Movie #184 2021: Fear Street: 1978 (2021)

Hey, movie lovers! You may have noticed that it’s been a while since I reviewed anything. The reasons behind that? Well, life got in the way. England no longer has any lockdown restrictions for the first time since March 2020 (rightly or wrongly), which means that my day job has unfortunately taken over once more. Other than that, as an unashamed Olympics obsessive, I’ve been glued to my TV screen rather than the cinema screen for the last week or so now.

So let’s dive into the second Fear Street instalment! I’ll be honest, it feels like an age since I actually watched this film, so you’ll have to bear with me as I may be a little rusty on some of the details.

In this sequel (which was released only a week after the first!), we are taken back to 1978, when the legend of Sarah Fier was already going strong. Set in the hilariously named ‘Camp Nightwing’, two rivals groups of high schoolers realise they must band together to solve the mystery of the horrors of their town’s history when a hooded murderer wreaks havoc throughout the camp’s grounds.

Someone tell me why the only thing I can think about during this whole Shadyside vs. Sunnyvale bullshit is Pawnee vs. Eagleton? Same vibes, right? I know I’m right.

Once again, the best thing about this is the banging soundtrack. The seventies just so happens to my one of my favourite musical eras, therefore it was right up my alley audibly. Bowie, The Buzzcocks, The Runaways… you catch my drift. As for other 1970s references? Apart from some mildly questionable outfits, there’s not much, sadly. It seems as though that all took a backseat and some of the style went out the window with this one, which is such a shame as the film’s director really tried to pack in a lot of nineties atmosphere throughout the first movie.

There’s something about the story in this one that’s a little lacklustre here too; major horror movie clichés are prevalent (the film takes place at camp, with a bunch of high schoolers being hunted by a mad axeman being the main one), but it’s relatively well made at least. The lighting and camerawork are technically sound, each working to keep the film interesting even though it’s basically your standard Jason Voorhees slasher. 

The main positive here? Sadie Sink. She is the shining star of this movie without a doubt. As with 1994, the other performances are absolutely fine, but that girl is a star. If anything, she wasn’t in it enough, which is pretty surprising as she’s the main poster girl here.

Overall, Part II was just as campy as Part I, but something about the pace and the story just wasn’t as entertaining this time round. Its 1970s nature is pretty fun but this one definitely isn’t as gripping. Even so, it’s rather well made and I’m still intrigued to see the final film!

Fear Street: 1978 is available to stream on Netflix in the UK.

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