Film Review of Fear Street 1994 (2021)

source: imdb

Netflix's Fear Street Part One: 1994 is the first movie of a trilogy or rather one big movie cut into three parts since they were released in the same year. It was based from the great R.L. Stine's book series (although a lot of things changed in the movie). Watching this movie I thought about Stranger Things not just because of Sadie Sink but because it has a lot of 1990s nostalgia.

Plot Summary

He looks like the slasher from Scream. source: imdb

The story takes place in the cursed town of Shadyside. It's a town plagued by tragedy, violence and bad luck for centuries. The main character was Deena Johnson, a teenager who struggles with a recent breakup from her girlfriend Sam Fraser who moved to Sunnyvale, a town the complete opposite of Shadyside since it enjoys endless prosperity.

After a strange accident involving Sam, a series of scary events begins. Deena and her friends soon found out that an old witch named Sarah Fier may be the cause for the horrors in Shadyside for generations. As killers from the town's past emerge and start hunting them, the group must uncover the truth behind the curse before they become its next victims.

Analysis and Recommendation

At first, the feels like a classic teen slasher inspired by movies such as Scream, but it soon becomes a supernatural mystery with deep lore like R.L. Stine's writings. The movie has nostalgia with 1994 setting and a soundtrack of songs from the era. The music helps create a sense of nostalgia. The scary parts and creative kills will satisfy horror fans of slasher movies.

Despite being based on a young adult book series, Fear Street 1994 is violent. I was drawn more to solving the mystery surrounding Sarah Fier. It was intriguing and kept me to finish the whole series.

Fans of the original book may not like the big changes on Sarah Fier but I would like to think it's another plot that R.L. Stine could have taken in the books. I read the original book series and I thought, the movie was a great adaptation/alternate story. The story wasn't bad, it's just different from the book.

I highly recommend Fear Street Part One: 1994 and the rest of the series to horror enthusiasts looking for a fun and mysterious movie. The film's violence and intriguing mystery make it one of Netflix's most enjoyable horror movies.