I know that Spooky season is “over” now. But I still haven’t finished watching all of the spooky, scary, and gory movies that I wanted to watch this month. Today, though, I want to talk about three movies that I’ve watched at least four times since it came out. Netflix released three movies in quick succession earlier this year: Fear Street 1994, Fear Street 1978 and Fear Street 1666. And they have quickly become some of my favorite movies. If you haven’t watched them yet, I highly recommend that you do. (This is not sponsored. I just really liked these movies.) (Slight spoilers ahead!)
The trilogy follows two girls — Deena and Sam — and their friends as they try to fight back against evil serial killers in their town. But, there’s something even more sinister at play and dark forces work against them. These movies have everything that a scary or slasher film buff could love. There’s gruesome killing, great music, lots of suspense, and lots of screaming. However, the thing that I enjoyed the most about these movies is that they have an actual storyline that connects all three films — and it stars Sarah Fier, a witch that made a pact with the Devil to take revenge on the townspeople. Throughout the films, we are taken on a journey to try and stop the killers that Sarah Fier is sending from beyond the grave. But is that what’s actually happening? Could someone or something else be behind it? That’s where the third film comes in. In 1666, we learn what really happened to Sarah Fier and what’s really been going on in Shadyside and Sunnyvale.
The real magic of the movies, though, in my opinion is the cast and the characters that they play. These films feature people of color as protagonists, that don’t die first! They feature LGBTQ+ members…that don’t die at all. And all of the actors are extremely talented. I felt all of the deaths and emotional moments. And I was genuinely happy to see my favorite actors from the first two films show up in the last one as new characters. Kiana Madeira, Olivia Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr., Sadie Sink, Gillian Jacobs, and the rest of the trilogy’s cast members gave award winning performances. It’d be a waste not to see them.
But, if you’re not swayed by good acting, storytelling, or gore, these films also have pretty great relationships and love stories. Most of the characters are teens, so it stands to reason that even though they are narrowly escaping death by the minute, they always leave time for romance. Deena and Sam have a great “ride or die” relationship and there’s even a steamy moment or two between them. Ziggy and Nick from 1978, have a great fling that extends into longing in 1994. And there’s even a moment where Josh finally gets the girl he’s had a crush on, Kate, in 1994. Not to mention the very passionate but forbidden romance of Sarah Fier and Hannah Miller in 1666. These films really do have it all!
Hopefully by now, you guys can see why I’ve watched these films so many times. I, honestly, can not get enough of them. At first, I watched because I’d seen Kiana Madeira in a couple of other shows/films and just wanted to support her work. But now, I watch for Sam and Deena, Sarah Fier and Hannah, and the perfectly timed comedy. Yes, the films are way more gruesome than one might think going in. But, what can you expect from the film adaptations of R.L. Stein’s books? The Fear Street Trilogy is a great one to watch any time of the year. But you should especially watch it now, before we move on to Thanksgiving. You won’t regret it.