Fear Street: Part Two- 1978

Starring: Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, Ryan Simpkins, McCabe Slye, Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr., Julie Rehwald, Matthew Zuk, Gillian Jacobs, Brandon Spink, Chiara Aurelia, Marielle LeBlanc, Eden Campbell, Ted Sutherland, Jacqi Vene
Directed by: Leigh Janiak
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Drama, Mystery
2021

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Camp Nightwing faces a supernatural threat when Sarah Fier's tomb spurs horrific events.

Review:

Tim: Although it was flawed, I enjoyed Netflix's Fear Street: Part One- 1994. I was excited a week later to watch the sequel, a movie that travels 16 years backwards in time. It was a novel approach to telling a longer story with a broader scope. I was intrigued to see what this film did with the "camp slasher" genre. While this movie is decent, it didn't quite feel as effective as the first movie. I know it got good reviews (arguably better than 1994), but I thought it wasn't quite as good.

The movie feels a bit jarring, as it mostly features a brand new cast. The cast of 1994 shows up at the beginning of the movie to serve as a bridge, but then we're introduced to the new cast. Leigh Janiak handles this well and the introduction to the new characters is much more seamless than you might expect. The film invests the time in character development so we get to know these characters, too. The problem is that these characters aren't nearly as effective as the ones in the first film. Sure, they're absolutely decent and we have some level of investment in their story. However, it doesn't feel as strong as in the first film. The characters here feel a little less relatable, a little more cliched. For a horror film that is set during a summer camp and features a hooded figure murdering teens, the film needed to prove smarter than the dozens of similar movies it's paying homage to. This probably happens, but it's not smart enough. It doesn't differentiate as much as it needed to. It feels like "yet another" film in this genre, verses something that is set apart.

The story is fairly decent, especially when it expands on the legend of Sarah Fier. That's when the film is at its strongest- when we learn more about Sarah Fier and the evil that inhabits Shadyside. This makes sense, but most of the movie doesn't focus on this. We have to get introduced to the new characters, understand their relationship dynamic, set up the antagonist, and go. It's a lot of time to set up the story and therefore, the broader themes only get a small portion of the total story. None of this is fatal, but it made the film slightly more effective in my mind.

I wouldn't say the cast was excellent, but the first film had similar issues. Sadie Sink is in the lead role. I'm still warming up to her on Stranger Things and I wouldn't say I loved her performance. It's obvious she has experience in this world, though and that shows up in her performance. She's fairly decent. Emily Rudd was okay, but not especially interesting. She plays the character that's on the paper, but she never elevates the character in any way. I didn't care for Ryan Simpkins. I've seen her in things when she was much younger and enjoyed her work, but it felt too forced and unnecessary here. She has a few nice moments, but her character never really clicked. I didn't feel the sympathy I was supposed to feel for her character. McCabe Slye was fine, but forgettable. Ted Sutherland did some good things and was one of the few cast members to really shine. It was nice seeing Gillian Jacobs for just a moment. I hope we get to see more of her. Jacqi Vene was solid in a smaller supporting role.

As a whole, I thought Fear Street: Part Two- 1978 was a decent film. It has some nice moments and intense sequences. It expands the Sarah Fier story in some ways, while giving us insight into events we just heard about in the first movie. This one felt more expected than the original movie. The cast isn't quite as good, nor are the characters. Still, it's decent enough to make me excited to see the trilogy conclude. In that way, while not a total success, the movie did enough.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Fear Street: Part One- 1994, Fear Street: Part Three- 1666