Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is Netflix’s first chapter in a three-part film series inspired by the R.L. Stine book series of the same name releasing on consecutive Fridays this July. Part 2 will take place in 1978 and Part 3: 1666. If the first part is anything to go by, the settings are more of a general decade setting than specific. I was a child of the 90s and, while I do indeed have memories of the blacklight velvet posters they were selling at the mall, they featured what looked like AOL Messenger, which didn’t exist until 1997. Josh (played by Benjamin Flores Jr.) also talks about stealing internet from his neighbours, which I don’t know how you’d even begin to get away with back in the dial-up age. However, the film has the general essence of the 90s in that they are a cellphone-less teen society and landlines are king. This makes it the perfect launchpad for a centuries-spanning trilogy. Far enough removed from our present to seem distant but on the cusp of becoming the world as we know it today that it’s still relatable.
The film opens in a mall where Maya Hawke plays the girl working behind the counter at the bookstore. If you’ve seen Stranger Things, you probably recognize her from that, playing another mall employee. Actors sometimes talk about being typecast, if this was more than just the typical slasher first death, I would say Miss Hawke has found herself the most specific niche: mall employee in supernatural horror.
As soon as Maya Hawke’s character has been dispatched in a classic slasher first death sequence (think Scream, Black Christmas, etc.), we get an opening credit sequence. It sets up the history of Shadyside, and a series of murders over the years, and its neighbouring town Sunnyvale, which thrives without bad things happening there. It also introduces Sarah Fier, “the one-handed witch,” who was killed in 1666 and legend says is the root of all of Shadyside’s problems, though no one believes it besides kids. Though, because Part 3 in the series is “1666” they are already telling the audience to believe before they even show evidence of magic.
I grew up watching slasher movies and would’ve killed (figuratively) to have a movie like this when I was young. At the center of the story are Deena and Sam (played by Kiana Madeira and Olivia Scott Welch), a pair of teen girls in love finding their way back to each other after they broke up when Sam moved to Sunnyvale and then, of course, started dating a jerk guy.
The kids of Shadyside have been dealt harsh hands steaming back to the occasional murder sprees known to happen in their town. This has given them a nihilistic sensibility when faced with the reality of a murdered classmate. They graffiti the bathroom with the witch’s motto, they drag stabbed dummies down hallways, they dress as witches for a vigil. These are signs of unhandled generational trauma. And when people aren’t healthy dealing with their trauma, they often turn to drugs which creates a booming business for Kate and Simon (played by Julia Rehwald and Fred Hechinger) who drug deal to make money so they can get out of the town when they graduate and support their family respectively.
The film blends comedy and horror while racking up a decent body count while only having one really gory death that happens in the big showdown. Many slasher movies start with sex but this movie takes its time before it has the teens give into their heightened hormones with the possibility of death hanging over their heads. When this happened, I did wonder how old Josh was supposed to be because when they introduced him, they had him behave immaturely, but he’s probably only supposed to be a year younger than the others. However, the highlight of this sequence, and what set it apart from other slashers, is that they had Simon engage in self-love.
They also had the group engage in a smart trap once they figured out the target of the witch’s henchmen. It wasn’t just run and hide; it was a well-reasoned plan based on the information they had at hand. However, magic was involved, so even their well-thought-out plan backfires. They do a Hail Mary attempt to all come out of it alive, one that they perfectly hedged in the first act.
When Sheriff Goode questions them, after the climax, about what happened, it’s sad because it highlights the futility they feel in Sunnyvale, in a system that believes they are bad just because of where they live.
It ends with a cliff-hanger that sets up the next chapter, which thankfully because of their release strategy we don’t have to what long to find out what happens next.
Stray Thoughts
Landlines ringing are the creepiest thing in horror films; nothing good can come from them.
I’m familiar with the Salem Witch Trials, so I know Goode was a last name during 1600s Colonial America, but with a name like that in a town like Sunnyvale, I can’t help but think he or his family got up to no good at some point.
Part 1 available now, Part 2 available July 9th, and Part 3 available July 16th on Netflix.
© 2021. UniversalCinema Mag.