Last time we went back to 1994, this time we're going to summer 1978.
Hey, everyone! I’m Marianna, this is Impression Blend, and today
I am back with another “Fear Street” review - Netflix is treating us to a summer of horror,
so this weekend we have the second installment in the trilogy: “Fear Street Part 2: 1978”.
If you missed my review of “Fear Street Part 1” - I will of course have a link for you right here,
as well as in the info box below, but let’s talk about Part 2.
So, while we pick up right where the first movie left off, still in 1994, the second part
quickly turns into one big flashback, taking us to Camp Nightwing in summer of 1978,
and walking us through a series of events that led to a massacre.
As you have probably guessed, Sarah Fier and her henchmen are involved.
As far as this movie being a sequel goes - this is much more of a prequel that serves
to flesh out a couple of characters we briefly encountered in the first movie.
While the story IS framed by that 1994 timeline, we see it at the beginning of
the film and at the end, there isn't really that much progress made on that storyline.
There IS an important element to this that seems like it's really going to play into that third
film and the resolution of everything, but for the most part, this is mostly
just a prequel that adds to the murderous history of Shadyside.
I'm assuming that Part 3 will be what brings the origin story of Sarah Fier and the
1994 timeline to a resolution, with Part 2 acting as a bridge between the two other timelines.
And speaking of the timeline, you guys might remember from my previous review
that the first movie didn't really capture the 90s, despite being set in 1994.
Now with "Fear Street Part 2" being set in 1978 there is a similar situation going on - they're
definitely going for the visual aesthetic over capturing the spirit of the time.
I obviously cannot speak confidently about what it was like being a teenager in the 70s
because I just don't have first-hand experience with that, but even to me it really seemed like
these teenagers and their dialogue were very much updated for the modern audience.
If by chance any of you grew up in the 70s - let me know if this movie
actually captures the spirit of the time.
The other thing is that the slashers this movie draws inspiration from
are not 70s slashers - they are 80s slasher classics.
We're talking "Friday the 13th", "Sleepaway Camp", a little bit of "The Burning" - things like that.
I was a little bit surprised it didn't lean into things like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"
or even "Halloween". Maybe there's a little bit of "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" there,
but for the most part this feels like early 80s.
Also, aside from the visual and trope-centered callbacks to those classics,
the movie echoes some things from Part 1, which was done intentionally to illustrate that idea
of history repeating itself for the viewers.
I will say, the pacing in "Fear Street Part 2: 1978" works better than it did in the first movie.
It does take a bit of time to get going, the setup in the beginning definitely
could have been tighter, but overall this sequel is paced better and flows better.
Part of that has to do with the killing spree: it's more focused in the way it's presented,
and the killer is also somebody we get to know a little bit in the beginning of the film,
so it's not immediately just a faceless, masked villain.
Even though it's the same idea as in the first movie, a regular person being compelled by
Sarah Fier, and not doing this out of their own free will, it still helps that we know a little
bit about who this is and what this person's relationship with the rest of the characters is.
Plus, the kills themselves stand out more.
There are quite a few gruesome moments in this film,
and I do believe the body count is a little bit higher.
There is an intensity to this killing spree throughout essentially the entire
second half of this film which the first movie had only in a few scenes.
On the other hand, I don't think the cast is as strong here as a whole, and that is on top
of the fact that both movies don't have the most complex and interesting characters to begin with.
The standout here is of course Sadie Sink, who plays Ziggy. She is great,
and by far the most memorable performance and character in the "Fear Street" movies so far.
Ziggy definitely reminded me a little bit of Max from "Stranger Things", but here Sadie
Sink plays someone a little bit older, a little bit angrier, a little bit more cynical even.
The rest of the cast is not bad here, they're pretty good, but she just stands out so much more.
So, in the end "Fear Street Part 2: 1978" is a pretty fun time, but just like the first movie
it's not going to offer you anything that's going to truly impress you or blow your mind.
A few of you mentioned in the comments of my previous review that Part 1,
while it's nothing incredibly special,
is still good "popcorn entertainment" for horror fans, and that absolutely goes for Part 2.
If you enjoyed the first movie - you're likely to enjoy this one as well.
If you had issues with the first movie - you're probably going to have the same
issues here, or at least most of the same issues here.
There absolutely was room in Part 2 for characters that are more memorable and complex,
for a deeper look at slasher tropes, for an interesting subversion of those tropes.
This could have been better.
But, it's not a bad film either,
especially if an homage to 80s slasher classics sounds like a good time to you.
I WAS a bit on the fence here as far as the rating goes because I DID like "Fear Street Part 2"
a little bit more than the first movie, so I was almost leaning towards a 7 out of 10.
But I think I'm going to stick with a 6 out of 10,
partly because I just don't think this film does enough to deserve a solid 7, but also because
the quality between the two films is very, very similar.
Even though I've been pretty middle-of-the-road on both of these films, I'm still looking forward to
Part 3, and I'm actually really curious how are they even going to be able to pull off
what should mostly be a period piece, considering what they've been doing with the 90s and the 70s.
I feel like it could turn out to be unexpectedly good or be a complete fail,
but I would say my expectations are pretty tame at this point.
And what about you? Have you been keeping up with the "Fear Street" trilogy? Have you seen this
sequel yet? Did you prefer it to the first movie? Let me know what you think in the comments below!
But that's it for this video, thank you guys so much for watching!
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