FACE THE EVIL.
After a massacre at a mall in Shadyside, teenager Deena Johnson (Kiana Madeira), her closeted girlfriend (Olivia Scott Welch) and brother (Benjamin Flores, Jr.) realize that it’s connected to the town’s bloody history. The first chapter in this horror trilogy begins with an attack by a masked killer that looks like an inspired homage to Scream (1996); that goes for the music score as well. Intense, fun and unpredictable, the film is at its best when it serves up one immortal murderer after another (styled in ways that will amuse genre fans), chasing our teenage heroes who try to invent ways to stop them.
2021-U.S. VOD. 107 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Leigh Janiak. Screenplay: Phil Graziadei, Leigh Janiak. Novels: R. L. Stine. Music: Marco Beltrami, Marcus Trumpp. Cast: Kiana Madeira (Deena Johnson), Olivia Scott Welch (Samantha Fraser), Benjamin Flores, Jr. (Josh Johnson), Julia Rehwald, Fred Hechinger, Ashley Zukerman.
Trivia: Alternative title: Fear Street Part One: 1994. The trilogy was originally intended for theatrical release, but was first delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, then shown on Netflix. Followed by Fear Street: 1978 (2021).
