Fear Street Part 1: 1994 Parent Guide

Shadyside has a long, dark past full of inexplicable homicides. So the brutal murder of the unfortunate Heather (Maya Hawke) at the hands of Ryan Torres (David W. Thompson), a fellow employee at the mall, comes as no great surprise to anyone. These things just seem to happen in Shadyside. And since Ryan was shot by the police when they arrived, there’s no ongoing threat to the public. When Deena (Kiana Madeira) and her friends find themselves hunted by a killer wearing the same mask, they assume it’s just someone playing copycat…until the mask falls off. Underneath, bullet hole and all, they find Ryan Torres. Even for Shadyside, undead murderers are a bad sign, and as Deena and her friends try to stop the slasher they find that Shadyside’s past may have more to do with its present than they thought…

The biggest problem with this movie is one of target audience confusion. The goofy characters and silly premise indicate that this is marketed at teenagers, much like the R.L. Stine novels on which the film is loosely based. However, the deluge of gory violence and extreme profanity make this an unlikely favorite with parents, who would undoubtedly prefer that their offspring pick something a touch less gruesome.

But if you’ve got enough lingering nostalgia for your teenage years and an appreciation for sloppy slasher flicks, this could be a real winner for you. The R.L. Stine books came out between the early 90s and about 2005, and if you grew up reading them, that will likely add some nostalgia value for you. I certainly remember seeing them on the shelves at my junior high school, although if I’m being honest, I was still working my way through the more kid-focused Goosebumps books. What can I say, I was a nervous kid.

That said, don’t go into this expecting any new or groundbreaking additions to the genre. This is strictly a high-octane love letter to classic slasher movies, and that’s all it wants to be. Realistically, that’s all it needs to be. Trying to pack too much more into this gore-fest would just clog up the carnage machine. You don’t need any nuanced political commentary, you don’t need any poignant social satire, all you need is about 200 gallons of fake blood, some big knives, and a creepy mask. You know, standard Halloween supplies for a standard slasher flick.