While some bash Netflix for a mediocre selection of horror entertainment, the streaming service juggernaut has provided the horror nation with many great original productions. From original films such as “The Babysitter” to great horror series like “Hemlock Grove,” it is hard to condemn the brass at Netflix for not attempting to feed hungry horror hounds. This summer, Netflix takes another crack at the creepy with a three-part film series adaption from world renowned author R.L. Stine’s Fear Street books. The films take place over three decades of terror as the audience is treated to a six-hour horror show depicting the legends that have haunted the town of Shadyside. Is Fear Street another fear feather in Netflix’s cap, or another diabolic disappointment?
FEAR STREET 1994
The town of Shadyside has been dubbed the murder capital of the nation, as cult style killers have plagued the dark suburban town for decades. When a fresh young Shadysider falls victim to another horror film style murder, brother and sister combo Deena and Josh, along with the help of friends Kate and Simon, start to piece together the unusual string of slaughters. Sam, Deena’s ex, is especially linked to the murder but is trying to escape the curse of her former hometown as she has moved to the more illustrious side of town, aptly named Sunnyvale. As the body count piles up, the teens dash around town desperately avoiding a growing number of serial slashing stalkers while trying to unravel the mystery behind the murders.
1994 is a very good start to the terror trilogy. Top marks for setting the film in the underrated decade of the 1990’s, which is consistently overshadowed by the golden horror years of the 1980’s. The soundtrack alone will have anyone that came of age during that decade taking a time warp back to the days of dial up internet and plaid clothing. Director Leigh Janiak nearly perfectly personifies 90’s horror with bubble gum style slashing but adds plenty of fresh kills to keep gore hounds howling. Janiak and co-writer Phil Graziadei deliver good dialogue and depth too all the leads. Supporting actors Julia Rehwald and Fred Hechinger steal the small screen with comedic takes that are sharper than their adversary’s weapons. 1994 is a fun 90’s throwback with a good story and several great kill set pieces, but the film is not without flaws. The two-hour run time drags too many times not to be noticed. Trimming a half hour off of the final product would have proved to deliver a more concise film. Viewers of 1994 will likely be returning to a screen asking, “Are you still watching” as the entire film is best viewed in two parts. Janiak does a good job mixing in bubble gum 90’s horror with some great hard R elements, but this makes the film look choppy, it is a production that is trapped in two minds. One wants to deliver a horror film that can be enjoyed by all ages, the other is desperate to be a hard-core classic. The end result is a film that may be too strong for some and too weak for others. In the end, 1994 is a very good start to the Fear Street trilogy and whispers of a trip to camp for the next installment will have every Crystal Lake Friday fan crazy with excitement for, “Fear Street 1978.”
Scream Score: 8.1/10
FEAR STREET 1978
At the end of 1994, we are introduced to Ziggy. Ziggy has ties to the curse that has cast a dark shadow over Shadyside. She recalls her terror tale that started at camp Nightwing in the summer of 1978. While at camp, the reclusive Ziggy is bullied by campers from Sunnyvale all the while having to deal with her perfect sister Cindy, who is trying to break free from the mystical degenerate chains of Shadyside. When Cindy’s boyfriend Tommy is attacked by a nurse with ties to one of the famous Shadyside killers, everyone starts to believe that the curse of Sarah Fier has returned to haunt the camp residents. Fier is a notorious local witch legend who apparently chopped off her own hand to gain immortality and curse the land. Cindy, Tommy, and a few of their friends go looking for ancient answers while the rest of the camp engages in an epic night game of capture the flag. Tommy falls to the curse and is reborn as the newest entry into the dark lore of super slashers. As he stalks the camp in glorious gory fashion, Ziggy and Cindy scramble through the woods in attempt to stop him and the curse once and for all.
Arguably, the most popular setting for a horror film has always been a camp in the woods. Mix in isolation, young naïve adults, helpless children, and an array of hand-held weapons and you have the perfect ingredients for a slasher souffle. Once again, the characters are written with a little more depth than most teen slasher films, with elements of bullying, depression, and other anxieties young adults go through during coming-of-age years. And once again the two-hour run time completely goes over the top and kills the pace of the production. 1978 is a little easier to get straight through, as the death scenes become a bit more brutal and play to a more harder horror crowd. Director Janiak leads the viewer more into the myth behind the curse and ties together the first two films nicely while setting up an eagerly awaited conclusion.
Scream Score: 8.4/10
FEAR STREET 1666
A seemingly peaceful English settlement in the new world is turned upside down when a possessed pastor slaughters the town’s children. Superstitious citizens eventually point a wicked finger to Sarah Fier, who they all believe has taken the devil as her groom. Sarah’s only friend left is the town recluse, Solomon Goode. Goode attempts to convince Sarah that the town is full of overtly religious and ignorant townsfolk and that she need to flee or join him in a new dark age of existence. As Fier recognizes the true terror in her town, so do the modern citizens of the area back in 1994. This third installment switches back to the original with all of the secrets and lore revealed, leading to a final attempt to cure the curse of Shadyside.
1666 is a visually nice segment but never captures the true horrors of old-world settlements like other films set in that era such as “The Witch (2015)” and “The Crucible (1996).” The pace of this installment is much better as the film is cut into two different one-hour segments, one in 1666 and the other tying up the trilogy in 1994. 1666 is very much a slow burn squeezed into a short film, resulting in a very rushed version. The performances are admirable and played with fantastic old world American accents, lead Kiana Madeira puts in her best shift in 1966, turning what could have been a drab hour into a captivating tale. When we return to 1994 with answers in hand, the film sprints to a satisfying but expected conclusion.
Scream Score: 7.7/10
The Fear Street trilogy is an ambitious and artistically new venture. It works and it does not work. An argument can be made that a ten-part show running series may have helped with the pacing or that shorter standard film versions could have done the same, it is a case of pick your production poison. Director Janiak did a fine job and exemplified each time period with clean and accurate cinematography. It will be interesting to see what the talented director can do with a one-off big budget film. All of the performances throughout the trilogy are commendable and played with passion. As mentioned before, Fear Street suffers as many of 90’s horror did, by walking the tight rope of being a hard-core horror film or something that can be enjoyed by younger viewers. The formula is a simple one. Out and out younger based horror films such as, “The Monster Squad” can still be enjoyed by adults without the allure or expectation of enticing hard core fans into thinking they are going to get an adult film. This has led to many genre fanatics bashing the Fear Street trilogy, pleading that the films are false advertising and not true horror. With a large body count and at least a dozen hard core kills, that is very far from the truth, however, it is as if the trilogy feels like a let down in the end. Audiences can ponder what a harder R version would have played like but at the end of the day the films are a well-crafted, entertaining, albeit long winded, fun trilogy of terror.
Series Scream Score: 8/10