Written by Staff Writer, Dakota Hornak
*Spoilers below*
As fall starts to creep in, Netflix has released the horror trilogy “Fear Street” to kick off the season. Written by R.L Stine and directed by Leigh Janiak, we follow the town of Shadyside, Ohio and neighboring town Sunnyvale as high schooler Deena Johnson and her friends attempt to reverse the curse that’s caused Shadyside residents to “snap” and kill since 1666.
The first installment of this movie series starts in the year 1994 as we watch the Shadyside mall massacre begin. This is when the audience learns that the curse on the town comes from Sarah Fier, or, as she’s commonly called in town, the witch. Sarah took revenge on the town before her death in 1666, cursing Shadyville residents to suddenly go crazy and kill the innocent ever since.
Right off the bat, the cinematography used in the film was amazing. Each shot was well-thought-out and added to the suspense and thrill in different scenes. A lot of the angles and style of shooting were reminiscent of “Goosebumps” but with a more mature storyline and stronger characters. The sets also added a lot to the storyline. Filmed in Georgia, the outside locations for shooting were perfect for the thrilling feel the movie radiates; I also loved the sets like the mall which were detailed perfectly to feel like a real-life mall that was a part of my own town. It created a feeling of being involved in the film yourself.
As the movie continues, we meet Deena and her ex-girlfriend Sam after the two have a bad interaction, ending in Sam finding Sarah Fier’s grave during a car accident. This only kicks off their night as they, along with Deena’s brother and friends, face every now-deceased serial killer from Shadyside whose goal is to stop the group from reversing the witch’s curse.
A critique of mine for this storyline is that the speed of the action can make the story confusing, especially towards the middle of the movie. Despite it being well-written and very detailed, I got lost a few times when getting caught up in the action. Even though I was able to understand what I missed after a few minutes, the story is very quick moving and the cinematography can at times easily distract the audience away from important details.
Towards the end of the film, Deena and her group discover the only person who survived a massacre in town. After realizing they may need more help, Deena, her brother and Sam go on to visit the sole survivor, which then seamlessly leads viewers into the trailer for the second installment, “Fear Street: 1978.” This seamless transition from the end of the first part to the trailer for the second drew me even further into the series and instantly made me want to watch the second part.
Overall, this film focuses heavily on the quality of the shot and using the cinematography as an added layer to the story. The plotline itself is well developed and strong despite the few confusing moments where the suspense distracts from the details we are meant to be getting from the scene. It forces the audience to grow to love the characters and care about their well-being, and it perfectly sets us up for reviewing the next part of the trilogy, “Fear Street: 1978,” in the upcoming weeks, so beware, because you’re in for an even better scare.
