Fear Street Part Two: 1978, directed by Leigh Janiak, is the latest entry in Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy. Building on its predecessor through the framing device of the characters from Part One: 1994 hearing its story from Gillian Jacobs’ C. Berman, a character introduced in the previous film as the sole survivor of a murder spree 16 years earlier.
The sequel, like its predecessor, is set between Shadyside, a quiet town with a simmering rage and a history of gruesome murders linked to a witch who was hanged in the 17th century, and Sunnyvale, their more fortunate neighbours. This second entry takes place in a picturesque and busy summer camp away from the centre of Shadyside but still clearly in the shadow of its history. Along with this new setting, we are introduced to ZIggy Berman, played by Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink, a lonely girl who is tormented by fellow campers. Through Ziggy as our point of view, we are introduced to the rest of the cast including her sister Cindy (Emily Rudd) and her boyfriend Tommy (McCabe Slye). The events of the film are set in motion when Cindy stumbles upon an aged shrine where Tommy is prophesied as the town’s next killer, setting him on his rampage and placing the couple on an emotional collision course.
Part Two immediately feels like a departure from the first because of this change in location. The claustrophobic and heavily populated summer camp provides a very different energy to the oddly sparse town in the first. The alien social structures and personal dynamics of the setting introduce new tensions and conflicts that feel like a potential barrier to the communal goal of survival. In one of the film’s earliest scenes, Ziggy is tied up and burned by another girl who accuses her of being possessed by the witch. The unpleasant aspects of Shadyside’s culture persist from the first film, but they are now redirected through a uniquely adolescent cruelty. This initially leads to its cast feeling less fully formed, as they are defined more by vague social roles than any stated wants. However, this falls away as the story progresses and we learn more about these characters, though its expanded cast makes getting to know everyone harder and makes some characters feel superfluous.
The main thing that Part Two has over its predecessor is atmosphere; the distracting cleanliness of the first is not at all present, as this film is allowed to be far grimier. This approach is also reflected in its style, which brings a greater weight to the entire film instead of an intense third act feeling like a departure. The relative restraint of only having one killer means the film focuses on setpieces that are more focused and scarier beyond just ending in bloody kills. There is a sense of pursuit that drives the film and prevents any moment from overstaying its welcome, something it clearly lifts, along with its setting, from classic slashers like Friday the 13th. Still, the film could have committed harder to this idea, as the killer occasionally feels like an afterthought to the film’s franchise preoccupations.
This sense of distraction is unfortunately one of Part Two’s biggest faults, as it can often feel insecure about the story it is currently telling in favour of the overarching narrative of the trilogy. This culminates in a bizarre twist ending that means next to nothing in the context of this film and exists mostly in service of a set-up in the previous movie. Part Two regularly feels less tight and focused than its predecessor despite the stripped-back set-up. I imagine this is a side effect of its place in the middle of the trilogy, but the unfortunate effect is that it means the movie stands on its own far less than Part One.
All this said, once Fear Street Part Two gets going and its attention shifts to its own story, it comes into its own in a good way. Sadie Sink is an engaging lead and there are standouts amongst its expansive supporting cast, including Emily Rudd as Ziggy’s elder sister Cindy and Ryan Simpkins as Alice, an older camper. The film is powered emotionally by the story of Ziggy and Cindy, who are estranged by family struggles and Cindy’s yearning to get out of town altogether. Though a little undercooked, this is mostly effective and brings a human catharsis to the film’s final act as well as giving us something to root for beyond not wanting people to die. I would have loved to see the film dive deeper into its story, as there are some really interesting dynamics established that are either underwhelming or forgotten by the end.
Fear Street Part Two: 1978 is a worthy sequel in that it tries something new and is not satisfied to just ride the coattails of its predecessor. Its greatest flaw is that, as with the first, there are ideas it seems scared to commit to because they would introduce an unpredictability that gets in the way of these films as a complete and polished whole. Unfortunately, that tendency to play it safe may come to shape the series more than any failed stylistic experiments ever could.
