Around this time last year, my roommates and I wanted to watch a horror movie just before Halloween. I had heard a couple of good things about Fear Street on Netflix, and I knew that Sadie Sink was in it, so I suggested we turn on the slasher. I expected it to be suitably scary with little much else going for it; I especially did not expect it to be one of the best horror movies I have ever seen.
We watched the first two movies in one night because we were so enthralled with the story. The only reason we didn’t watch it all three in one sitting was because it was about one in the morning on a school night. These movies had us tense and anxious with long, drawn out screams of true horror, nothing like the cheap, predictable jumpscares I was expecting. The villains of this story were truly terrifying and nightmare-inducing. Needless to say, this was not the average slasher that I thought it was going to be.
The first movie is set in 1994 following the final girl Deena who recently went through a breakup with her girlfriend Sam. When Deena accidentally causes a car crash involving Sam and her new boyfriend, it leads to Sam bleeding on the bones of Sarah Fier—the witch who cursed the land when they hanged her in 1666. With Sam’s blood on her bones, the witch sends previously cursed killers after her which leads Deena, Sam, and their ragtag group of friends all around town, running from the unkillable killers with the creepiest quirks.
After all the dust settles at the end of the first movie, the story unexpectedly continues with the characters in 1994, meeting C. Berman, another survivor of the witch, to hear her story. The second movie focuses on Berman’s experiences with the curse in 1978. While Fear Street Part One:1994 followed a Scream-like plotline, Fear Street Part Two: 1978 took inspiration from Friday the 13th’s summer camp setting. This follow-up exceeded expectations further with this cast of characters being more likable than the first movie. Part Two: 1978 had everything that a horror movie needs with sympathetic characters, a convincing final girl, and an absolutely frightening cast of killers.
The final installment of this trilogy, Fear Street Part Three: 1666, was less of a slasher movie and took more inspiration from psychological horror movies. As said in the title, it is set in 1666 as the origin story of the witch Sarah Fier. However, the second half of the movie takes place back in 1994 to wrap up the lingering plotlines left in the story. Their biggest inspiration for this film was The Crucible as a witch hunt spreads throughout the small town in a classic Salem-esque story. Part Three: 1666 unveiled plot twists seamlessly, filling in rather large plot holes from the previous movies. This movie was the perfect wrap-up for the incredible trilogy with a deeply satisfying ending.
One of the aspects of these movies that skyrocketed them to greatness was the overall theme. These movies comment on the demonization of women and the roles of gender in society which was unexpected coming from a slasher trilogy. This commentary enhanced the viewing experience, making it not only a great horror movie but a fantastic film.
These movies had me screaming–much to the annoyance of my neighbors–and crying for the eventual deaths of some of the characters. The deaths were genuinely upsetting, not just because of the gory nature but because of the performances of the actors and the likability of the characters. This trilogy nodded to horror greats of the past and elaborated on classic tropes with a truly original and interesting plotline that wove together three stories set centuries apart. It was the perfect mix of charming characters, horror tropes, and entertaining plotlines. The nods to iconic slashers built up nostalgia while the original storyline pushed the trilogy into icon status. I highly recommend watching this spooky season if you haven’t already.