Fear Street Part One - 1994 Review: Adrenaline-Fueled Slasher Flick with a Vintage Feel

Netflix is releasing a film trilogy based on R.L. Stine's best-selling Fear Street horror series.

The first film is Fear Street Part One: 1994, in which teens Shadyside and rival community Sunnyvale unwittingly unleashing an evil force that has terrorized Shadyside for 300 years.

Shadyside is the wrong side of town, mired in centuries of dreadful circumstances that plague its residents, earning the nickname Killer Capital, USA.

Its sister city, Sunnyvale, has been coined the most beautiful place to live in the US, safe and crime-free for over 30 years.

The contrast is evident as another tragedy befalls Shadyside when several are killed in a local mall massacre.

In very short order, events unfold that require Shadyside High band member Deena (Kiana Maderia) and her erstwhile Sunnyvale cheerleader girlfriend, Sam (Olivia Welch), to work together to combat the supernatural force terrorizing them.

Along for the ride are Deena's brother, Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.), and their friends, Kate (Julia Rehwald) and Simon (Fred Hechinger).

Fear Street Part One: 1994 catapults the audience back to the '90s with its opening massacre with a nostalgia factor showcasing books by Jackie Collins, Stephen King at the B Dalton bookstore, and kitschy mall shops like Spencer's Gifts as backdrops for the action.

There are verbal connections to Poltergeist and Jaws and visual callouts to Scream, Dawn of the Dead, and Halloween.

The film trilogy may be honoring the landscape created by R.L. Stine, but filmmakers used the entire arsenal of references and tropes at its fingertips.

That's not to say Fear Street fans will be disappointed. Although the audience for these R-rated films is older than the young teen market for the novels, they'll be in familiar territory as Shadyside's history unfolds.

Callbacks to the towns are only part of the fun, and the original Fier family has a significant role in terrorizing Shadyside.

From the very first frame, Fear Street Part One: 1994 gets your adrenaline pumping, never letting up.

The body count increases dramatically at a good pace, and the kills are straight out of the horror movies that proliferated the '70s through the '90s.

It doubles down on its slasher roots with every shape and size of blade slicing and dicing anyone who gets in the way.

Instead of relying on jump scares, Fear Street Part One: 1994 uses a sneak attack approach, with the violence catching you off-guard as much as it does the characters.

One of my favorite things about Fear Street Part One: 1994 is that these kids withstand a lot during battle.

Shadyside has had its fair share of troubles, but the victims are never the same, so most of what they know is through local lore.

The latest murder spree requires everyone to work in tandem, formulating a risky plan that might not even work, injuries be damned.

They're feisty and fast and exactly the kind of kids you root for, but they're not perfect.

Coming from the wrong side of the tracks gives them the skillset they need if only they can harness the power those skills provide.

When you're struggling to survive day-to-day, you don't always recognize how helpful the little things can be in a life-or-death situation.

The nonstop action still allows a little time for young hearts to connect. Facing death gives them the courage to make moves that might never have seen the light of day otherwise.

It's a cohesive cast that plays off of each other's strengths. They're having fun, and the general atmosphere that elicits keeps even the most gruesome kills on the lighter side.

This is vintage teen slasher stuff, not the sadistic underpinnings that came later with flicks like Saw.

Like Stine's books, the mystery is layered, but it still manages to cast a rather Friday the 13th-like spell. Following clues and uncovering the malevolent spirit mirrors understanding Jason's motivations, right down to the timing.

Fear Street Part One: 1994 introduces the myth that will be followed in Fear Street Part Two: 1978 and Fear Street Part Three: 1666, promising a fully realized story arc with a rich history.

Stine's books never connected, so this format is a treat for everyone, new and old fans alike.

This trilogy should garner a large audience. Stine's fans and fans of classic horror flicks alike will all get a kick out of what this team has crafted.

Fear Street Part One: 1994 drops on Netflix on July 2 at 3/2c.

Will you be watching?

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.