Following the release of Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street Part One: 1994 in early July, the second film in the Fear Street trilogy dropped last week to serve as a throwback slasher bumper between the beginning and the story’s conclusion. The trailer at the end of the first film promised us a brutal and gory midpoint, and Fear Street Part Two: 1978 did not disappoint.
After the events of the first film, the remaining protagonists have found that escaping the haunting of 1600s witch Sarah Fier wasn’t as easy as originally thought. In the sequel, Deena (Kiana Madeira) and her brother Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.) take their possessed friend Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) to meet with C. Berman (Gillian Jacobs), one of the only known survivors from the witch’s possession attacks back in 1978. Berman recounts the brutal killings at Camp Nightwing, including the murder of her own sister.
We’re taken back to the ’70s and introduced to a young Cindy Berman (Emily Rudd) and her sister, Ziggy Berman (played by Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink). Ziggy is the camp troublemaker, while Cindy is the goodie-two shoes. When Cindy and her boyfriend Tommy (McCabe Slye) are randomly attacked by the camp’s Nurse Lane (the mother of another Shadyside killer, Ruby Lane, played by Jordana Spiro), kids around the camp begin to suspect she was possessed by Sarah Fier.
Cindy, Tommy, and some of their fellow campers investigate Nurse Lane’s house. They find the witch’s mark below, opening to a labyrinth containing the names of all the Shadyside murderers possessed by Sarah Fier. At the bottom of the list is Tommy’s name. Tommy then becomes possessed by the witch and goes on an axe-murdering spree through Camp Nightwing. Cindy, Ziggy, and the others must find a way to stop Tommy and the curse before he kills them all.
After the first Fear Street film, which I really enjoyed, this one hit on a more linear level, in a good way. I went in expecting the brutality of a classic ’70s-’80s slasher flick, which I certainly got, but I was also expecting the simplicity of those films. Fear Street 1978 built on what the first film started by giving the audience a solid underlying story involving the cursed history without getting convoluted. It wasn’t just the same rinse-and-repeat slasher stuff we typically get.
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The camp setting was a fantastic reminder of films like Friday the 13th or The Burning. Observant horror nerds may have noticed this was the same camp where Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives was filmed. It was great to see this old-fashioned horror setting with a more intense villain. Where those old-school slashers were a little slower and clunky, the axe-murdering Tommy Slater was far swifter and more vicious. He was much more reminiscent of the updated Leatherface or Jason from the reboots of the 2000s.
Although this is its own film, it’s hard not to compare performances and directing in a trilogy, especially one where the films are so entwined and shot so close together. The emotional connection to the characters in this film was much stronger than 1994.
Emily Rudd and Sadie Sink played the sibling parts extremely well, firing on all emotional cylinders when expressing equal parts love and disdain for siblings who don’t always see eye-to-eye. This emotion translates to the audience brutally once the sisters start experiencing their losses in this film. I will say that the ferocity of some of the kills in this film is high, so if gore or brutal violence normally has you feeling queasy, you may need to sit this one out.
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Like its predecessor, the lighting and camera work were top-notch, and this one won my heart with some truly stellar set pieces and shots. The scene where Tommy gains his mask is intimidating and feels iconic, placing him in the league of classic slashers. The score and soundtrack were also fantastic.
Marco Beltrami (A Quiet Place, Ford V. Ferrari) does a wonderful job of building suspense with his music. The score weaved impeccably in and out of well-known bangers from this era with hits from Neil Diamond, Blue Oyster Cult, and Kansas. For the vinyl fans out there, keep your eyes on Waxwork Records, as they are releasing a bundle score for all three films in the coming weeks.
It is impressive that Leigh Janiak was able to shoot such a different-feeling film yet continue the storyline from the first one almost seamlessly. I am extra excited for the third film in the trilogy, as period horror is difficult to do and often struggles to keep the audience’s attention. I have a feeling Fear Street Part Three: 1666 won’t have that issue.
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