SPOILERS AHEAD.
Fear Street Part One: After a series of brutal slayings, a teen and her friends take on an evil force that’s plagued their notorious town for centuries.
I am someone who grew up on the Fear Street series. It was actually my introduction to horror before finally picking up Pet Sematary by Stephen King at age 13. But I read Fear Street in elementary school and junior high, and I have a lot of affection for it, even now. So yes, I was excited when I read that they were making a trilogy of Fear Street films! I was excited and a bit apprehensive because I was pretty protective of my childhood nostalgia, and I didn’t want Netflix to step in and completely water it down.
I think most people see that the Fear Street series is written for young adults, so it must be tame. But honestly, the books can be downright gruesome. And so I was thrilled when I read that the trilogy would be rated R. Hopefully, that meant that the writers wouldn’t be shying away from the bloodier aspects of the books.
Fear Street Part One takes place in 1994. Its opening sequence reminded me a lot of Scream, in which the biggest marquee name – in this case, Maya Hawke – is killed off before the opening credits blast us. It was effective, especially taking place in a mall. I grew up in the 90s, so this entire episode was full of nostalgia, not only with the fashion, mall stores, etc., but the soundtrack too.
The mall massacre is just another tragedy in a long line of horrifying events in Shadyside. The town was supposedly cursed by a woman named Sarah Fier, who was executed in 1666 for witchcraft. She possesses people from beyond the grave to commit horrible acts, and this time, a young group of teenagers is affected by the witch after one of them spills blood onto Sarah Fier’s resting place. The teens, led by Deena (Kiana Madeira ), attempt to find a way to stop the witch before the resurrected bodies of her former victims kill them all.
Fear Street Part One was a fun flick. I could see the inspiration from the RL Stine novels while still making the story seem fresh. I wasn’t sure why they changed the Shadyside Tigers to the Shadyside Witches, given how many horrible things had happened in the town that were rumored to have been caused by a witch, but I’ll dismiss it as a “creative” choice by the writers.
There are some gruesome kills and genuinely chilling moments, but I also sensed that this film would be the tamest of the three, as it’s setting up what is to come. There were times I felt like Fear Street Part One was playing it a bit safe, and I would have rather have one killer rather than 3, but I get what the story was trying to do. And while I understand the need to get some sexy moments in a slasher flick, I will never quite grasp the need to make out with someone while literally on the run from three psycho undead killers. But teenagers and their hormones, am I right?
While not blown away by it, I was more than satisfied with Fear Street Part One, and it definitely made me want to tune into Part Two.
Starring: Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr., Julia Rehwald, Fred Hechinger, Charlene Amoia, Maya Hawke
