Fear Street - Netflix Horror Triology

[boom bazooka joe]

Though the deaths are a tad harsh/painful to watch.

They are worse in the second one dddd.

 

[lushLuck]

I really appreciate how ‘cruel’ some of the deaths are because I think it’s a testament to the writers creating characters I’m actually emotionally invested in before offing them, which can be so rare in slashers. It also truly helps in upping the stakes, which for me, is very important for the genre.

 

[boom bazooka joe]

I really appreciate how ‘cruel’ some of the deaths are because I think it’s a testament to the writers creating characters I’m actually emotionally invested in before offing them, which can be so rare in slashers. It also truly helps in upping the stakes, which for me, is very important for the genre.

I agree. I knew these would be R Rated, but I guess the R.L. Stone association had me thinking these would be a little tamer, so it’s been a pleasant surprise that these have been a bit rough. And I’m someone who won’t watch Saw/other torture porn-esque horror movies and these don’t seem particularly gratuitous, just visceral and aggressive in their violence and horror.

 

[Music Is Life & Death]

Just finished the first one and thought it was a lot of fun! I didn't grow up in the 90s so I know nothing, but it did feel very 90s to me. And the Scream vibe throughout was great. The opening kill especially felt very Casey-esque.

Spoiler

I think Deena and Sam are fine. I didn't get as emotionally invested in them as I wanted to be, but I'm glad this wasn't a case of the "bury your gays" trope, and hopefully it won't be by the end. I'm honestly pissed Kate died though. I loved her. I wish she and Simon had survived (I kinda found him annoying but he got more interesting as the movie went on). I will be curious to see if they'll be able to save Sam though.

Did they really "spoil" the entire second movie deaths in the end?

I'm about to start it, but we already know there's only one survivor so I'm fully expecting everyone else to be dead by the end which sucks because I wanna be able to get emotionally invested in characters and be nervous about their fates.
(You probably already watched it but I just wanted to voice my thoughts on this.)

 

[bonnieetclyde]

So... are the books worth reading or are they very much young adult and tame unlike these movies or do the movies just take the name and not actually anything from the books?

 

[Quimogen]

It draws on a number of books, actually, using names and scenarios, but it is an original story.

 

[Music Is Life & Death]

So... are the books worth reading or are they very much young adult and tame unlike these movies or do the movies just take the name and not actually anything from the books?

According to Wikipedia:

The Fear Street books take place in the fictionalized city of Shadyside, and feature average teenagers, who are older than the typical Goosebumps preteens, and encounter malignant, sometimes paranormal, adversaries. While some of the Fear Street novels have paranormal elements, such as ghosts, others are simply murder mysteries. Where the Goosebumps books have a few deaths, the deaths presented in Fear Street, particularly the sagas, are far more gruesome, with more blood and gore.

The title of the series comes from the name of a fictional street in Shadyside, which was named after the Fear family. Their name was originally spelled as Fier; however, after being told that the family was cursed and that the letters could be rearranged to spell "fire", Simon Fier changed it to Fear in the 19th century. The curse survived, however, and Simon and his wife, Angelica, brought it with them when they moved to Shadyside sometime after the Civil War. It all started in Puritan times when Benjamin and Matthew Fier had an innocent girl and her mother, Susannah and Martha Goode, burned at the stake for allegedly practicing witchcraft. The father and husband, William Goode, put the curse on the Fiers to avenge their deaths, bringing misery and death to the previously mentioned family

That's all pretty interesting actually. As much as I loved Goosebumps, I never read Fear Street. I feel like it's going to be the street that Deena and Josh live on.

Anyway, just finished the second one and absolutely loved it. Definitely better then the first, with better characters.

Spoiler

I was definitely thrown by the twist at the end with the sisters. Also, the guy who plays young Nick is verrryy cute and also he's a Stephen King fan so that's a plus. Kinda hope he and Ziggy end up together at the end of the third one.
Which speaking of, looks INSANE. I love that they're using the same cast and I can't wait to see everything unfold.

I do like that these movies have characters we care about, especially when they die.

Oh also, does anyone else think of Sunnydale when they hear Sunnyvale? It's probably the neighboring town in the books too but still.

 

[Hudvar]

I really appreciate how ‘cruel’ some of the deaths are because I think it’s a testament to the writers creating characters I’m actually emotionally invested in before offing them, which can be so rare in slashers. It also truly helps in upping the stakes, which for me, is very important for the genre.

Exactly this. Nasty demises for mean kids is one thing, but audiences should be made to feel things.

 

[lushLuck]

So... are the books worth reading or are they very much young adult and tame unlike these movies or do the movies just take the name and not actually anything from the books?

I haven’t read them since I was 12 or 13, and I honestly at the time remember them being really adult and scary. But there’s been a lot of discussion here about how the books are fairly PG-13 and the films have really upped the gore/horror in comparison. Perhaps I was just so young when I read them that they felt far more adult than I would find them now 20 years later, but at the time, the amount of graphic teen deaths in them really did a number on me (whereas the Goosebumps books felt like child’s play).

But as mentioned, the films are original stories that only make slight references to things from the book series.

 

[Duppe]

I much preferred Part II to the first. A large part of it was the setting worked way better and it actually felt like it was set in the time period it was meant to, the first didn’t capture the 90’s as well. The acting is on a whole other level compared to the first which made the characters way more likeable, I actually rooted for them in this one unlike in the first where I couldn’t care less about any of them. The main girl from the first (still don’t know her name she’s so bland) showing up really emphasised how poor her acting is. The tone was also much more consistent which was one of my main issues with the first.

Having said that the pacing was a complete mess. Nothing happened for 40+ minutes and then when I thought it was about to finish I realised there was still 20+ minutes left. I did find myself getting a little bored at points. Overall decent but not fantastic, but isn’t that the case with basically all Netflix movies?

 

[3:16am]

Jesus, the first one was so MOR.

Spoiler

But then the fucking Kate kill came and I was a bit... shocked? That was probably the point, but it was so cruel. I felt horrible... the real final girl. So little happened before and after. A Jurassic World Zara moment.

 

[j267]

I much preferred Part II to the first. A large part of it was the setting worked way better and it actually felt like it was set in the time period it was meant to, the first didn’t capture the 90’s as well. The acting is on a whole other level compared to the first which made the characters way more likeable, I actually rooted for them in this one unlike in the first where I couldn’t care less about any of them. The main girl from the first (still don’t know her name she’s so bland) showing up really emphasised how poor her acting is. The tone was also much more consistent which was one of my main issues with the first.

This. Just finished the second and it’s a vast improvement. In the first, I found the acting almost comically bad at times and it really didn’t feel like it was in the 90s at all. Just some zany, stranger-things-esque universe. 1978 is far more successful and immersive because of the acting and setting. Also, the protagonist is somewhat likeable.

 

[Hudvar]

So what contemporaneous bops are we getting for the 1666 soundtrack?

 

[silkandskin]

Gosh, 1978 was severed heads and shoulders above 1994, wasn’t it. Much better written, paced, and multiple characters to care about. I also totally appreciated how gleefully it killed the campers. A nasty edge that is quite refreshing.

I might’ve missed it, was it established which camper was Kate’s relation?

1666 looks like it could be incredible, too. Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?

 

[Soygirl]

Me and my sister were watching Part 1 and we turned it off 40 minutes in and watched The Babadook instead.

 

[bonnieetclyde]

So what contemporaneous bops are we getting for the 1666 soundtrack?

 

[Heretic]

So what contemporaneous bops are we getting for the 1666 soundtrack?

Here are some simply wonderful baroque era selections!

Most of it seems to be foreboding church music. . . hmm. . .

 

[4Roses]

 

[suitechicguy]

Finally watched 1978 and really enjoyed it. Much better than the first one. I know it took awhile to get to the slashing but it honestly didn’t drag to me and let us get to enjoy the characters some first and be more invested. The acting was better too and some of that music reminded me of Friday The 13th.

 

[lushLuck]

A bit of a shameless plug because I really loved this trilogy.