Netflix kicks off R.L. Stine’s ‘Fear Street’ saga with a splash

Is there any feeling that comes close to watching the first kill in a horror movie? The slow build, the tight frame, the creepy music and finally — YIKES.

Buckle the heck up, because you will not know peace for the next two hours. Netflix’s Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is like getting on your favorite rollercoaster — you might know the bumps, turns, and drops, but you’re in for the ride because you just know it hits.

Based on the Fear Street novels by R.L. Stine, the movie saga tells the story of Shadyside, a positively Stephen King-esque town plagued by centuries of random murder that may or may not be caused by a dead witch’s curse. Part 1 is written by Leigh Janiak and Phil Graziadei, with story by both writers and Kyle Killen. Janiak will direct all three films; Part 2: 1978 drops on July 9 and Part 3: 1666 on July 16.

Part 1: 1994 introduces us to the Shakespearian conflict between Shadyside and Sunnyvale, the polished Eagleton to Shadyside’s bloody Pawnee. At the center of that conflict are Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Sam (Olivia Scott Welch), Shadyside exes who reconnect at a vigil after the first spate of murders. Along with Deena’s brother Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.) and best friends Kate (Julia Rehwald) and Simon (Fred Hechinger), they make up the core squad of Fear Street 1994.

Sam (Olivia Welch) and Deena (Kiana Madeira) put their past aside to escape a bloodthirsty killer in “Fear Street Part 1: 1994.”
Credit: netflix

Fear Street may disappoint horror purists, but there’s something deeply satisfying about its formula. We recognize the buildup and beats, the pops of humor (“Did they get back together?” Simon asks as Deena and Sam run by, shrieking and covered in blood), and the horny interlude. It’s the perfect tone for the kind of horror movie that doesn’t terrify but constantly entertains. The pacing results in a one-hour-47-minute runtime that feels as rich as a film twice that length, yet flies smoothly toward its bloody final act.

A cast of relative unknowns, unencumbered by the baggage of recognizable faces, gives Fear Street the edge needed to become a classic Netflix cult hit.

It’s serendipitous that the film opens in a mall with Maya Hawke from Stranger Things, a show that draws on artistic and narrative influences of the 1980s the way Fear Street honors I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream, and other ’90s horror hits. The young cast deliver solid performances of recognizable teen archetypes, feeding off the ensemble’s energy while giving each other plenty of moments to shine (there is not nearly enough Darrell Britt-Gibson, but when is there ever?).

A good script doth not a horror movie make, as connoisseurs of the genre know; but it doesn’t hurt. 1994 plays to predictable horror elements but with a tight structure and fresh vision. Despite the size of Stine’s sprawling texts, the film artfully weaves in new storylines and mythology, enticing viewers to piece together Shadyside’s haunting history.

The warm palette of Caleb Heymann’s cinematography pops, and Marco Beltrami and Marcus Trumpp’s score bolsters everything along with copious ’90s needle drops.

With Janiak helming the entire trilogy and working with a largely overlapping cast and crew, Fear Street will have the kind of cohesive vision that few film anthologies enjoy. The weekly drops make it the closest Netflix has ever come to dabbling with appointment TV, building anticipation between each installment. We’re only getting started, but we can’t wait to go back to Shadyside.

Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is now streaming on Netflix.