A group of teenagers comes face to face with an ancient evil that
has targeted one of their own and will stop at nothing to kill her. HORROR
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Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021)Directed by Leigh Janiak
Written by Phil Graziadei and Leigh Janiak Starring Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr., Julia Rehwald, Fred Hechinger, Ashley Zukerman Based on the book series by R.L. Stine |
As most people know, R.L. Stine is very well known for his work on the children’s horror book series, Goosebumps. And for good reason. It was a massive success which spawned a hugely popular television series and two movies. But people sometimes forget his other work, Fear Street. Centered more for a teenage audience, this was different from his other work due to it taking place in one location and recounting all the strange phenomena in the town of Shadyside. I did have the opportunity to read a couple of these books growing up and have genuinely fond memories. So, I was quite excited to see Netflix announcing an adaptation for their service. I got even more excited when I saw this would be a big, three-week event with three films released each week. Finally, I hit peak levels when I saw these were to be rated R. Bring on the carnage.
The first thing which has to be mentioned is the aforementioned change in rating compared to the relatively tame books. While this may seem like a risky gamble, I find it brilliant. It’s almost like the filmmakers are taking into account the audience for this are adults now and want to see the carnage candy. Speaking of which, this film delivers in spade. This is a gory film with some solid kills. The standout involving a bread slicer which left my mouth hanging open in astonishment. I also have to applaud for not giving us the stereotypical type of characters here we usually find in slashers. It made for a more fun experience and hopefully hints at change to come with the beloved subgenre. And, as someone who was born in the early 90s, the soundtrack was killer. There were numerous times the music alone put a smile on my face. All of this is achieved while maintaining the quality associated with the work of Stine. This is a killer first part to this trilogy. It tells a complete story which leaves me hungry for the next two. The characters are refreshing. The kills are gory. And the film itself is just an overall good time. This adaptation proves the slasher genre is not hanging on for dear life these days. It’s still going strong and this more hardcore take on a beloved children’s author work proves that. Bring on the next two installments. |
Netflix's surprise release of three Fear Street films back to back to back this July was a welcome one. Longtime R.L. Stine fans got their Goosebumps fix a while back and now they get a hardcore legit horror adaptation of Fear Street. The first film sets up an intriguing trilogy, I'll give it that. But for me, it's so unapologetically similar to Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I'm comparing the two films, by the way, not the longtime book series. Don't come after me. I thought the performances weren't great, the scares weren't up to snuff, and it ultimately just felt like a rehash of better stuff.
In the town of Shadyside, CA, every decade or so, there's a mass murder. Recently, a video clerk was stabbed to death by a guy in a skull mask who was then shot and killed. But the skull mask dude shows up again to terrorize Deena (Madeira) and her ex-girlfriend Sam (Welch), after they accidentally disturb the resting place of an ancient witch. Now, monsters of the town's past are materializing to hunt Sam down. It's all fairly generic and predictable, though there is one kill involving a bread slicer that actually made me lose my train of thought for a moment. I look forward to the next two Fear Streets, though I was less than exhilarated with this one. I just feel like I've seen all this before. The slasher film is hanging on for dear life these days. Everything has been done to death, and the only thing left is to take a super meta approach to it. And even if you do that, you have to be careful not to rip off Scream. Hopefully the next one doesn't just vomit up the best parts of Sleepaway Camp. |