Fear Street: Part One - 1994
Stream
After a series of brutal slayings, a teen and her friends take on an evil force that's plagued their notorious town for centuries.
What critics thought
A competent, nostalgia-soaked slasher that critics found entertaining if not particularly transgressive. Its young cast, propulsive soundtrack, and '90s atmosphere won over most reviewers, but several pushed back on whether the film's genre-awareness actually translates into subversion or just a shinier version of formula — and the gap between enthusiastic critical reception and cooler audience response suggests the film connects more with genre fans than general viewers.
“Where Get Out or The Babadook used horror to explore the razor-toothed hunger of white liberal (supposed) allies and the terror of feeling unable to trust your own mental state, plenty of other titles end up just pinning themselves to larger concepts in ways that range from clumsily obvious to grossly cynical. But 1994 feels untethered from these obligations.”
Alison Willmore·Vulture
“Fear Street Part 1 is fun, and hits its marks with sufficient flair—I'm certainly motivated to see the next two installments—but sometimes the key to subversion is in the details.”
Lovia Gyarkye·The Hollywood Reporter
“Slashers used to take a beating for their supposed puritanical politics, but the teens here are as clean and upstanding as they are "likable": A mid-film sex scene in a locker room might be the most wholesome in the history of this disreputable genre”
A.A. Dowd·The A.V. Club
“while Janiak is able to easily tick off the hallmarks of the genre, and perhaps convince those actually alive in the nineties that the entire decade must have been backlit in aggressive neon, her film doesn't quite scream (or Scream) out for two more films' worth of context”
Barry Hertz·The Globe and Mail
Genres
Drama, Horror, Mystery
Cast & Crew
Leigh JaniakDirector
Kiana MadeiraDeena
Olivia Scott WelchSamantha Fraser
Benjamin Flores Jr.Josh
Julia RehwaldKate
Fred HechingerSimon
Maya HawkeHeather
Charlene AmoiaRachel Thompson / Sunnyvale Customer
David ThompsonRyan Torres
Noah Bain GarretSkull Mask
Darrell Britt-GibsonMartin
Ashley ZukermanNick Goode
Jana AllenTV Reporter #1
Marcus TrumppComposer
Marco BeltramiComposerFear Street: Part One - 1994
After a series of brutal slayings, a teen and her friends take on an evil force that's plagued their notorious town for centuries.
What critics thought
A competent, nostalgia-soaked slasher that critics found entertaining if not particularly transgressive. Its young cast, propulsive soundtrack, and '90s atmosphere won over most reviewers, but several pushed back on whether the film's genre-awareness actually translates into subversion or just a shinier version of formula — and the gap between enthusiastic critical reception and cooler audience response suggests the film connects more with genre fans than general viewers.
“Where Get Out or The Babadook used horror to explore the razor-toothed hunger of white liberal (supposed) allies and the terror of feeling unable to trust your own mental state, plenty of other titles end up just pinning themselves to larger concepts in ways that range from clumsily obvious to grossly cynical. But 1994 feels untethered from these obligations.”
Alison Willmore·Vulture
“Fear Street Part 1 is fun, and hits its marks with sufficient flair—I'm certainly motivated to see the next two installments—but sometimes the key to subversion is in the details.”
Lovia Gyarkye·The Hollywood Reporter
“Slashers used to take a beating for their supposed puritanical politics, but the teens here are as clean and upstanding as they are "likable": A mid-film sex scene in a locker room might be the most wholesome in the history of this disreputable genre”
A.A. Dowd·The A.V. Club
“while Janiak is able to easily tick off the hallmarks of the genre, and perhaps convince those actually alive in the nineties that the entire decade must have been backlit in aggressive neon, her film doesn't quite scream (or Scream) out for two more films' worth of context”
Barry Hertz·The Globe and Mail
Genres
Drama, Horror, Mystery
Cast & Crew
Leigh JaniakDirectorKiana MadeiraDeenaOlivia Scott WelchSamantha FraserBenjamin Flores Jr.JoshJulia RehwaldKateFred HechingerSimonMaya HawkeHeatherCharlene AmoiaRachel Thompson / Sunnyvale CustomerDavid ThompsonRyan TorresNoah Bain GarretSkull MaskDarrell Britt-GibsonMartinAshley ZukermanNick GoodeJana AllenTV Reporter #1Marcus TrumppComposerMarco BeltramiComposerStream