Fear Street PART 2: 1978
Director(s): Leigh Janiak
Writer(s): Zak Olkewicz, Leigh Janiak, Phil Graziadei,
R.L. Stine (based on the Fear Street books by)
Starring: Saddie Sink, Emily Rudd, Ted Sutherland, Gillian Jacobs
Everyone caught up with the first flick, Fear Street Part 1: 1994?!?
No? This is where your journey ends (for now) little Ghoul; come back once you’ve watched the treasure that is the first part of the Fear Street trilogy on Netflix (still waiting for them promotion checks!). Oh okay, I’ll be kind and allow you to CLICK HERE first before moving on.
Yes? Then onwards we go my macabre sibling in arms! I’m ecstatic to share my thoughts on this flick because it is my personal favorite of the three entries since the entire series itself is a love letter to the different genres of horror and of course, the entry set in the 70s is truly an homage to the best era of slasher flicks that yours truly grew up watching in a dark living room all those years ago.
The next installment of the Fear Street trilogy picks up immediately after the events of the first flick which has our main characters tracking down someone who has dealt with the supernatural presence of Sarah Fier that causes the spontaneous creations of slashers terrorizing the city of Shadyside. What I loved about the first flick was the great transition that lead to the second flick because dealing with various time points in three movies seems to be exhausting but by the end of the first movie, you begin to understand that this series is also very much like a mystery (which I’m guessing is how the books play out as well since R.L. Stine’s style is very much in line with this logic). Like a spooky campfire tale, the survivors of the first flick are treated to a story from someone who had survived the same sort of events when they were a teenager and that’s when we’re taken back to groooovy time of 1978 and for those that are initiated in the golden era of slashers, a familiar feeling should have hit you like a machete to the head!
While all three flicks pay homage to different genres and eras of horror, this second installment definitely wanted the audience to know that it was heavily influenced by the slasher Gods of old like Friday the 13th and Halloween. You are caught up to speed with the characters rather quickly since some of them were players/mentioned in the first flick and you can sense that the rivalry between the haves (Sunnyvale) and have nots (Shadyside) were just as strong back then. The setting this time around is at Camp Nightwing and follows a new group of misfits, centering mostly on the narrator’s relationship with her older sister and how the notorious legend of Sarah Fier was still prominent in the area’s history.
The killer this time around is the sack-head, axe-wielding baddie known as the Camp Nightwing Killer that was featured in the first entry but now you get to see the (somewhat) tragic backstory of how a seemingly kind guy gets possessed by supernatural forces to become the infamous slasher of Shadyside legend. To add some salt to the wound, the future slasher happened to be the boyfriend of the main character’s sister so yes, moments of heartache were definitely prevalent throughout the movie.
The sequel does an incredible job of delivering emotional layers to the overall Fear Street trilogy since the characters address subjects ranging from class conflict, sibling relationships, trauma, etc. which has long lasting effects to the overall trilogy and provides some revelations to characters or topics that were mentioned in the first flick. From an entertainment standpoint, the film feels like it can easily be a Friday the 13th flick since the kills and overall feel of the movie nailed the feel of an unstoppable slasher stalking ignorant youth.
The kills were brutal and came at such a fast pace compared to the first film which was most likely intentional since the focus point on this movie was to tell a story of how the slasher was stopped back in 1978 so that the main characters in 1994 have a fighting chance. Again, this movie does a fantastic job revealing more lore to the supernatural forces surrounding the trilogy which leads to a seamless transition to the next movie.
I would say this was my favorite entry of the three since it captured the tone of an era movies that are the most nostalgic for me. Some of the best stories told reflect current social and/or cultural change since the audience can make the parallels of what’s going on around them through the viewpoint of entertainment. Although the Fear Street trilogy does a fantastic job of giving homage to classic horror gems it still stands on its own as a dynamic horror/mystery flick which at its core, is story about love and equality.
It’s this sort of innovation that gives me hope for the future of the horror genre and so I am proud to announce that The FEAR STREET Slashers, who embody the trilogy as a whole are this year’s inductees to the FearTastic LEGENDS VAULT! Thank you for acknowledging the past but looking toward the future.
FearTASTIC LEGENDS VAULT 2021 Inductees – The slasher gallery from the Fear Street Movie Trilogy
See you freaks for the third and last (sadly) entry for the Fear Street Trilogy on Netflix (seriously…when are my damn checks coming?!?)!
Life is FAR more interesting when we take interest in things that scare us.