I’ve always had a great hatred for horror movies, I don’t like being scared, and truly prefer anything else to the jump scares and peeking behind my hands that comes with watching a horror film. But, when I saw the trailer for Fear Street Part One: 1994, I knew I had to watch it. The series overall containing some of my favorite actors from one of my favorite shows Strange Things, and I *honestly* thought it would be a step scarier than Stranger Things but boy was I wrong, it was terrifying. To my surprise though, I didn’t hate the film. I found the storyline intriguing and easy to follow, which isn’t terribly traditional for a horror movie, but the excessively terrifying and gruesome nature of the film was a LOT for me to take in, and at the end of the day, I really had to think about whether or not the film was worth it. It was.
The film follows the life of a group of teenagers who realize that they have accidently encountered an ancient evil that has been plaguing their town with murders for years. The film features an all-star cast with Kiana Madeira as Deena, Olivia Scott Welch as Samantha Fraser, Benjamin Flores Jr. as Josh, Julia Rehwald as Kate, and Fred Hechinger as Simon. The film also features an appearance by Maya Hawke as Heather. The film is directed by Leigh Janiak and is based on stories by R.L. Stine
When I watched the start of this film, I was sure I would be watching two hours of pure horror, with little to no storyline, but that wasn’t the case. There was a fully hashed storyline that was intriguing and easy to follow, leaving you sitting on the edge of your seat wondering if you can guess what happens next. More than once; my dad and I looked at each other and exchanged guesses of what the group would do.
Even more surprisingly, I found myself wanting to watch the next films. Once again, I’m far from a horror film person, but because this film was laced with a hint of mystery that I hadn’t anticipated, I wanted to watch the next film, and the next film to find out more answers.
Of course, I have a few grumbles about the film. It seemed excessively gory, and some of the scenes were difficult to watch, leaving me with my hands sitting in front of my eyes, doing anything to shield them. Seriously, as I write this, one of the goriest scenes plays through my head, and it seems to be stuck in my brain.
Perhaps the most exciting part for me was the commonly unseen storyline. Amidst all of the horror and gore, a love story takes place between two young women, trying to figure out who they are, and what to do, in a world that doesn’t always accept them. It was a gentle and beautiful touch and made the film even better in my eyes. Tackling more than just a good film, but adding an unseen element to the storyline, that added a little bit of spice to the film.
Overall, I would never watch Fear Street Part One: 1994 again (it was scary). But, I will say that the film was well made, and somewhat interesting to watch, just really not my speed. If you are a horror film person I would definitely recommend it, especially if you love the 80s/Stranger Things vibe.