Review: Fear Street: 1978

Director: Leigh Janiak

Screenplay: Zak Olkewicz, Leigh Janiak, and Phil Graziadei

Year: 2021

Summer kicks off, and Nightwing camp gears up to host the youth of Shadyside and Sunnyvale. As the camp activities take place, one of the Shadyside residents is possessed by a witch. What was meant to be a summer of fun soon turns into slaughter and a fight for survival.

Those who have read my review of "Fear Street: 1994" last week will know that I stood in the middle with it. I enjoyed its visual flair and gore, but not so much its juvenile air or the countless holes in his script. My biggest concern was that these problems would repeat themselves for the rest of the trilogy. 

"Fear Street: 1978" is the second film in the Netflix trilogy based on the works of writer R. L. Stine with the same title. Although it presents a different story from the first film, its plot is strongly tied to the events of the first part. This second part shares the same director of the first, who will also serve in the third, but with a new team of writers, and this last change is noticeable.

While the story of "Fear Street: 1994" introduces many details that are later unimportant in its plot and makes it feel unfocused, the development of the plot of this second part is much more linear and coherent and with much more credible and appropriate dialogues for the characters. The visual aspect has the same refined style as the previous one, and the musical selection is used more organically.

As in the first part, “Fear Street: 1978” has the same juvenile style, which for some reason seemed much more bearable in this one. Even so, the gore is not lacking, which looks just as impressive as the previous one and somewhat inappropriate (in the best sense) for the type of audience it is aimed at. 

"Fear Street: 1978" is the second in the Netflix trilogy based on the works of the writer R. L.  Stine and that builds on the foundations of the first part. This second part is much more fluid than the previous, and the different team of writers seems to be the key to overcome the problems that affected the first. The visual style, juvenile air, and gore remain intact, and in general, it is a product far superior to its predecessor.