Fear Street Part Two 1978 (FS 1978) is a sequel to Leigh Janiak’s first film (FS 1994), adapted from the novel series of the same name by R.L. Stine. The film now stars Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, Ryan Simpkins, and the first two cast of the series, Kiara Madeira and Benjamin Flores. Netflix released this second series a week after the first series, and the third series will be released next week.
To help Sam, Deena and Josh try to find a survivor of the 1978 mass massacre, C. Berman, aka Ziggy. Berman then told how the details of the incident took place, where he, his sister Cindy, and a schoolmate at that time were on summer vacation at Camp Nightwing. Starting from a strange incident when a nurse intends to kill Tommy, Cindy’s boyfriend. Unbeknownst to Ziggy, Cindy and her friends were dragged into a curse by the witch Sarah Frier, which one by one killed the students there.
Again, the film’s plot is a tribute to Friday the 13th (1980), whose setting is now similar to Camp Crystal Lake. The slayer was also identical to Jason Voorhees. Compared to the first series, FS 1978, there are many quality improvements, both in terms of story and tension elements. The setting, which is only limited to the camp environment, has also been successfully built to impress the story. We know mass murder will occur, but the plotline can create mystery and suspense with a different tone from the first series. It’s like we’re watching a whole new movie. Several sides of the puzzle in FS 1994 are now also answered in this sequel.
Apart from its now more solid script, 1978’s FS was helped a lot by the performance of all the castings that played well, especially Sink and Rudd, as the two Berman sisters. They all make the story very convincing and make it easier for us to dissolve into the plot. The scene is also much better, especially in building a tense action with a threatening situation. This kind of tension I could not feel in the first series. Even brutal and sadistic acts, there are still many presented that will satisfy fans of the genre.
1978’s Fear Street Part Two still provides a nostalgic sensation of its genre with a slight improvement from the first series. This sequel, it seems, gives us an answer about the aesthetic approach of the filmmaker, which was intended as a tribute to the slasher films of his era. Today’s jump scare techniques, such as the Conjuring series, we have never encountered in the horror scenes. All the methods are conventional or old school, making the tension side more real, not surprising. Even though it’s not on the same level as the tribute films, the concept of this trilogy is still brilliant for today’s audience. We are waiting for the third series, Fear Street 1666, next week.
