(movie review)
Please note: This review contains minor spoilers for Fear Street Part One: 1994 and Fear Street Part Two: 1978. Fear Street Part Three: 1666 is the third and final installment in a trilogy of films in the slasher horror genre, released on Netflix over the course of three weeks during the summer of 2021. The movies are based on the Fear Street book series written by R.L Stine. Just like part one and two this film was directed by Leigh Janiak.
Fear Street Part Three: 1666 picks up where part two ended, and for only a brief period we are back in 1994 where Deena (Kiana Madeira) and her brother Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr) try to end the Sarah Fier curse once and for all. Then Deena flashes back to the year in the title, 1666, where she becomes Sarah Fier. She relives Fier’s final days through her eyes, where she learns of Fier’s secret and forbidden relationship with a woman named Hannah (Olivia Scott Welch) and the deadly consequences this results in. She also learns what actually happened back then, and how the Sarah Fier Curse can finally be broken.
Some familiar faces from Fear Street Part One: 1994 and Fear Street Part Two: 1978 pop up here, playing several 17th-century characters. And because Deena is reliving everything through Sarah Fier’ eyes, this makes perfect sense. As with the previous parts director Janiak manages once again to get very strong performances out of everyone involved.
Fear Street Part Three: 1666 is as much a sequel to part one and two as it is a prequel, with the first hour taking place in the year 1666, and the final hour taking us back to 1994, back to where it all began: The darkly lit Shadyside Mall with its many fluorescent neon lights. Throw some super soakers, a carefully laid out plan and a wide variety of killers in the mix, and you have one hell of finale.
“Throw some super soakers, a carefully laid out plan and a wide variety of killers in the mix, and you have one hell of finale.”
This final installment in the Fear Street trilogy has some notable differences with its predecessors. Fear Street Part One: 1994 was obviously a take on Scream and Fear Street Part Two: 1978 was unmistakably a take on Friday the 13th. With part three it’s not that obvious what this movie is a take on. One could argue The Witch, but somehow that doesn’t really fit the bill. Also gone are the many references to past horror classics that were present in part one and two. Stylistically this third act also looks and feels very different. Were the first two films can be described as campy or even hokey at times, this third film, well at least the 1666 part that is, feels very dark and grim. And finally while there were hardly any parents, or adults for that matter, present in part one and two, in 1666 everyone’s parents are there and are a big part of this section of the story.
Despite their titles, the three Fear Street movies aren’t truly separated by decades or centuries: Their storylines and timelines blend into each other. While each movie on its own is an enjoyable film in the slasher subgenre, the three of them combined where each film builds on the one before makes for a very clever interconnected trilogy full of fun, hokeyness and twists and turns. The saying the whole is greater than the sum of its parts was never more true when it comes to this trilogy, and I can highly recommend watching all three of them in chronological order.
While this third act of the story does indeed manages to wrap things up, we all know evil never dies, and with this being on Netflix I fully expect a return visit to Fear Street sooner rather than later. Just take a close look at those part three closing credits and you will know what I mean.
My Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
- Media Format: Streaming (Netflix)
- Question: Which entry into the Fear Street trilogy did you enjoy the most? Cast your vote on the poll below!
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