A Pleasurably Brutal Camp Slasher from 1978 – Update

If you’re thinking about starting on this series, I would suggest going into the whole experience as blind as possible. I know this is strange advice, since reading reviews should help you decide whether to give your time to certain films. However, there are a few twists built into Fear Street 1978, and because all the information I had going into this was content from the first film, I enjoyed it much more than some people who accidentally spoilt themselves from a trip to IMDb. Go out on a limb, take the plunge; trust me, you’ll enjoy yourself.

Besides the big slasher franchises that have gone on since forever, I haven’t been entertained by slasher flicks of late. Can you name me a good slasher film that isn’t tied to Scream, Friday the 13th, Freddy Kruger or Halloween? And truth be told, some of these franchises haven’t produced good films in a long time. Everyone went into a frenzy over the last Halloween film, but honestly, it was just alright. The whole film was just building towards a confrontation between Laurie and Michael Myers, and the rest was just filler kills.

What Fear Street excels at is the storytelling and characterisation. It does a decent job with the witch’s lore, with Sarah Fier’s name and tale known to every resident in Shadyside, and the films doing great work in gradually feeding us bits and pieces of the full story. The characters are also memorable and so well-developed. Every character, even the ones with minimal screen time, makes an impression on the viewer. I have never been so affected by the death of random characters that I barely know, and this is to the film’s credit.

So, you can imagine how much worse it is when a main character dies. Some of the kill setpieces for this film were truly horrific, with 1978 choosing to prolong the deaths of certain characters, drenching us in the gruesome sight until we are forced to look away. The pathos and tragedy of it all will sit with you after it’s over, as well as the urge to know the reason behind Sarah Fier’s curse.

While Fear Street Part One: 1994 was enjoyable, 1978 excels just a little more. Firstly, the soundtrack works better. Instead of just a jumble of tunes that switch around haphazardly, the music choices here are more intentional and fit in better with the scenes. David Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ was a particular stand-out (I especially like that they had Nirvana’s cover for the first film), and I haven’t been able to get the Runaways’ ‘Cherry Bomb’ out of my head since watching.

The biggest reason why this film succeeds is because of the two lead actresses, Sadie Sink as Ziggy and Emily Rudd as Cindy. Rudd and Sink play sisters, and they truly sell that relationship and the inherent conflict. Watching their characters and relationship develop throughout the film was a real treat, and I love how each of them were the furthest thing from a helpless scream queen. Cindy might be the best character I’ve seen in a slasher film – resourceful, tenacious, willing to admit her mistakes and own her flaws; basically just a goddamn boss.

Fear Street 1978 is a little more of a slow burn, with the kills coming much later, and the film taking its time to build the tension till all hell breaks loose. Compared to the first film, which lures us into a false sense of security regarding the characters’ fates, Fear Street 1978 never does this. You feel the danger right from the very beginning, and know that even the young ones won’t be spared.

I can’t wait to see how things conclude with 1666. You have me on the hook, Fear Street — don’t drop the bait.

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