Fear Street Part 1: 90's Nostalgia To Die For
Film
Before I jump into anything, I will say I have not read the book series that the Fear Street Trilogy is based on, so I have no frame of reference concerning the source material. However I do enjoy myself some R.L. Stine, so maybe I'll revisit the ole paperback stacks in the near future.
It's easy to succumb to the ever-climbing expectations we place upon films that come out, especially the straight to streaming originals we see from Netlifx, Hulu, HBOMax, etc. And why shouldn't we? As the wise Tom Haverford would have it, you should treat yourself. So why not treat yourself to some grade A cinema??
Well, that's a slippery slope to start down. Mostly due to thinking a movie you're going to watch is something completely different than what was presented. To be honest, that's why I went into my Parasite theater experience completely blind to the plot, and it blew my mind.
Looking at the reviews come out about Fear Street Part One: 1994, it's clear that people were disillusioned about what this movie offers the horror community. I've seen plenty of complaining about the derivative nature of the film: "oh, this is just Scream but worse," or "this is just Stranger Things without Millie Bobbie Brown," or "this is some weird My Bloody Valentine."
Anyone who thought that after watching this film obviously let their mind run wild before watching what to me was a classic horror slasher film, but spiced up with some modernized film elements. I enjoyed this trilogy introduction film, and not because I went in thinking it would blow, but because I was aware as to what it was trying to acheive. This is a new way for us to consume not only horror films but movies as a whole, and it's flat out awesome. The sheer logistics of putting out a complete trilogy with each installment releasing 1 week after another is not only bold, but stupendously up-front. This is the antithesis of the Marvel strategy and frankly, it's beautiful.
No post credit scene that makes you excited about waiting 3 years for some additional hero film. No addition of some spin off TV shows that are trying to add into the universe. Overall, there's no bullshit.
What you're getting is some class R.L. Stine horror slasher films that wrap up in a concise 3 weeks. Understand that and you're gonna have fun watching these, or at least I did!
The first installment, Fear Street Part One: 1994, not only slapped me across the face with insane amounts of 90's nostalgia, but it also got me hooked enough to ensure that the brutal 3rd act would make me squirm.
Watching Deena (Kiana Madeira) and her little brother Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.) listen to their cassette player on the bus and chat on AOL, while mundane actions, reignite that flame of how fun those novelties were "back in the day." And now that I've made myself sound like a 55 year old man that just bought a Ferrari as part of my mid life crisis, I don't think I can ever get that perception out of your head.
Aside from 90's nostalgia, one of my favorite aspects of the film was the duality of the colors and their representations, at least in my mind, for our characters. For the rival towns Shadyside and Sunnyvale they use 2 colors that appear throughout the film, Blue and Red respectively. We see the struggles our characters go through, and the colors in the frame and in their wardrobe reflect these choices. A reoccuring theme I noticed with this duality is acceptance of one's self, where Blue represents being true to one's identity and Red denotes some sort of denial or escapism. That especially reigns true with Sam (Olivia Welch) moving from Shadyside to Sunnyvale, going from a Blue school to a Red school, and wrestling with her LGBTQ identity.
Of course there's plenty more aside from that to be discovered, and it may take a second viewing to even get it all! Not to mention, based on the end clip for the second installment, the color contrasting appears to be a consistent theme throughout the trilogy, with the campers in the second film being in Red and Blue shirts. Who doesn't love motif dedication?
So while the film is derivative - it's literally based on books, so everyone needs to chillax and enjoy it - I'd say the trilogy is off to a great start. Not to mention, get excited for the next two entries coming out, I'll definitely be checking them out!
Froth
Ok so my original title for this article was gonna be something like "Beer Street," which I thought was gonna be a super funny pun. But it didn't make too much sense given our Froth portion doesn't exactly account for most of the article. However, the beer I did have I am happy to talk about for a good long bit. One of the more fun breweries in Seattle is the Rooftop Brewing Company that, for as long as I can remember, has a sign outside their building that simply states "Beer Here!"
With this type of blunt marketing, namely being as surface level as it gets, I felt obligated to pair it with a movie that also needs to be consumed as a surface level as possible. I am, in fact, a self-proclaimed observationist horror connoisseur. Given that this is the first installment of a Netflix trilogy, I figured it served as a gateway to a couple more movies I will probably enjoy equally, if not more so than the first one. Therefore, if you're following my hop, skip and a jump analysis, it only makes sense that the beer I had with Fear Street Part One: 1994 is the Gateway Hazy Pale from Rooftop Brewing Company.
Maybe that's a bit of a leap but it makes sense to me?
Anyways this is another solid hazy pale ale that is swimming with tropical citrus flavor and has a great color to it, one that you know has a smooth finish. It also lacks any real bitterness that usually comes with pale ales, but I take that as a strength more than a weakness. While I do enjoy a little bitter taste, this was a welcome change and tasted wonderful.
Not only does Rooftop Brewing have "Beer Here", but if you're looking for a little spooky ambience, then know that Fear Street Part One: 1994 has some Fear Here.
Gateway Hazy Pale Rooftop Brewing Company Pale Ale - American | 5.8% ABV @rooftopbrewco
