Directed by Leigh Janiak. Written by Janiak, Phil Graziadei and Kyle Killen. Based on the books by R.L. Stine. Starring Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr., Julia Rehwald, Fred Hechinger, Ashley Zuckerman, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Jeremy Ford and Jordyn DiNatale.
Plot: after a series of brutal slayings, a group of teens face an evil force plaguing their notorious town.
We open with Heather, who works at B. Dalton’s book store. God, I remember spending a lot of days there. The nostalgia was nice. Anyway, Heather ends up being killed by her friend Ryan and then Ryan gets killed by a cop. Turns out Ryan has killed a few people in the mall. People think Sarah Fier, a supposed witch from 1666, placed a curse on their town and possesses people so that they kill. She herself was executed and she’s pissed, rightfully so.
We then follow the main protagonist, Deena (Madeira), who doesn’t believe in the witch, but whose brother, Josh (Flores Jr.), does. Deena is estranged from her girlfriend, Sam (Welch) who recently moved to the neighboring and much more prosperous town of Sunnyvale. Sunnyvale and Shadyside – where Deena lives – are always at odds. Fighting on and off the football field. And sidenote: Deena’s best friends, Simon (Hechinger) and Kate (Rehwald) are selling drugs to eventually help get themselves out of Shadyside. Bad idea in our opinion.
Later, when Deena’s house is broken into, she thinks it’s Peter (Ford), Sam’s new boyfriend, but it isn’t. And they soon find out that the truth is far more sinister when Peter is killed right in front of them. Turns out killers from the past have started coming back to kill a whole new group of people.
Now, people say that this new saga is inventive and ground breaking and wonderful. Well, we disagree. While I liked this one movie a little bit, I’m a die-hard and long time fan of the Fear Street books and I don’t think these movies did them justice. If you know of the books, you’ll also wonder why this saga isn’t about the Fier’s and the Goode’s fighting. And you’ll wonder where Angelica is. And you’ll miss them. Like I did.
The killer’s were creepy, the kids were good-looking, the acting was good, the pace was nice and the effects were just great. But the motive sucked and the characters weren’t all that likable, except Josh – Josh was cool. And like I said, it really didn’t hold up to the source material. While I say maybe you should give it a small shot, DJ doesn’t even think you should do that much.
I suppose I could list my favorite movies here, but instead I'll give you a strange glimpse into what makes me TaraRomero.
1. I met George Romero. He was the kindest and sweetest man. He talked to me for longer than he should have with the line getting longer. He also held my hand. And when he noticed the ladybug I have tattooed on my wrist, he said he liked it and asked me it's name. Till then, it had not had a name. Now, I call him George.
2. I love stickers. All stickers. I just adore them. I even ask for stickers for Christmas! As a matter of fact, the birthday that just past, every member of my immediate family gave me sticker packs as gifts. Affordable and extremely appreciated.
3. I have never put much stock in astrology or horoscopes, but I LOVE the magic of the MBTI. Omg. I am an INFP and it actually sounds just like me. Introverted mostly. Creative always. Heart before head and not the most logical. Totally me! For better or worse.
4. It's no surprise I count horror so high up on the list of things that make me, me. However, it's so within my soul that I was part of the Horror Club in college. Interesting bunch. And even took a Horror Lit class as an elective. I got an A.
5. Coffee always makes me happy. Always. I'm particularly fond of caramel macchiatos. But I'll drink black coffee if it's the only thing available.
6. I hate shock for the sake of shock and endings that depress me. I always mention the movies Within (2016) and the Eli Roth produced, written and starred in, Aftershock (2012), as proof of this distate I have. I abhor the idea that just because I like horror, some people think I'd actually praise a movie that lets you think the "Final Girl" just made it through the night, only to slap her in the face with a tsunami.
7. We are big time animal people. I mean, if I could, I'd have an elephant, a bear, a zebra, a penguin, an otter and a meerkat, living with me. Seriously though. We have 2 dogs right now and 2 cats. Both cats we picked up when they each came to our front door hungry. And both dogs we got from 2 different sets of neighbors. Both who, unfortunately, don't know how to care for pets long-term. But they're happy and healthy now!!
8. Revisiting my love of horror, one of the above cats, my cat, is a little black guy named Church. Because Pet Sematary. His middle name is even Pascow. To give credit where credit's due, the name was DJ's idea. But he loves horror too!
9. I'm big into art. Along with movie posters and an Anne Frank quote, I have some actual paintings on my wall. I really think Dali paints beautifully when he wants to. And if I don't get to see Michaelangelo's Pieta in person some day, I will be very disappointed.
10. Lastly, I find Emily Dickinson's poetry intriguing. I took an elective course about her as well. But do you know I injected horror even there? I was given a poem to dissect and I picked one on death, of course. Then, I researched old "Death Photos" and even printed out copies for everyone in the class. They were so interested in looking at them that it stopped them from all looking at me, and I was able to deal quite well with my stage fright. Haha
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