Movie Review
Looking at the source material, Fear Street is a book series for young adults. While Goosebumps was made for a younger audience, Fear Street felt more daring with blood, death and more gruesome scenarios.
Fictional Town
Like the books, Fear Street takes place in the fictional town of Shadyside, famous for its storied and bloody history of murders. In fact, it is constantly referred to as the murder capital of the United States. All these deaths were also left unexplained, repressed by society and commemorated in some ominous children's songs.
We flash forward to 1994 after a shopping mall massacre in which a young girl named Heather is killed by her friend Ryan. Rumors swirl about the identity of the killer, with a group of young people believing it to be the result of witchcraft. Sarah Fier. According to legend, she placed a curse on the city before being executed for witchcraft in 1666.
At the center of this bubbling conspiracy is Deena Johnson, who finds herself in a hectic teenage town. Their friends Kate and Simon sell drugs, while their brother Josh spends all his time texting his "queen" on chat.
Teenagers
As the film progresses, the teenagers struggle to avoid being killed and put an end to this perceived curse on the town and themselves.
Predictable Story
As slashers go, Fear Street's story is relatively predictable, but considering it's only part 1, the other two films seem like they'll delve deeper into the lore and backstory surrounding these characters and the town. For now, we'll reserve judgment until the whole story plays out. There are definitely some glimmers of hope when it comes to the storyline.
Where 1994 slips is with its tone, though. Given that this series is intended for young teenagers, the film retains this faithful background, but then bludgeons in 18 ratings, rich in profanity, graphic violence and blood to give the feel of an adult IP. It's completely weird and at times completely at odds with what the film is trying to feel.
If this movie toned down some of the swearing and limited the gore, it could serve as 12 fun pre-teen games. Even though it's 18 years old, this movie needs to be judged alongside other heavy hitters of the genre like Scream and Halloween. Fear Street doesn't even come close to any of these IPs.
Over The Top
Instead, Fear Street leans into 90s nostalgia and genre tropes, exposing you to sonic blasts from the past. Sure, it can be underpowered, but here it feels completely over the top, and it's almost a cynical gripe to keep you engaged rather than a genuine nostalgia hit.
Characters
This is also reflected in the characters, who do not act or feel like the players in 1994. There's same romance here, which is definitely nice, but the movie never makes it an integral part of the plot, and the others just use slang terms.
Clichéd acting and contrived, silly decision-making is fine—it's a hallmark of the genre, after all—but the film makes no attempt to actually make its characters likable. With the exception of a few, almost everyone feels excruciating to watch. I get that this is a point about slashers to some extent, but when your hero is this nasty, you have a problem.
Plot Holes
That's to say nothing of the numerous plot holes and outlandish motives that betray character development. Ultimately, this all comes down to the main point I'm trying to make here. Fear Street was supposed to be a 12 rated slasher.
All indications are that it's a fun teen movie here, but instead Fear Street Part 1: 1994 puts on its big boy pants and uses every cliché and tendency in the book. Instead of taking a trip down Fear Street, what we get is a boring trip down clichéd slasher lane.