Fear Street Part One: 1994 Review

Here’s a weirdly specific film-nerd opinion: a narrative arc spread over the course of three movies is the perfect stopping point for a series. I absolutely love a satisfying trilogy. This is why I get frustrated by the Amazing Spider-Man 2’s of the world – franchises that attempt the full trilogy journey, but collapse along the way. Of course, the flip-side of this dilemma is a franchise that over-extends itself beyond three movies, when it easily could have concluded earlier and maintained some of its integrity (looking at you, Die Hard). The bottom line is: sequels make me both excited and anxious. Will this IP lend itself well to a franchise? Is there enough story to warrant sequels? And most importantly, are they even going to be able to conclude the story they’ve now expanded. Netflix, it seems, has found a way around these issues with their new three-part movie experiment, Fear Street. 

Based on the R.L. Stine YA horror novels of the same name, this new film series was designed from the start to be told in three parts, shot back-to-back-to-back, and now released every week for the first half of July. The first film, 1994 (now streaming) follows a high school outcast named Deena (Kiana Madeira), who finds herself, her friends, and her younger brother all teaming up to battle dark supernatural forces and rescue her ex-girlfriend Sam (Olivia Scott Welch). Of course, this is hardly anything new to their small town of Shadyside, where unexplained tragedies and mass murders seem to happen every other week. With no one believing or particularly caring about their plight, the teens are left to fend for themselves, fighting off a host of paranormal entities including zombies, witches, masked psycho-killers, and ancient curses. 

First and foremost, the film should be applauded for its down-to-earth LGBTQ representation. Writer/Director Leigh Janiak has been very vocal about her dedication to showcasing perspectives typically underrepresented in the horror genre, and it definitely works to the benefit of 1994. Of course, this is a teen-slasher film at its core, so it’s not like anything good happens to our heroines in this story, but it’s still refreshing to see these voices lead a big-budget movie. 

The movie itself is a ton of fun. The characters and dialogue are all as edgy and unconventional as you would expect from a modern teen movie, and it’s really fun to watch them uncover this mystery, however convoluted it might be. If you’re still patiently waiting for more Stranger Things, the blockbuster high-concept spookiness here should make you happy. With Netflix releasing it in three parts, I could really see Fear Street taking over July and being the talk of the internet. 

Of course, not everything in the film works. Considering how genre-defying the majority of the movie is, it’s disappointing when it indulges in tropes like stopping the plot midway for a makeout party (featuring some truly bizarre character pairings). Additionally, the deus ex machina played out in the resolution was unexpectedly bleak even for a movie about butchering teenagers. I won’t go into any spoilers, but some viewers may find this triggering or in poor taste.

Despite that jarring third act, I truly did enjoy Fear Street Part One. It will be interesting to see where they go with the story in its announced time-hopping sequels 1978 and 1666. The added addition of Gillian Jacobs (a modern Scream Queen in her own right) in the epilogue promises good things to come. Personally, I’m now a big fan and am anxiously awaiting the next two sequels. I imagine I will not be alone.