When the Fear Street films were announced, horror lovers were eager to sit behind a cushion with the lights turned off, ready to be frightened once again. Netflix took a unique approach with the trilogy, releasing one film per week for three weeks. This kept people on their toes and increased their interest in the storylines, and the fact that everyone was left on a cursed cliffhanger for a week ensured that interest remained high.
The Fear Street trilogy is a horror fan’s dream, following a deadly curse (by an accused witch named Sarah Frier) that has befallen the town of Shadyside in three different timelines: 1994, 1978, and 1666. The movies contain gore galore, a seriously bloody killing spree at a campsite, a lot of spooky witchcraft, and some major plot twists. Fear Street gave the horror genre a fresh and exciting spin while paying homage to legendary slasher films like the horror franchises Friday the 13th and Halloween.
Based onR.L. Stine’s book series, the writer of the Goosebumps novels, the retro slasher trilogy is directed by Leigh Janiak, also known for directing the 2014 horror filmHoneymoon, with Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie. The trilogy won some great and terrified reviews from fans, who were completely hooked on the movies saying things like, “I’m 9 minutes in, and I’m legit scared.” All three films are perfect for a horror binge, with excellent modernizations of the slasher tropes, but which film generates the most scares? Here is each Fear Street movie, ranked.
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3 Fear Street Part One: 1994
Netflix
Stranger Things meets Scream in the opening Fear Street Part One: 1994. The scene stunned viewers with an immediately shocking sequence of brutal killings in the Shadyville Mall. We learn from this that the town has been plagued by murder for centuries. The film follows a group of high school students who discover that the curse has returned, and they must battle the alleged witch who cursed the gloomy village after having her resting place disturbed when she unleashes a horde of undead masked murderers on the town.
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Fear Street Part One did a good job of creating the mood and introducing Sarah Frier’s curse on the town. It had just enough violent sequences, such as the bread slicer in the grocery store, to make us squirm and keep us coming back for a second movie. Despite this, because it was only the first installment in the trilogy, fans knew there would be more blood, even more terrible deaths, and higher levels of horror to follow and felt themselves just pushing through the initial movie, hoping it would really cut (or slash) to the chase. Some reviews have claimed it was slightly boring and, despite the strong opening, it was quite bloodless for a slasher flick. It seems that fans were thirsty for more bloody action that what the film provided. Nevertheless, horror fans are suckers for slasher movies, so we were intrigued enough to see who else would be violently killed in the second movie.
2 Fear Street Part 2: 1978
Netflix Streaming Services
All three of the Fear Street movies have gained a successful amount of praise from horror fans, but there were stronger aspects of the trilogy in the second installment, Fear Street Part Two: 1978.
The second installment has a great, familiar cast, and follows them as the past gets fleshed out. After she discovers the deadly curse placed on Shadyside, and then fighting to stop Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) from being the witch’s next victim, Part Two sees Deena (Kiana Madeira) and her brother (Benjamin Flores Jr.) seek help from C. Berman (Gillian Jacobs, of Community fame) about how to stop the curse. As a survivor of the Camp Nightwing massacre in 1978, C. Berman shares her story of the events. As we travel back to ‘78, we see a younger Berman, known as Ziggy (Stranger Things star Sadie Sink), who is tormented and bullied by her fellow camp mates along with her older sister Cindy (Emily Rudd). However, as an axe-weilding maniac goes on a killing spree and takes down one kid at a time, being bullied quickly becomes the least of her worries.
Part Two does give off perfectly gruesome slasher vibes, as if the elements of Part One were plugged into an amplifier– like many horror sequels, it was action-packed, with more murdering, more blood and guts, more tension and great acting, which is exactly what fans were craving. Though, it does slightly lack much contribution to the storyline. While “previously on Fear Street” does refresh viewers memories, it felt almost like a stand-alone teen slasher movie which didn’t seem all that important to the story of the curse. However, fans didn’t mind, as this installment is just pure horror and entertainment, with great pacing and excitement regardless of plot.
1 Fear Street Part Three: 1666
Netflix Streaming Services
Interestingly, the final installment of the Fear Street trilogy was the strongest. Fear Street Part Three: 1666 takes viewers back to 1666 to discover the origins of the curse. Sarah Frier, a member of the colonial settlement that eventually became Shadyside, was accused of being a witch when she was actually just involved in a forbidden love affair with a girl called Hannah. By delving deep into the past, the film entertainingly threw a huge plot twist onto the audience as it unravels the true meaning behind the curse. As viewers find out, it was actually Shadyside’s Sheriff, Nick Goode’s (Ashley Zuckerman) ancestor Solomon Goode in 1666 who made a deal with the devil, bringing the curse to Shadyside, and the truth was buried with Sarah Frier after she was hanged for her unrequited love.
This final part brought a satisfying plot twist and brilliant conclusion to the trilogy, and it was exciting to see the cast return as other characters in 1666. Although the Goode family twist had fans gasping with shock and definitely wasn’t expected, viewers felt their hearts break for Sarah Frier, and it sparked a lot of emotion when we discovered her fate.
In a final surprise, “1994: Part Two” appeared on the screen when, after learning the horrors of the Goode family, the ’90s teens were able to end the curse and put Sarah back to rest. Sheriff Nick Goode, who took over from his ancestor, was the current member of the family to perform rituals, launching the curse and murders upon Shadyside, and was eventually defeated. Deena and her friends put the town back in order and also saved her relationship with Sam, which is seen as a reflection of Sarah and Hannah but with a much happier ending.
It was a perfect ending to a horrifyingly exciting slasher-inspired trilogy. It was full of tension, a shockingly awful hanging, brilliant twists, and ultimately, something every movie fan loves and horror fans never expect, a happy ending.
