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Fear Street Films -- a review

I guess this means no mall for us.

 Not having read the R.L. Stine novels (I wasn’t the target audience), I wasn’t sure what to expect from this three part horror movie series based on Stine’s Fear Street series on Netflix. I decided to give the first film a shot, and if I didn’t like it then I wouldn’t bother with the rest. Well, I wound up enjoying these so much I watched the entire three part series. 

All three Fear Street films are ably directed by Leigh Janiak, who also co-wrote the screenplays. The first film, Fear Street: Part One: 1994, warms my heart from the very opening scene, where we see a woman buying a book from a B. Daltons--a long-gone book store that I fondly remember buying the better part of my book collection from as a kid and a teenager. Unfortunately the clerk at this bookstore winds up being savagely murdered by a psycho in a Halloween mask.

You sure he's coming from THAT way?!

And while it starts out as an unflinching (all three movies are rated-R and contain mucho gore, sex and cursing) teen slasher film that may seem familiar, Fear Street ‘94 quickly puts an interesting spin on events by making all of these supernatural events stem from a witch that lived in the area three hundred years ago. The first Fear Street movie is a fast-paced, maniacally suspenseful thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, leading right into....

It's OK, I'm getting used to these strange things.

Fear Street Part Two: 1978. Going back in time to a summer camp that’s besieged by a mad killer, the second entry in this series manages to have some fun with the Friday the Thirteenth tropes (although making fun of the F13 films is like shooting fish in a barrel, really) while still being a furiously enthralling horror film. The pacing is still just as intense, and Stranger Things' Sadie Sink is a standout in this film as Ziggy Berman. This second flick easily manages to hold up the middle just in time for....     


    Fear Street Part Three: 1666. Going back to the season of the witch, we get the lowdown on what really happened way back then. The first half takes place in the 1600s, and since it’s the beginning of all the supernatural fuss, it’s a more serious and solemn tale--reflecting the horrors of the real-life witch hunts of that age, when anyone thought to be strange in any way was summarily killed by the "pure" community (the deceased also had their land stolen, as well). The third film is still gripping right into its second half, which continues the battle in the wild and woolly 90s.

We're here in our cosplay and they cancel the contest?!

    All three Fear Street films are superb, but when watched together, they compliment each other very nicely while creating their own universe of horror. They also mange to impart messages about fear of the unknown, class disparity, and other important stuff without needlessly bashing the viewer over the head (the kids in these movies get enough of literal head-bashing, thanks). These fine flicks are the result when you have truly talented writers supplying the words: a trilogy of horror films that belie their bubble gum origins by uplifting themselves to the next level of greatness. These are truly great horror movies which are all now available to view on Netflix.    --SF


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