Watching Fear Street was a genuinely enjoyable experience, not often do horror movies feel fun, well-made, and thrilling all at once, and I can’t wait to dive into the next two.
Not since Stranger Things has a series hit so perfectly on what it means to be a horror-based nostalgic experience, with both homages and improvements to the original formula of the horror movies of the past. Fear Street has the potential to be the next Stranger Things, it is funny, suspenseful, self-aware, and caters to both new and old fans of horror movies.
There is plenty to like in Fear Street, it is reminiscent of teen horror films of the past, in that it truly felt as though the film could have been made in the 90s. Like Stranger Things before it, it has been lovingly crafted to reflect the tone of films that have come before. Swap any of the ghostly killers for Freddy Kruger, Micheal Myers, Jason Vorhees, or Ghostface, and you would have one of the best versions of any of those movies that have been made in the last twenty or so years.
The premise is typical of supernatural horror films. Disrupt some entity (in this case, a witch), and chaos ensues. There is nothing overly unique in this formula, but that is the point. We are given a cast of characters who are immediately likable, quirky, and endearing, only to turn around and watch as they are brutally murdered in front of our eyes. That’s the joy in movies like these, with their final girls and relentless creatures and murderers ready to wreak havoc for the entirety of the film, often all the way until the credits roll.
My favorite part of Fear Street was the way that it was presented. Sure, it looks like a Netflix-style teen thriller, but this film has some bite. There is so much blood and gore from the repeated stabbings, dismemberment, and general killing that I forgot that I was watching something from the same streaming service whose teenage fare is typically mushy romantic teen comedies. That’s not to say that Netflix only makes romantic teen comedies, but I feel as though Fear Street is an attempt to bring horror to a younger audience, who may not typically flock to this type of film.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of mushy romantic teen comedy in this film, but it doesn’t wear out its welcome. The romantic relationship between Sam and Deena is the emotional core of the film, and without it, there are no stakes. What’s interesting about the film is that there is a real sense of comradery that is missing from many horror films of the past.
This is a story of a group coming together to protect one individual, not a group forced together out of necessity, and that makes it unique. None of the kids are intentional jerks or characters you hope will be killed off. They are genuinely good people in a terrible situation, and they are punished for it.
The Shadyside Killers, or ghostly entities that stalk the teens in the film, are a mix of really well-designed original characters and homages to past horror icons. What’s great about these killers is that they are quite unique from each other. It reminds me of the game Dead by Daylight; wherein, multiple types of killers can be chosen to be set forth on unsuspecting teens. The film does a terrific job of amplifying what makes each killer terrifying, highlighting each of them, if only for a short period.
Another thing I appreciate about the film is that the cast is relatively unknown, aside from Maya Hawke, who lasts no longer than Drew Barrymore in Scream. This allows us to develop a relationship with these characters without any preconceived notions of who they are. As great as Maya Hawke is, I appreciate that they killed her early, allowing our attention to be diverted elsewhere. Though it wasn’t unsurprising, as the trailer all but highlights her death, it does show the viewer that anyone is fair game.
The cast does a fantastic job of playing their stereotypical roles well, though each of the characters is tropes and falls well-within what is expected of them, there is enough individuality to the characters to not make them seem stale. The standouts of the film are Fred Hechinger’s Simon and Julia Rehwald’s Kate, both of whom make the film fun to watch, though are upsettingly murdered in the third act. That being said, both actors are credited as different characters in the upcoming third installment, as well as many of the other cast members, which will be great to see them come back, regardless of the circumstances.
Watching Fear Street was a genuinely enjoyable experience, not often do horror movies feel fun, well-made, and thrilling all at once, and I can’t wait to dive into the next two.
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