Fear Street Part One: 1994

Slasher horror films, have been a part of my childhood. My earliest memory of seeing a slasher horror film was in 1986, when my grandmother Maj rented the American slasher horror film A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy´s Revenge. This was actually the first time i was introduced to the legendary horror icon character Freddy Krueger ( i did see the first film later on ). At that time, i thought A Nightmare On Elm Street 2 was really scary ( i was only 9 years old ), and i especially remember the school bus scene in the beginning of the film, when Freddy Krueger ( brilliant played by legendary actor Robert Englund ), drives the school bus ( as it seems as if he is driving the bus, straight to hell ). A very effective way to begin a film, and that scene still works today. Looking back at A Nightmare On Elm Street 2 today, i can honestly say it´s not the scary slasher i once thought it was. Of course, when you are 9 years old, it´s not so strange why that film affected me the way it did, but i still enjoy the sequel. That this film is also known as the gayiest horror film ever made, is actually quite funny. I can understand why, some scenes are ( very gay ), but that´s part of the charm with this film. As i was getting into my teenage years, i started discovering a lot more slasher films such as Friday The 13th, Halloween, Terror Train, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and many others. I remember that i especially went out to VHS stores to see all the Friday The 13th films, because i loved the horror character Jason Voorhees. One of the Friday The 13th films that i really enjoyed during the late 80´s, was Friday The 13th Part 6: Jason Lives, directed by Tom McLoghlin. This is a really fun slasher horror film, where Jason Voorhees do a lot of nice brutal kills. I remember seeing this film uncut from England, since one of my school friends André managed to get a copy through another friend Jonas, who have travelled to England to get uncut horror films ( since most of them were censored really brutal on VHS releases). A cult classic, to a great slasher franchise. Speaking of slasher films. it seems that the slasher genre continue to find an audience through teenage slashers, just look at the Netflix Tv series Slasher, that have turned out to be popular. I have not seen this TV series so far, but i plan to check it out. I have been reading a lot of promotion for the Netflix produced film adaptation of Fear Street Part One: 1994 ( based on the book on the same name by author R.L. Stine ), a slasher film that is the first in line, with two more coming out this summer. Since i am a fan of the slasher genre, and author R.L. Stine, this seemed like a interesting idea for a slasher film. Is this one of the best slasher films this summer, or is Fear Street Part One: 1994 overhyped in social media?

In 1994, Heather Watkins ( Maya Hawke ), a bookstore employee, is murdered by her friend Ryan Torres ( David W. Thompson ). After murdering her and several mall employees, he is shot dead by the police. The media report the massacre, and Shayside, Ohio, is now known to be the murder capital of Unites States. Many of the Shayside teenagers believe that the witch, Sarah Fier, who placed a curse on the town before being executed for witchcraft in 1666, may be behind these murders. Deena Johnson ( Kiana Madeira ) does not believe in the witch, but as the killings continue with the same masked killer, she is not sure what to believe.

One detail that i found myself thinking about, is a little bit over 9 minutes into the film and the song Im Only happy When It Rains, by legendary American rock band Garbage is being played. A really good 90´s song, just that it was not released in 1994, it came out in 1995 ( i bought the album back in 1995, and played that CD like a maniac ). I get it, they thought the song would match that scene, and i have no big problem with the scene itself, But since we are talking about the year 1994, maybe a song that was released that year ( or earlier ) would have matched even better. The songs that comes later in the film, ( almost ) manage to get the time period right, so it´s not a big issue. Anyway, let´s continue with my review. This film definetely feel inspired by the 1996 film Scream ( that was huge back at that time, from legendary director Wes Craven ), and you can feel the atmosphere of Scream in the slasher scenes ( without copying the film in any way ). There are some good acting in this film, and it is the strongest characters that makes this film work. The characters in this film are very divided, and i especially enjoy two characters. Let´s begin with the main character Deena Johnson ( played by actress Kiana Madeira ), she is a tough girl, with the right kind of attitude, and does not let anyone mess with her. Kiana manage to capture the feelings of this character, in a realistic way. Sheriff Nick Goode ( played by actor Ashley Zuckerman ) is actually one of the few characters who manage to capture the 90´s look through his police costume, and he does a good job with portraying the character. One of the issues i have with Fear Street Part One: 1994, is that this film does not have a lot of 90´s influences thrown into the style of the film. You don´t feel the 90´s as much as i hoped for. Where are the classic VHS stores, comic book stores or Arcade game halls that you could find everywhere in the 90´s ? Not even the school itself looks very 90´s. Considering that TV series like Stranger Things have captured the 80´s so well, i think this film would have been even more fun if they have taken the 90´s influences to a whole different level, and actually tried to capture the time period. As a slasher film though, i would say that Fear Street Part One: 1994 do offer some fun horror moments, that feels like a throwback to classic slasher films. If you are a fan of this genre, i have a feeling that this is a film you want to check out. Definetely worth a watch, if you are in a good mood for bloody kills. Anyone have a kitchen knife i can borrow? I thought i would go and trim some.....bushes outside....i promise, i will return it.

Rating: DDD