By: Teresa Acosta
“Fear Street Part 1: 1994” movie fails to capture the horror flick essence of the ‘90s that gave us so many classic slasher films.
Loosely based on the book series of the same name by R.L. Stine, “Fear Street Part One: 1994” completely misses the mark.
The first film in the proposed trilogy opens in a mall, at closing time, in the cursed town of Shadyside.
The beginning is a nod to the opening scene from the 1996 film “Scream.” Unlike “Scream,” the audience does not spend the entire movie anxiously trying to figure out who the killer is; the movie presents the killer from the beginning.
The film instead focuses its time on a circle of friends who act and speak like Gen-Z teenagers. These main characters try to stop the killer from collecting any more victims throughout the film.
During the 147-minute long movie, more often than not we are told that the movie takes place in the 90s. References to pop culture and a multitude of ‘90s songs are shoved down the audience’s throat one after another in an attempt to remind the audience of the time.
Some songs seem to only get through a few seconds before going on to the next. Instead of using this opportunity of having the ‘90s as a setting, it becomes a disappointing afterthought.
Because the book series and R.L. Stine himself is such a huge influence on the world of scary stories, the film fails to really capture and do justice to his work.
There was some saving elements in the film. The amount of blood and gore is flawless, and there are some very creative ways in which some of the victims met their demise.
This was just not enough to make the movie a winner. The series starts at the end and works its way backwards, giving the audience the sense that the next two films will be origin stories.
The three films were shot simultaneously so it is hard to know if the trilogy can redeem itself. The sequel releases July 9.