Note: This review will include some SPOILERS for both Part 1 and Part 2
The trilogy reaches its conclusion by showing the origins of the curse of Shadyside in Fear Street Part 3: 1666. Sarah Fier (Kiana Madeira) lives in the 17th-century town of Union with her brother Henry (Benjamin Flores Jr.) and father George (Randy Havens). Sarah is in a secret relationship with Hannah Miller (Olivia Scott Welch), daughter of Paster Cyrus Miller (Michael Chandler), though they are spotted at someone at night in the woods. The next day, the entire town is tormented by spoiled food and The Paster turns into a murderous zealot. In the aftermath, both Sarah and Hannah are accused of witchcraft by a mob lead by Mad Thomas (McCabe Slye) and Caleb (Jeremy Ford). Fleeing from the mob, Sarah takes solace with her friend Solomon Goode (Ashley Zukerman), before she learns the horrible truth of what is happening to the town.
Fear Street Part 3: 1666 is the conclusion of the trilogy directed by Leigh Janiak, based on the books by R.L. Stine. The plot of the film is divided into two distinct halves, with the first involving Deena (Madeira) being enchanted by the spirit of Sarah Fier (Elizabeth Scopel), who shows her how the events in 1666 leading up to the curse of Shadyside truly came about. With her knowing the truth, the action returns to the present in 1994, as Deena, Josh (Flores Jr.), and Christine “Ziggy” Berman (Gillian Jacobs) team up with local hustler Martin P. Franklin (Darrell Britt-Gibson) to hopefully end the curse once and for all and return Deena's possessed girlfriend Samantha (Welch) to her normal self.
After the highly mediocre middle chapter, Fear Street Part 3: 1666 course corrects enough to end the trilogy on a somewhat satisfying note, though it still isn't perfect. While it is an interesting gimmick to have all the members of the 17th-century town of Union played by actors seen in the previous two films, it is somewhat jarring hearing them speak in obviously put-on Irish accents. As probably would've been expected going into the film, it is revealed throughout the first half of Fear Street Part 3: 1666 that the century's old belief that Sarah Fier was responsible for the curse on Shadyside wasn't exactly the truth, with the film adding the added layer of her forbidden lesbian relationship with Hannah Miller being the catalyst for the literal witch hunt. There is a guilty party for the curse, however, and I feel dumb for not catching the hints in the previous two films.
Despite the title, Fear Street Part 3: 1666 returns to 1994 in its second half for an admittedly fun climax that has our protagonists, which includes a much-expanded performance by Gillian Jocabs as the adult version of Fear Street Part 2: 1978 protagonist Christine “Ziggy” Berman (Sadie Sink), descending upon the Shadyside Mall for a final showdown with all the town's historical killers, including “Skull Mask” (Noah Garrett), Ruby Lane (Jordyn DiNatale), and Billy Barker (Emily Brobst), among others. In fact, it is this section, featuring much black light and neon lighting, that almost makes the whole trilogy worth it.
So, the question now is whether Fear Street needed to be a trilogy in the first place? I truly believe that if you cut out most of Part 2 and some of Part 3, that it is quite possible that all three parts could've been edited together into a single film, even if it exceeds two hours. However, presenting Fear Street as three films marked one of the rare moments of weekly event programming on Netflix, though the original monthly theatrical plan, when the project was with Fox before the Disney merger, might have helped with hiding the formulaic nature of these films, particularly Fear Street Part 2: 1978, which is undoubtedly the weakest of the three.
I don't know if I plan on rewatching these films anything soon, but the Fear Street Trilogy was definitely fun while it lasted.
Fear Street Part 3: 1666 is available to stream on Netflix beginning on Friday, June 16, 2021
Related Links
- The Witch
- Midsommar
- Hot Docs 2016: Fear Itself
- Indie Spotlight: In Fear
- Toronto After Dark 2012 – A Fantastic Fear of Everything
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Trailer for Fear Street Part 3: 1666
