instalment of horrors in the same town, connected by an overarching story with reoccurring actors in multiple roles. It kind of reminded me of American Horror Story in a way.
Firstly, hats off to Netflix. First they change how people watch TV by popularising binge watching and then they turn movie viewing into a weekly TV format. Secondly, these are good movies. Not without flaws but they’re good. Casual horror fans will enjoy them and more intense horror fans should appreciate the various shout outs to other works in the genre.
The overall story is of a town called Shadyside which has a bit of a problem with spree killers. The local legend blames this one a dead witch, Sarah Fier, who is thought to possess the citizens of the town and drive them to commit these atrocities throughout the town history. Each film focuses on a different point in time, the first in 1994, the second in ‘78 and the last in 1666 (mostly).
The three parts vary greatly, each with their own strengths and weaknesses and each inspired by horror staples set or released in similar time periods.
2021 Chernin Entertainment
The first visit to Shadyside comes in the form of the slightly meta Fear Street: 1994. The Scream similarities are clear, particularly as it opens with the death of a recognisable actor ala Casey Becker. We also have the genre savvy character who provides helpful exposition about the town’s murderous history.
The ensemble cast is one of the film’s key strengths. The central group of teens are all interesting and pretty unique characters that are easy to like. Except Deena, the main character who seems to have been written to subvert every final girl trope out there. Still, it was interesting to see something different being done with the standard female horror lead.
Speaking of trying new things, the film also features two prominent LGBTQ characters who are A) not stereotypes or defined entirely by their sexuality and B) not there solely to be torn apart. This is rare for the horror genre, where LGBT characters are either token additions or villains. It’s a step in the right direction.
As well as main character Deena, her love interest Sam and her brother the true crime nut Josh, we also get side characters Kate and Simon who are great additions that are really enjoyable to watch. Even characters that don’t get any lines, like killer Ruby Lane, or are around only for the briefest of times are full of personality and get portrayed in interesting ways.
2021 Chernin Entertainment
Another strong feature of this entry is the gore. Even the desensitized viewer may find themselves recoiling at certain kills. Two words: Bread Slicer.
The plot is a little messy in places. Particularly the scene where all the characters pair off to make out (or in Simon’s case get some ‘hands on’ attention by himself) despite knowing there are multiple very effective killers after them. I know the horror genre has a bit of a reputation for including gratuitous sex and nudity but usually that comes before the character knows there is a killer in the vicinity. Moments like this are especially annoying when the characters are largely shown as relatively competent until then. There are also scenes like the group deciding to trap and blow up the killers following them which ultimately don’t actually do anything and also raise the question why the previously very persistent killers are taking so long to show up this time.
2021 Chernin Entertainment
Part two, Fear Street: 1978, uses the 1994 characters as a framing device as they’re told about the events of a previous mass murder by a survivor in the hope of learning more about the witch curse. Both part one and part two function quite well as their own entity, even with this continuation of the narrative linking the two.
’78 is very obviously inspired by Friday the 13th films, down to the main killer wearing a sack like Jason originally did before he got his more iconic hockey mask. The setting of Camp Nightwing kept the action reasonably focused rather than having to have multiple scenes of characters moving from different locations like the previous entry. It also explores the rivalry between Shadyside and the next town over Sunnyvale. It comes up briefly in ’94 but only as much as is necessary to kick start the central plot. Here we get to see the dynamic between the two in a lot more detail.
The characters are a bit of a downgrade being a bit less fleshed out. Main character Ziggy is probably the highlight but her role is a little overshadowed by her sister Cindy as the film tries to misdirect the viewer. The ‘twist’ doesn’t really add anything and prevents the focus being solely on the more interesting character. Even the killers are a little flatter. Ruby Lane returns and the Nightwing killer also appeared in the ’94 film so getting a little more info on them is a good addition, but there’s also a little boy in a mask and a man with a burned face. They’re referenced very briefly in the first film but they don’t get anything beyond that.
2021 Chernin Entertainment
The plot of ’78 is stronger as while it has some of the same beats as the first one (bleeding on witch bones, being hunted by resurrected killers) it spends more time looking into elements of the witch curse and building on the mythos of Sarah Fier. There’s also a lot more character driven moments as Cindy and her friend Alice are isolated from the main slaughter, leading to quite a few talking focused scenes which give the viewer time to catch their breath between kills. It has a few small moments that seem a little bit pointless, such as a the survivor character being shown as having hundreds of clocks set to go off at different times. It’s an interesting quirk but there doesn’t seem to be any reason for it.
Like part one, the strengths largely overshadow the weaknesses and give the viewer something to latch onto, whether that’s the murders as they root for shallow characters to die or the developing lore.
Part three, Fear Street: 1666, is an interesting addition. While it’s named after the origin of the Sarah Fier curse, it actually is more like two films stuck together as the viewer witnesses the beginning (1666) and the end (1994 part 2).
1666 was probably the best part of all three films. It created an atmospheric period horror like the VVitch, with similarities to one of the more famous puritanical witch stories The Crucible. It also got to subvert expectations that had been built up over the past two films as it painted a tortured love story against the horror background. It has some dark moments but also some very emotional ones.
2021 Chernin Entertainment
All the main actors from the previous instalments return playing new characters. This choice seems a bit strange as, with the exception of Kiana Madeira who is used to show Deena viewing the events of the past through Sarah Fier’s eyes, this apparent reincarnation doesn’t really do anything. It’s nice getting to see some of the actors again, especially ones like McCabe Slye who gets a lot more to do in this part, but it seems similar to the inclusion of the clocks in part two. Style but no actual substance. It also potentially spoils a twist for the audience (depending on how good they are at predicting these things) as it has the original 1666 villain played by the same actor as the overarching villain of the 1994 plotline. It’s an… odd and slightly distracting choice. And that’s not getting into the fact that the diversity of the cast seems at odds with the puritanical historical setting.
This part is the most plot driven with minimal gore but it doesn’t feel lacking in any way. It gives the viewer the chance to really get to know Sarah and focuses on the atmosphere of dread that builds. It creates a similar tension to Carrie in a strange way, when you know something bad is going to happen, but you find yourself hoping that maybe something will stop it.
The first hour of Fear Street: 1666 would work so well just as it’s own film, ending with the haunting images of Sarah’s death and her lover Hannah grieving beneath the hanging tree.
Unfortunately, part three is two hours long so the focus returns to 1994 to wrap up the story. This final part, 1994 Part 2 as a mid-film title card informs us, is probably the weakest overall. It repeats the exact same beats from part one and two as the protagonist bleeds on the witches bones and the resurrected killers come calling. Once again, traps are set and once again it’s very confusing as to why it takes the killers so long to show up that their victims can enact their plans. Perhaps the goal was to make a nice thematic image, showing the hero of part one with the hero of part two coming together… along with two other characters. One of whom was only shown in one scene of no consequence. His addition is perplexing.
As well as the reoccurring threat, they also have to deal with the overarching antagonist who… is kind of a wimp. If the devil is behind all the curses on the town, he apparently needs to rethink his recruiting policies.
The larger scale antagonist also presents a plot hole when it comes to the end of the film. The Shadyside curse is shown to be the work of one Sunnyvale family through the generations renewing their Faustian bargain. By killing the antagonist, the curse is broken… except said antagonist has a brother who is shown previously making the bargain. Wouldn’t it make more sense to need the entire family line destroyed? What’s stopping the brother from reinstating the curse? It feels a little forced and rushed, especially given how easily he’s subdued.
This final part isn’t completely without merit, there’s some good visuals. The Shadyside mall which was built around the hanging tree of 1666 looks pretty cool in UV light. But there's not much more beyond that.
Overall, these films were a decent watch. Each part will appeal to different types of horror fans depending on what they prefer. Fear Street was a good story made up of a lot of interesting parts. While it may not have nailed the landing, it was a fun ride.