North Texas Daily

Netflix has been known for its “hit or miss” persona, and the track record backs it up. We have received groundbreaking shows like “Stranger Things,” but then Netflix would turn around and make “The Kissing Booth.” With streaming services constantly looking to outdo competitors, we have reached a crossroads where creativity is valued over everything else. Netflix’s “Fear Street Part 1: 1994” starts the new wave of streaming creativity by setting up an entire horror trilogy that will release over the course of three weeks. It is a horror movie that pays homage to some of the classics but also manages to find its own footing. Horror films about teenagers comically dealing with the forces of evil don’t pop up as much as they used to, but I am so glad this film decided to revive the subgenre.

Sometimes you have to learn to run before you can walk, and this movie takes that saying to heart. It starts at full speed and doesn’t slow down for anything. Pacing is calculated to fit the movie, and it works wonders in this film. The horror genre has been run by movies like “Midsommar” and “The Lighthouse” for the last couple of years, and while there is nothing wrong with that, sometimes I want to sit down with some friends and go on a fun, yet horrifying, escape. The film thrives from speaking directly to lovers of the genre, and even if you aren’t the biggest horror fan, it is easy to invest in the plot and characters.

Our main character in this film is Deena, played by Kiana Madeira, and she does a good job making sure the story moves along. This was one of those movies where none of the characters stood out to me, except for the hilarious Josh, portrayed by Benjamin Flores Jr., who stole every scene he was in. I love a perfectly done sibling dynamic in horror movies, and there is a strong presence of the dynamic throughout. Horror movies do not thrive off of performances, but good performances can transcend a horror movie. This movie has its issues, but none of it stems from the acting.

There are still problems within the movie. I don’t know who oversaw the soundtrack for this film, but they went overboard with pretty much every second of it. Sometimes scenes would have songs playing over them, and then completely transition into another song with no time to breathe in between. It was passable at first but became extremely annoying after the repetitiveness truly settled in. There were also some awkward cuts and transitions that would make any video editor raise an eyebrow. The good news is those are as far as my problems go with this movie, but the bad news is those tiny problems build up immensely and almost took me out of the movie a couple of times. There have been some complaints with the story, but since it is a whole trilogy coming out over the course of three weeks, I won’t have any major gripes until the whole story has concluded.

This movie deserves all the love. The film knows exactly what it is, and it shows you should be engaged. There was a beautiful display of practical effects, and by the end, you knew this film was made by people that truly appreciate the horror genre. There are wacky moments that are far from realistic, but that is the horror I love. If the next two movies fail to progress the story competently, at least “Fear Street Part 1: 1994” is a film fans of the genre can enjoy endlessly.

Final rating: 4/5

Courtesy Netflix