PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I remember the day like it was yesterday… I was shopping with my mom, and the fresh smell of rain was on the horizon. A cool summer breeze made the day even better. I wandered over to the book and magazine section of the store, and I saw one particular tome that stood out from all the others: Goosebumps: Welcome To Dead House by R.L. Stine. Reading that story transported me to a new place, the world of horror. It supplied an escape for my young self with characters that were just like me. And as I grew older, I followed Stine’s work right onto Fear Street.
Year’s later, I was thrilled to see the Goosebumps movie (2015 – read our review here) on the big screen, but when I heard there was going to be a Fear Street film, I was a bit hesitant thinking it might be watered down. After watching the trailer, I started to get excited. Finally, after watching Fear Street Part 1: 1994, I was blown away.
The Synopsis:
A circle of teenage friends accidentally encounters the ancient evil responsible for a series of brutal murders that have plagued their town for over 300 years. Welcome to Shadyside.
Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is set up over 25 years ago, and my biggest worry was that the story was going to constantly remind me that it was the ’90s or that the writers would try too hard to sound like teenagers from that time. However, the filmmakers do a great job showcasing characters dealing with topical subjects that are still relevant, like relationships, drugs, popularity, and school rivals. This gives the film more of an impact since we get invested in the drama, so the impact of the deaths hits us even harder. The music is a perfect soundtrack for those who lived in the ’90s or fans of that period in music, but at times, I felt that the music was just added on randomly. It didn’t always fit the scenes and it was just dropped anywhere. At other times, the music fits in perfectly, narrating a scene with no dialogue and helping us relate to the characters even more.
Fear Street Part 1: 1994 doesn’t try to be like American Horror Story or even a CW made-for-tv movie. It holds up on its own as a great drama, even if you eliminate the horror aspect. There are even some great Easter eggs that fans of R.L. Stine will notice. The film lays a foundation as the first in the Fear Street trilogy and even opens up possible sequels in its own universe. Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is currently playing on Netflix. The second film, Fear Street Part 2: 1978, will be available next week also on Netflix.
https://youtu.be/clZK2PqLWpI
