Based loosely on the Fear Street books by R.L. Stine, Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is the first in a trilogy of movies from director and co-writer Leigh Janiak (Honeymoon, Scream: The TV Series). Whereas Stine's popular Goosebumps books were for the child and preteen crowd, the Fear Street novels featured teenagers and had somewhat more mature content. That's reflected in Fear Street Part 1: 1994, which is rated R and shows teenagers cursing, hooking up and being horrifically killed as they run from a couple of deranged, possibly possessed, killers. Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is a perfectly fine throwback slasher horror movie, but is weighed down by setting up the rest of Netflix's trilogy.

In 1994, a group of teens in Shadyside, Ohio get mixed up in an ancient evil, making them the targets of reanimated killers from their town's past. Deena (Kiana Madeira) is trying to get over her ex Sam (Olivia Welch), who moved to the neighboring town of Sunnyvale and who insisted they keep their relationship a secret. Deena's friends Kate (Julia Rehwald) and Simon (Fred Hechinger) are drug dealers looking to get out of Shadyside. When the teens are attacked by a recent, presumed dead killer, they turn to Deena's brother Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.), who's been studying Shadyside's murderous past and has his own theories for who's responsible - namely, a long-dead witch named Sarah Fier. As they try to survive the attacks of multiple killers, they dive deeper into Shadyside's past and learn more about what's been plaguing their town for 300 years.

Related: Everything We Know About R. L. Stine’s Fear Street Trilogy

Sam and Deena hiding in Fear Street: Part One: 1994

Janiak directs Fear Street Part 1: 1994 from a script she co-wrote with her Honeymoon collaborator Phil Graziadei and a story they created with Kyle Killen (Mind Games). Though Part 1: 1994 is clearly meant to be an homage to 90s slasher movies, it feels hamstrung both by its need to follow in the footsteps of its forebears and its role in setting up the whole trilogy. Like classic 90s slasher movies, Part 1: 1994 opens on a brutal initial murder - featuring Maya Hawke in a small role similar to Drew Barrymore's in Scream (and Bella Thorne's in Scream: The TV Series) - but then it dives into establishing the mythology of Shadyside and Sarah Fier. It bounces back and forth between world-building and slasher horror sequences, following in the vein of 90s movies by offering a somewhat meta approach to the genre. But the ending doesn't quite stick that landing and instead sacrifices any cleverness for sequel setup, making for a frustrating non-resolution to the story.

Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is neither a simple slasher movie, nor does it really work as a standalone film, leaving too many unanswered questions for it to be taken on its own. Instead it's more like an overlong pilot in a very limited TV series - for better or for worse. Certainly, movies don't need to tie up every storyline and plot thread into a neat little bow by the end, but when even the main story is left unresolved, it pushes the bounds of expectations. It's no doubt the result of Fear Street Part 1: 1994 being the first part of trilogy, so Janiak had the benefit of knowing she would get to continue her story in two more films, which meant she was able to approach it in a different way than a movie with no guaranteed sequels. As the lines between movies and TV become ever more blurred in Hollywood, the Fear Street series is another project muddying the waters. It could have been a limited series or a movie trilogy depending on what the creators decided to call it. They just happened to choose movie trilogy.

Fred Hechinger, Julia Rehwald and Benjamin Flores Jr. in Fear Street Part One 1994

Still, those unanswered questions pertaining to the mythos of Shadyside and Sarah Fier are what make Fear Street Part 1: 1994 more than a simple slasher film. These questions, along with the young cast and their characters, offer a somewhat unique entry point to the genre as it sets them up as slightly less expendable than in a typical horror movie. The young cast is fine enough, with Madeira a standout as a different kind of final girl in Deena, and Hechinger as the comedic relief with a heart of gold in Simon. Perhaps what's most entertaining about these characters is the way they break from the standard horror archetypes, making them particularly fun to watch. So much so that it is both disappointing and heartening to see Fear Street Part 1: 1994's ending frustratingly follow convention only to then break away from it. It all sets the stage for another twist on the horror genre in Fear Street Part 2: 1978, though hopefully the sequel will better meld its homages and fresh ideas.

All that said, Fear Street Part 1: 1994 is worth checking out for those interested in Netflix's horror trilogy - but any viewers expecting to be able to watch only one movie, or watch them out of order should be aware this series is clearly meant to be viewed all together in the correct order. In that way, it's very much like a serialized TV show and not like the typical horror movie franchises that offer standalone films amidst an overarching mythology. So those interested in investing their time in the full Fear Street trilogy would do well to check out Part 1: 1994, but it's not necessarily a must-watch. Fear Street Part 1: 1994 isn't the more original or engaging slasher horror film, but it's entertaining enough for a spooky good time at home.

Next: Fear Street Part 1: 1994 Trailer

Fear Street Part 1: 1994 starts streaming on Netflix Friday, July 2. It is 105 minutes long and rated R for strong bloody violence, drug content, language and some sexual content.

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