Fear Street Part 1: 1994
NETFLIXR.L. Stine is better known for the long-running series of novels Goosebumps: proper gateway horror for children, made even more popular by a TV show that lasted four seasons. Goosebumps fans may not know that Stine wrote another, more mature anthology titled Fear Street, counting over 200 stories! As is often the case, especially considering the commercial success of the 2015 Jack Black vehicle, studios saw potential in more adaptations of Stine’s work, with Netflix producing a trilogy based on Fear Street.
The streaming juggernaut is trying to turn this into a proper summer event, releasing each film a week apart in a way that resembles the release schedule of TV shows that Netflix itself killed off. It is unclear whether Fear Street should be seen more like a movie trilogy or a mini-series: while the runtime of each instalment is feature-length, the production quality more closely resembles that of expensive episodes.
Regardless, the first chapter, Fear Street Part One: 1994, captures the spirit of the novels while delivering a bloodier, more mature horror mystery that more closely caters to young adults than kids. This is an R-rated property through and through: people are murdered, curse words are spouted, sex is shown, and wounds generate geysers of blood and gore. Leigh Janiak (whose 2014 debut Honeymoon is quite underrated) directs her own script (co-written with collaborator Phil Graziadei and Kyle Killen) with much tongue-in-cheek energy: the visuals are colourful, the editing is quick, and the performances have an element of self-awareness to them.
It is straightforward to draw comparisons with the classic 1996 meta-slasher Scream, given how both that and 1994 open with a murder that kills off the most prominent cast member. Unfortunately, it is not quite as effective, and Maya Hawke’s overly jokey performance removes much of the impact of the sequence. It also does not help that the entire first act is an absolute mess, with song after song constantly being thrown at the viewer, giving them a tonal whiplash reminiscent of Suicide Squad’s opening hour.
Once the chaotic introduction to the group of teenagers of Shadyville has been completed, the narrative manages to find its groove. It almost feels as if Janiak grew more confident the more prolonged the shoot went on: the pacing slows down, the characters become more likeable, and the horror kicks in big-time thanks to a group of undead masked killers.
While the roster of characters features many archetypes, poking fun in a not-so-effective way at films from the ‘90s, some of their questionable character choices and ridiculous lines give way to more genuine moments of interactions. Among the young leads, Kiana Madeira and Benjamin Flores Jr. were the most convincing and interesting to follow. The level of diversity present in the cast and the surprisingly inoffensive presence of a lesbian relationship will help make this a popular series.
Throughout the 106-minutes runtime, attention ebbed and flowed as the characters meander from location to location, witnessing gruesome murders and trying to find a way to stop the supernatural entity that is hunting them. Is it repetitive? Yes. Is it tense? Not really. Only those very unfamiliar with the genre are going to get many thrills from this, and while that can be seen as a strong negative for some, bear in mind that this is the appeal of R.L. Stine: helping young audiences become accustomed to scary stories, traumatising them in a way that is never self-serious nor excessive. Janiak understood that, and she delivered.
All in all, Fear Street Part One: 1994 is a promising start to the trilogy. The central mystery and relationships will be of little interest to experienced horror viewers. However, younger audiences are likely to connect with it on a deeper level, and, just like Goosebumps, it might lead them to discover some of the significant influences on this trilogy, turning them overnight into new horror fanatics. If the following two chapters embrace the tone more coherently and adopt different styles to echo better the eras they are set in; this might as well be Netflix’s first successful horror property.