Fear Street Part One: 1994

Plot Synopsis: 

When her ex has a vision of a witch that has cursed Shadyside for hundreds of years, Deena, her aforementioned ex Samantha, her younger brother Josh, and her friends Kate and Simon find themselves embroiled in trying to solve the mystery surrounding the witch named Sarah Fier, and survive several supernatural serial killers out to get them. 

Positives:

First of all, this movie largely pays homage to the slashers of the late '90s such Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer. This movie does a really good job nailing that particular tone. Adding on to that, these are characters that I think would have felt right at home in that era. This is a movie that actually wants you to care about the characters. Something I appreciate is that they feel like real teens. Deena and Sam are emotional. You are essentially feeling like you're watching their relationship at its most volatile, and, as a result, these characters don't always come off as the most likable people. I get the feeling that in a lesser movie, they could just be insufferable. I also think it helps that the actors are clearly up to the challenge. This movie also doesn't skimp on the gore either, which I very much like. Expanding on that point, this movie isn't afraid to kill off characters you have some investment in. The opening is the clearest homage to Scream (and much like that movie) the opening here does feel like it could easily stand on its own as a short film.

Mixed Aspects:

Ok. Let's talk a little bit about the soundtrack. I actually really like a lot of the music used here. Just to name a few songs, you have "Creep" by Radiohead, "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails, "I'm Only Happy When It Rains" by Garbage, "Damn I Wish I was Your Lover" by Sophie B. Hawkins, and "Insane in the Brain" by Cypress Hill. Now, the issue I have is that all of these songs are within the first 15-20 minutes of the movie. It feels very top-heavy. The other thing I want to mention is that there is a potential criticism to be raised that this doesn't necessarily feel like a movie. While I acknowledge it as such, I can totally see where someone is coming from if they see it more as the first part of a miniseries. Again, this isn't something that really bothers me, but I do think it's worth addressing.  

Negatives:

The one area where I think the miniseries argument holds the most wait is the ending. It doesn't quite feel like the story 1994 was telling is completely resolved, as it ends with sort of a to be continued. Now I wouldn't necessarily have a problem with this, if it didn't feel like things were resolved, only to make that feeling of resolution a rug pull. 

Final Thoughts:

I genuinely really like this movie. Even some of the frustration with the ending really isn't that big of a deal to me. I think it helps that this movie is harkening back to the era that really got me into horror. I am someone who watched the Scream trilogy religiously as a kid, and have fond memories of Urban Legend, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Cherry Falls. So, yeah, this was a movie that felt tailor-made for me. 

My Rating:

🩸🩸🩸🩸 


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