I’m a horror movie fan. Have been, since I was a kid. As someone who has seen a lot of horror movies across a whole range of sub-genres (slasher, monster, zombie, ghosts, gory, etc.) you get to appreciate when you run across a good one, because a lot of horror movies are pretty lousy.  A good one might be just a well-crafted, well-written, and believably acted film or one that attempts to take a different angle on a traditional horror movie theme.

Back in 1996, Scream was one film that tried to do something original. Before Scream, it was pretty standard for horror fans to recognize a bunch of stereotypical plot points or character behavior in horror films.  Sometimes they made no sense (No! Don’t go walking in the woods alone!), but horror fans could typically name a bunch of them. Scream took a bit of a ‘meta’ look at the slasher subgenre, playing with many of those stereotypical behaviors and letting the audience in on the joke. It was a huge hit and spawned sequels and knock-offs for years.

Fast forward to 2021 and we have the release of the first film in a new horror trilogy from Netflix. Fear Street Part 1: 1994. Netflix planned the trilogy to come out in sequence over a few weeks in July.

• Fear Street Part 1: 1994 - July 2, 2021
• Fear Street Part 2: 1978 - July 9, 2021
• Fear Street Part 3: 1666 - July 16, 2021

The trilogy is based on a bestselling book series of the same name from R.L. Stine. The series includes some familiar themes but also promises to play with some of those standard tropes. Each film looks further back in time to the story about a group of teenagers in the town called Shadyside, which seems to have a history of horror, murders, and possibly witchcraft. Having the stories told in reverse order is an interesting approach, as we’ll go into each one with some, but clearly not all of the background. 

I had the chance to watch Part 1 recently and wanted to write up a review of the new horror movie, with a look ahead to what we may see in the additional chapters.

Part 1

Fear Streat Part 1: 1994 kicks off on some very familiar territory. Teenagers working in a mall, faced with a masked killer on the premises. We meet a teen named Heather who is attacked by that familiar skull-mask-wearing killer while closing up shop in the mall. She nearly escapes, only to be caught and stabbed. She pulls off the killer’s mask to reveal her friend and fellow mall-worker, who seems to be under some supernatural influence, before being killed by the local sheriff.

 We then meet our intrepid group of teens who will do battle with evil in part 1.

• Deena - band member and broken-hearted romantic
• Josh - Deena’s younger and nerdy brother who is obsessed with conspiracy theories about Shadyside.
• Kate - Deena’s best friend, cheerleader, and part-time drug dealer
• Simon - Another of Deena’s friends, wiseguy, comic relief, and also part-time dealer
• Sam - Deena’s ex, cheerleader at rival Sunnyside High School

Following the tragedy at the mall, we learn of ongoing tensions between the rival high schools of Shadyside and Sunnyvale, which seems to run a bit deeper than just football. After a fight between the teams breaks out at a vigil for the murder victims a brief and poorly thought out car vs. bus escapade ends in an accident with Sam hurt and bleeding in the woods. Her blood on the ground seems to awaken something in the forest, giving her a haunting vision of something terrible. 

Things escalate quickly with a menacing figure in the same killer skull mask lurking outside of Deena’s house and later breaking into the house where Kate and Simon are babysitting some kids. While it may feel like a slow boil, that changes pretty quickly when the killer shows up at the hospital where Sam is recuperating and kills her new boyfriend (a seemingly terrible person, but maybe who hadn’t quite earned a quick death) in front of Sam and Deene, before going on a rampage in the hospital.  As Deena and Sam escape, with their friends, they unmask the killer, who turns out to be the reanimated corpse of the mall killer!  The whole reanimated killer concept keeps right on going as Simon is attacked by another walking corpse who gets right back up after being shot by Deena.

From here on, the crew begins piecing together the decades-long series of seemingly random mass murders in Shadyside, recognizing that somehow normal people suddenly turn into murderers. We’re now watching a weird mashup of Stranger Things and Scream as Josh’s obsession with the Shadyside conspiracy theory all comes together. It goes back to a witch named Sara Fier who was executed in 1666, who has been somehow possessing people in the intervening years and turning them into serial killers. The reveal of the whole plot comes together very quickly, in order to let us jump forward in the story quickly.

But, why is the witch sending killers after Sam and Deena? It appears that Sam’s vision included seeing the witch and that may have marked her for death! The friends might just be collateral damage if they can’t figure out a way to stop a seemingly never-ending supply of serial killers from Shadyside’s past, each brought back to kill Sam.

The crew decides they need to use Sam as bait to trap the witch, or at least her series of undead killers, and destroy them by burning them back to death. But, as with many best-laid plans, things don’t go according to plan. Breadcrumbs leading back to 1978 start to be uncovered, leading to one possible way to break Sam free from the Witch’s vengeance - she just needs to die first.

With undead killers closing in, Sam undertakes a planned overdose to stop her heart. Mayhem ensues as the killers stalk the various teens, using Sam’s blood to lure them in.  Kate and Simon are lost in horrific fashion before Sam ‘dies’ and the killers vanish. Deena and Josh are able to bring her back, ending the curse. 

But, like any good horror movie, especially one with two more movies to come, there is more for us to learn. Deena and Sam get back together following the life-altering events of the previous day and are laying together listening to the Pixies (nice choice!) when a mysterious phone call brings it all back. Sam becomes possessed by the witch and attacks Deena. Deena survives and ties up the now possessed Sam, and promises to find a way to get her back… To be continued in part 2!

Watch it or Not?

If you enjoy a fun horror movie (especially in the slasher or supernatural arena) that’s a bit smarter than the usual release, give it a look. If you also like Stranger Things, even better!