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Movie Reviews

Fear Street Part Three: 1666

Chernin Entertainment, 2021

If you found yourself wondering just how Leigh Janiak would possibly manage to finish her Fear Street trilogy without blaring pop music due to the 1666 setting worry not, she still finds a way to sneak it in there in the better-than-expected grand finale. Everything finally comes to a head as we learn the true history of Sarah Fier and her curse before wrapping up our original nineties-set story in a surprisingly emotional, rousing ending that provides a satisfying conclusion to the last three weeks of gore, spooks and speculation.

Now transported back to the days of puritanical settlers in what will become Shadyville, Deena (Kiana Madeira) finds herself inhabiting the body of Sarah Fier, living out her final days leading up to the infamous curse she placed on the village. Janiak slows the breakneck pacing of the first two films down considerably with this section of the film, establishing Sarah as a normal girl whose secret relationship with the preacher’s daughter Hannah Miller (Olivia Scott Welch) threatens to rock the small community to its core. The decision to cast the actors from earlier instalments as members of the village helps to highlight the similarities between Deena and Sarah and the challenges they both face and Madeira is much more likeable in the role of Sarah, free from the baggage of having to play a stereotypical angst-ridden nineties teen and able to build a more sympathetic character.

Chernin Entertainment, 2021

The central villain of this time period proves to be the creepiest of the bunch, with the possessed preacher Cyrus Miller (Michael Chandler) taking centre stage as he tears the eyeballs out of the village children’s heads. It isn’t as gory as you might expect but the imagery utilised is incredibly unsettling, even if it is almost immediately overshadowed by the townspeople’s terrifyingly prejudiced response, with wild accusations of witchcraft leading to bloody tragedy. Combined with the costuming, production design and excellent score by Marco Beltrami, it makes for a welcome reprieve from the franticness of the nineties and seventies, establishing an ominous and genuinely frightening tone that has seemed absent throughout the series to this point. There’s been killings and gore aplenty, but nothing truly terrifying until now.

A jarring tonal shift marks our return to the nineties, as Deena, now fresh from her visit to the past, must assemble brother Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.), Camp Nightwing survivor Ziggy (Gillian Jacobs) and mall repairman Martin (Darrell Britt-Gibson) in a final effort to end the curse and defeat the witch at the heart of the terror. This results in a scene that might just be the best in the series to date: an all-out skirmish at the mall against the conjured killers of Shadyville. All the intriguing murderers we’ve heard so much about finally get their chance to shine, from baseball wielding child murderer Billy Barker to the housewife-slaying, milkman murderer Harry Rooker (Kevin Waterman) – and the result is cheesy carnage at its finest.

Chernin Entertainment, 2021

Even Deena’s return can’t spoil things as there isn’t enough time in the script left for her to be pissy about too much, with the killers hot on the groups heels from the get-go. The return to Shadyville essentially splits the film into two halves and because of this, it feels long, with the slow, measured pacing of the 1666 scenes making you feel like you’ve been watching for far longer than you have. The constant exposition dumps at the mall soon become unbearable, and the slew of corny one-liners feel even more tired than they already would have been, inducing groans instead of the knowing laughs that were intended. Despite the pattern of exposition, action and intentionally bad one-liners essentially repeating until the credits roll, it is a satisfying conclusion nonetheless to everything that has come before and one that pays off on the promise of the varied lineup of killers.

Leigh Janiak sticks the landing with 1666, ending Fear Street on a high note of murder, mayhem and mystery as the curse of Sarah Fier is finally unravelled. Whilst the creepy first half might be quickly forgotten in the madness of the big finale, it is still the best storytelling of the franchise, providing sufficient spooks and much needed backstory that enhance the previous films’ adventures. This is a franchise that will only get better on repeated viewings, with fans able to pick up on various easter eggs and hints, and while it might not have been the most high concept or scariest of horror offerings, Fear Street is proof that Netflix can pull off this kind of experimental, appointment viewing home event scarily well.

Chernin Entertainment, 2021

Fear Street Part Three: 1666 stars Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Ashley Zukerman, Benjamin Flores Jr., Julia Rehwald, Fred Hechinger, Matthew Zuk, Michael Chandler, Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, McCabe Slye, Jeremy Ford & Gillian Jacobs – Streaming on Netflix now.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

7/10

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Movie Reviews

Fear Street Part Two: 1978

Chernin Entertainment, 2021

Week two of Netflix’s Fear Street event sends us back to Shadyside, this time in the swinging 70’s as Leigh Janiak’s second instalment hones in on the disastrous events of the Camp Nightwing massacre hinted at in the first film. 1978 is a marked improvement over its 90’s set counterpart, upping the gore and violence considerably whilst allowing for more likeable and fully realised characters to take the stage this time around – addressing 1994‘s biggest problem. Having established the overarching story’s key players in that film, Janiak feels comfortable here to build the world out and explore the fascinating history of the rivalry between Shadyside and Sunnyvale, bringing in new killers and mythology that sets the stage for an all-out crazy final film.

Having survived their first encounter with Shadyside’s local witch Sarah Fier, siblings Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.) track down C. Berman (Gillian Jacobs), the only person to have ever been possessed and live to tell the tale. From here we’re whisked away to the 70’s wonderland of Camp Nightwing, chock full of all the classic trappings of camp slasher films of the era. At the centre of it all is the rebellious Ziggy (Sadie Sink) and her conservative sister Cindy (Emily Rudd), who don’t exactly fit the bill of loving siblings, clashing every time they come into contact with one another.

After Cindy’s boyfriend Tommy (McCabe Slye) is attacked by the camp nurse – who believes he is the Witch’s next conduit for evil – the pair join stoner pals Alice (Ryan Simpkins) and Arnie (Sam Brooks) in exploring an abandoned house seemingly belonging to Sarah Fier. Just as the group begins to understand the forces at play, Tommy is possessed and begins a murderous rampage through the camp, leaving Ziggy and Cindy to wage a desperate battle for survival and fight for a chance to end the curse once and for all.

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Ziggy’s introduction immediately gives us what Deena’s character lacked in 1994: a believable reason for the massive chip on her shoulder. Terrorised at camp by bully Sheila (Chiara Aurelia) and her underlings, Ziggy has built up a strong emotional defence to protect herself from getting hurt, blaming her troubles on the Shadyside curse that ruins lives and cost her her sister to the prissy ways of Sunnyvale. Cindy’s problem is the same. Terrified of ending up like her parents and other no-hopers from Shadyside, she has all but physically retreated from the town, dating the sweet, innocent Tommy because he is the safe choice and vehemently opposing any rule breaking.

It’s a great central dynamic that sets the sisters on diverging paths; where they are each have their own adventures and learn the importance of family, before converging again for a climactic emotional gut-punch of a finale. Sink and Rudd sell their characters’ evolutions in believable ways, with real, reasonable reactions to the events unfolding. This isn’t your average campy slasher film where the councillors run around with their shirts off getting cut down. All the key players make smart, calculated decisions that treat the audience with respect and keep the tension high when they still find themselves on the back-foot despite their smarts.

Chernin Entertainment, 2021

That’s not to say that all the issues have been fixed this time around, with the same repetition of music used to denote a time period rather than the period having any bearing on the plot. The production design is dead on (sorry) in emulating the familiar layouts and trappings of films like Friday the 13th but once everyone is running for their lives soaked in blood, it doesn’t really add much that they’re wearing bellbottoms instead of skinny jeans. It isn’t surprising given Janiak’s return and is something you adjust to pretty quickly. It’s a rare sight in Hollywood that one person is allowed to see out a consistent creative vision across a series of films and if that means we have to hear The Runaways’ “Cherry Bomb” for the umpteenth time in a movie this decade then it is worth the cost. It’s a great jam and if this is the approach she’s taking then I can’t wait to see what bangers she unearths for the sequel set in 1666.

The films may have been shot back-to-back but Janiak certainly seems more assured in her direction this time; utilising more complex shots and upping the gore factor significantly. We get a chance to really get into the meat of the story after spending the last film setting the pieces on the board and Sarah Fier is finally established as the terrifying antagonist she should be, as we come to understand the reach and power of the curse she has unleashed on the two towns. While this comes at the cost of weakening the individual Shadyside killers in terms of their uniqueness, it is worth it to build the anticipation for the final film’s inevitable showdown. There is still a surprising amount of mileage to be had from a maniac running around with an axe almost 40 years after the original Friday and it is some gleefully campy carnage.

Chernin Entertainment, 2021

Fear Street’s middle instalment is a significant step-up from the tired tropes of 1994, with a fresh coat of paint in its 70’s setting and excellent character work that truly makes you care for Sarah Fier’s victims this time around. Sadie Sink and Emily Rudd are standouts in a cast full of fun performances and even more fun scares, with the gore dialled up to eleven as Janiak unleashes her version of classic killer Jason Voorhees. The world building goes a long way towards making the audience actually care about Sarah Fier as the series’ big bad going forward without ever compromising this film’s set of characters and their struggles. After a sloppy start, the ship has been righted. Let’s see if Janiak and her returning cast can steer it home with next week’s finale: 1666.

Chernin Entertainment, 2021

Fear Street Part Two: 1978 stars Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, Ryan Simpkins, McCabe Slye, Ted Sutherland, Drew Scheid, Chiara Aurelia,
Kiana Madeira, Benjamin Flores Jr. & Gillian Jacobs – Streaming on Netflix now.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

7/10