This post is coming a bit later than I would like. I am posting this after coming back from Megaplex and mostly writing it before I leave! Why? Because I cannot allow myself to prioritize correctly! Wooohoo!'
Fear Street: 1978 is the second installment in the Fear Street Trilogy that was released on Netflix this summer. For those of you who kept up with my last post, you know I set out to review the first movie of this trilogy last week. And as I said in that review, this series only gets better as it keeps going along. This film is a high point of the series, particularly because of it's actors. Most people will probably recognize Ziggy's actress, Sadie Sink, as Max from Stranger Things. And she and the others did an amazing job with this movie.
There will be spoilers in this review. I will withhold as many as I can! ALSO! FEAR STREET IS NOT FOR CHILDREN! ALL THREE MOVIES INCLUDE DRUGS, SEX, GORE, MURDERS, AND TONS OF PROFANITY.
Rather than just follow the kids from the first film, this movie mainly focuses on the story of the Berman sisters, Ziggy and Cindy at Camp Nightwing in 1978. The story is told by a woman named C. Berman, a woman who was introduced in the first movie as someone who had encountered the witch, Sarah Fier. The survivors from the first film break into her tightly locked shelter desperate for any advice or knowledge of how to shake off the curse. So she relays what she remembers from her time at the camp.
Camp Nightwing is a camp where the two towns, Shadyside and Sunnyvale, can coexist and enjoy summer together. Ziggy is a camper at the camp, while her sister Cindy is a counselor. Ziggy isn't too cool with being at the camp, nor being around her sister. So this gets her in trouble from time to time, as she acts out. She is targeted relentlessly by campers from the Sunnyvale group. The sisters have animosity between them as Cindy seems to want to be above being a Shadysider, while Ziggy scorns her for what she sees as idiocy. Ziggy believes in the curse of Shadyside, while Cindy thinks if she lives a nice good life she can escape the misfortunes of their home town.
The concept this movie brings up a lot is the difference between the two towns. With the curse of Shadyside, there is the flipside of the successful Sunnyvale. People from Sunnyvale (with one exception, sort of) are portrayed in this series as snobbish and very entitled. Meanwhile Shadysiders are more resigned, renegades, or escapists. There is an obvious bias against anyone from Shadyside which comes up more prominently in this film than the first. There is also a symbolic element to this concept throughout the movie, one I almost didn't catch until the second go-through. (I cannot say though. SPOILERS.)
The movie expands the idea of Shadysiders' just snapping. We are introduced to the killer of this movie before he even snaps and becomes the Nightwing Killer. He is Cindy's kind and innocent boyfriend and fellow Shadyside councilor, Tommy.
Vinnie! Stop! Spoilers!
Believe it or not, this is not a spoiler either. The movie lets you know he is the killer and makes you watch as he slowly comes under the influence of the curse. Actor McCabe Slye shows great range as the nice boy Tommy in his slow descent into the devil's grasp.
This movie also shines light on another killer's backstory from the first film. Ruby Lane, a young girl who took a razor to her friends, her boyfriend, and herself. The girl's mother is the camp nurse, a character we actually end up seeing in all three movies. (The acting in this series in amazing.) The troubled woman is only in a few minutes of this movie, but you see the pain of a mother who didn't understand why her child just snapped. She had gone looking for the truth and found it... Unfortunately in trying to prevent the curse from taking another victim, she gets knocked out of commission before any of the bloodshed starts.
There are two other standout characters in this film. The characters of Nick Goode and Alice.
Nick Goode appears in the first film as the Sherriff of Shadyside. I didn't mention him in the first film as he didn't really have a part in that in that film other than appearing in the opening scene and playing the roll of the police who don't buy the character's testimonies. In this film though, he is a lot more grounded and actually a super likeable character. He is a young camp counselor, introduced as a Sunnyvaler who is slated to take the roll of Sherriff after his father's death. He is mostly associated with Ziggy, and takes a liking to her after he saves her for getting burned by b*tch supreme, Sheila and is able to relate to her with Stephen King and other things. The chemistry the two have is amazing and it feels very genuine. He obviously was not my favorite with the existence of other better characters but he was decent nonetheless.
Speaking of better characters, we have Alice. Played by non-binary actor, Ryan Simpkins, this character is by far one of the best in the series. Alice has all of the workings to be a character thoughtlessly murdered in the beginning of a camp slasher. Drugs, Sex, Rock N' Roll, antagonistic towards the likeable good-girl, Cindy. But Alice is given extensive backstory that ties to the way Cindy is. Ryan Simpkins shows the best range here for Alice, going from silly, to angry, to terrified. Alice and Cindy's dynamic in the film is one of the most realistic parts of this film. Their relationship is a testament to the way Shadysiders handle being in a "cursed" town. Some, like Cindy, try to live life as good as they can in hopes of escape. And some, like Alice resign themselves to the town and just try to live while they still can. Alice turns out to be a really quick thinker and is actually a main part of the reason the plot moves forward for them.
C. Berman. Yes. I can see your shocked expressions. I am well aware. I do want to talk about Gillian Jacobs' character in this movie. This is what I expect a survivor of a serial killer to look and act like. OCD and Paranoia. The idea of the safety of self over others; the resigning to people thinking you are crazy. This is very reminiscent of the Laurie Strode we got in the 2018 Halloween sequel. You only see a handful of her in this movie, but she demands attention with every second of her dialogue.
A final comment before I get to reviewing everything I hated and loved. This movie answers the question of what happens is Jason killed campers. The movie had Tommy killing counselors and campers alike, (Though with the campers, they were killed off-screen. I appreciate that the movie didn't want to go too dark with the carnage. It deepens the dagger into Shadyside's hopelessness. The curse can affect anyone.)
Downsides to this film? My gripes only really surround Nick. There's a budding relationship in this film between Ziggy and Nick and it's made VERY clear that Nick is a counselor and that Ziggy is a camper. I am not sure how the ages are in this film so that element is a bit awkward there? Nick is clearly at least a year older than Ziggy but it is weird. Also why are there no other adults at the camp ground. There is usually some higher up person that actually looks like they're old enough to be a head counselor. All these counselors in this movie looked rather young (except for the nurse) and they seemed to be in charge of the whole camp.
Upsides? Other than those things, this movie was pretty good. This was a tried and true 80's slasher and you could tell. We got more lore into the curse and the backstory of Sarah Feir, and the beating heart of this mystery is coming into clear view. Alice, Cindy, and Ziggy make for great characters, each embodying a different aspect of final girl energy! Tommy was super likeable which made everything worse. The tension between the kids from both towns made you want to see every Sunnyvale kid burn, but the movie didn't want to give it to you. It knows what kind of movie it is, and it really delivers.
Overall! I give this movie a 9/10. Not much explanation needed here. It is very clear that I love this one.
There is one more part of the trilogy, which I will cover later. Hope you guys have a good night!
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