Movie review: Fear Street: Part Three - 1666

Fear Street: Part Three - 1666 has Deena returning to 1666 where she learns the truth about Sarah Fier and the night that cursed Shadysiders forever. Meanwhile, in 1994, ther fight for survival and Shadyside's future continues.

Kiana Madeira (Sarah), Ashley Zukerman (Goode), Gillian Jacobs (Adult Ziggy), Olivia Welch (Hannah), Elizabeth Scopel (Real Sarah), Benjamin Flores Jr. (Henry), Randy Havens (George), Julia Rehwald (Lizzie).

Fear Street: Part Three - 1666 finally brings us to the truth about Sarah Fier and the beginnings of the Shadyside curse. With Deena now in 1666 as Sarah, the friends struggle to reunite Sarah with her hand in 1994 with hopes of breaking the curse. As the story unrolls quite a few loose ends and connections are explained, though the timeline movement remains a bit confusing. Once again, once characters and plot are in place, the film takes on a good pace through to the end.

Acting was again solid with Madeira, Zuckerman, Jacobs, Rehwald, and Flores returning again and once again delivering well. Havens, Scopel, and the remainder of the supporting cast were enjoyable and solid.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are again nicely done with good variety and a reasonably solid feel. VFX and physical effects also remain consistent and fitting. Dialogue continues to have decent depth and move things along, while the varied soundtrack remind us of the storyline timeframe.

Fear Street: Part Three - 1666 does a decent job of wrapping up the franchise. Acting, technical work, and plot remain consistent with the franchise once again. And again, those who enjoyed the first 2 films should enjoy this film and the storyline conclusion.

With a fair amount of sexuality,  plenty of violence, gore, foul language, and potentially disturbing images and scenes, this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2021
Reviewed: 10.25.21
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Teen Screams, LGBTQ Films, Horror Series, Mystery

copyright ©2021 Dave Riedel
 

Movie review: Fear Street: Part Two - 1978

 

Returning to Shadyside, this sequel takes place in 1978 when school is out for the summer and Camp Nightwing is welcoming their summer campers. But when the legend continues and another Shadysider is possessed by the urge to kill summer camp turns into a real fight for survival.

Sadie Sink (Ziggy), Emily Rudd (Cindy), Ryan Simpkins (Alice), McCabe Slye (Tommy), Gillian Jacobs (C. Berman), Kiana Madeira (Deena), Benjamin Flores Jr. (Josh), Ted Sutherland (Nick Goode).

Fear Street: Part Two - 1978 begins with C.Berman as this sequel is tied back to the original, though the timeline is more than a little confusing. The Shadyside curse has followed the Shadysiders to Camp Nightwing where the carnage continues when a camper becomes possessed by the urge to kill. With the plot now in place, the story becomes about survival and solving the curse before everyone is killed leading to a fairly fast moving ride to the end.

Acting was once again pretty good with Sink and Rudd both delivering well in a variety of scenes. Simpkins added nicely and delivered well, as did Slye, Jacobs, Madeira, Flores and the remainder of the supporting cast many of which returned in their previous roles.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are again nicely done with good variety and a reasonably solid feel. VFX and physical effects also remain consistent and fitting. Dialogue continues to have decent depth and move things along, while the varied soundtrack remind us of the storyline timeframe.

Overall Fear Street: Part Two - 1978 is an enjoyable sequel consistent with the first film. This installment builds on the main plot while adding nice depth to the storyline and characters. Those who enjoyed the first film should enjoy this one.

With a fair amount of sexuality,  plenty of violence, gore, foul language, and potentially disturbing images and scenes, this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2021
Reviewed: 10.25.21
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Teen Screams, LGBTQ Films, Horror Series, Mystery

copyright ©2021 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Fear Street: Part One - 1994

Following a series of brutal slayings, a group of teens realize town folklore is real. Setting out to fight an evil force that has plagued their town for hundreds of years. Welcome to Shadyside.

Kiana Madeira (Deena), Olivia Welch (Sam), Benjamin Flores Jr. (Josh), Julia Rehwald (Kate), Maya Hawke (Heather), Charlene Amoia (Rachel), Ashley Zukerman (Goode), Jeremy Ford (Peter), Noah Garret (Skull Mask).

Based on the books of the same name from R.L. Stine, this first installment of the trilogy begins nicely with some character introductions and storyline setup before shifting smoothing to the main plot. The story, unrolled in reverse in the trilogy, builds depth quickly while entertaining as only a teen scream can. Things move along at a brisk pace without excessive focus on the horror with a preference for drama. This first film doesn't quite finish as expected, but does leave us ready for more.

Acting was entertaining with Madeira doing a decent job, as did Welch, and the two seemed to work well together. Flores fit his role well, as did Rehwald who delivered nicely. Zukerman was appropriately dark and suspicious, while Ford delivered nicely. The remainder of the cast was solid.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are nicely done with good variety and a reasonably solid feel. VFX and physical effects are integrated well and the film flows nicely. Dialogue has good depth for the genre and moves things along, as does the focused and enjoyable soundtrack.

Overall Fear Street: Part One - 1994 is a good start to the trilogy. While a younger cast and dialogue point the series toward a younger audience, the full-length film approach and storyline spanning all 3 episodes grabs older audience attention as well. Those who enjoy modern horror flicks should enjoy this series.

With a fair amount of sexuality,  plenty of violence, gore, foul language, and potentially disturbing images and scenes, this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2021
Reviewed: 10.24.21
Star rating: 4 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Teen Screams, LGBTQ Films, Horror Series, Mystery

copyright ©2021 Dave Riedel