Movie Review-Fear Street Part One: 1994

How/When I Came Across It

Netflix has been promoting Fear Street pretty actively for the past few weeks, so I became aware of it through ads throughout the web. This installment was released as the first part of a trilogy that would be released over the course of three Fridays. As an aside, I think the rapid-release movie trilogy, which Netflix is experimenting with through the Fear Street series, has tremendous promise going forward in the streaming generation. The era of 30-minute episodes being released weekly is dead and gone, but the concept of spreading three films over three weeks and sustaining an audience's anticipation/excitement for a three-week window seems like a fruitful frontier to explore for streaming services in particular going forward.

Just a warning: I'm by no means a horror film enthusiast, and I'll admit that I have very limited knowledge of the genre. Feel free to disagree with any characterizations I may make about this film or any films like it, as I don't have much nuance to bring to the table about the horror genre in general.

I watched this particular film yesterday, July 15th.

Plot Summary (No Spoilers)

A group of teens from a town with a long, infamous history of murderous outbursts from random individuals become aware of a mysterious curse that seems to be involved with these sprees. The teens must band together to survive one night as multiple supernatural, bloodthirsty threats emerge and wreak havoc throughout their town.

What Was Good

Though this is a horror/slasher film, the movie includes a fairly-enjoyable coming-of-age theme throughout the course of its story. The performances from the core group of young actors are good in the sense that they realistically capture the essence of high-schoolers.
As far as plot goes, the story is interesting and inventive while revealing just enough of the backstory surrounding "the curse" to keep the viewer interested in this film as well as building excitement for the future installments.
As far as slasher films go, this film is not over-the-top gory or grueling to watch from a physical observation standpoint.
The pacing of the film is very good for the most part, with the action ebbing and flowing appropriately and allowing for the more poignant moments to set in when necessary.
Some twists and character fates throughout the film generally surprised me (in a good way), and it added credibility to the film overall that I feel some teenager-driven horror/thriller media (Stranger Things in particular) has lacked.
While we're on Stranger Things, I cannot help but mention that this is also a beautiful movie visually. The maintenance of dark tones and variation in lighting is absolutely arresting throughout, as this movie leans heavily into the nostalgia of the 20th century heavily, for better and not for worse.

What Was Bad

In general, I actually don't care for the sexualization of people under 18 (or over 18, for that matter). I understand that it is a real, foundational pillar of adolescence, but I could do without every major character having definitive moments of sexuality (that's all I'll say, no spoilers). I just think there are more interesting avenues that directors/writers could take to expand and develop their characters beyond that, as sexuality is one of many components of a person. Additionally, there are some scenes where intimacy between different characters diminishes some of the suspense that the movie had worked to generate.
There are a few points in the film that almost made me roll my eyes because certain parts of the resolution to the teens' problems emerge extremely conveniently. If you take the time to watch this film, you'll understand this point a little better. Whether it is a miraculous escape (which isn't overly common in this film) or a weirdly-timed revelation of relevant information, there are moments of this film that force you to suspend your disbelief, and the rest of the movie takes extreme care to avoid this very thing.

You'll Like This Film If...

You enjoy teen-themed, coming-of-age films. This movie is entirely teen-centric (almost to a fault) and much of the strife is addressed in a way that relates to the struggle of high-schoolers.
You like slasher movies. Though not gratuitous in my opinion, there's plenty of violence to hold a horror fan's attention.
You like Stranger Things, but slightly more mature. Honestly, this particular film made me wonder if it was set in the same universe as Netflix's wildly popular series. Both in tone and subject material, it very closely mirrors the pattern of Stranger Things, though it is decidedly darker.
You like satisfying endings that allow for plenty of expansion. Especially within the context of how Netflix is phasing out this trilogy, the movie sets up a sequel almost as well as any other film in recent memory. It's very "TV show"-esque, which makes sense coming from Netflix

You Won't Like This Film If...

Teen sexualization really bothers you. I know I addressed this already, but it's a major part of the plot in multiple ways.
You're queasy. It's a slasher film.
You're looking for a revolutionary storyline in the genre. While it's not directly reminiscent of any films I am aware of, it continually draws from very familiar subject material and plot lines.
You expect to be breathlessly thrilled throughout. There is plenty of stopping and starting when it comes to action, and even the peaks of thrills aren't overly eye-opening. This film didn't scare me hardly at all (I know, I know. I'm so tough), and the horror elements are honestly pretty forgettable. This is a stylish, small-town teenager film set in a horror storyline. The emphasis, from my perspective, follows that order.
You think character development is absolutely crucial to a film. Yes, there are defining elements to some characters in the movie, but Fear Street Part One does fall into the horror trope of neglecting important aspects of characters' motivations and attempts to backfill those characters at the last moment. I'm not above not letting them off the hook for that!

Conclusion

For the genre, I honestly was really impressed. Most of my critiques about the movie have the potential to be resolved in the future films. It grabs your attention and deftly weaves the conflicts associated with life in high school together with a taut horror story arc. It's not at all the type of movie that should be in my wheelhouse, but it somehow worked. The acting is not overstated, which can be a trap that casts like the one in Fear Street can fall into. It kept me genuinely curious and attentive to the very end, and I look forward to watching the next one!

Final Rating

7.5 out of 10

P.S. This is the debut of the "8th Wonder of the World": The JHMP. From now on, each movie will be carefully placed in the hierarchy of the pyramid. Placement is completely determined based on the rating done at the conclusion of each review, which is carefully calculated based off of my gut response to each film.

skkyjaker@yahoo.com