^{By: Amanda Guarragi}

Do you remember the first horror movie you watched?

My first horror movie was Scream.

To me that is the perfect horror film to start off on. It will always be the first horror movie recommendation that I would give to the next generation of horror fans. The new Netflix trilogy, Fear Street acts as a first-time horror movie for a new generation of horror fans. Fear Street Part One: 1994 pays homage to many horror classics, like Scream and that is why it works really well. The trilogy is based off the novels written by R.L. Stine, and we all know that he has a twisted mind, when it comes to the work in his library. In this first instalment, a circle of teenage friends accidentally encounter the ancient evil responsible for a series of brutal murders that have plagued their town for over 300 years.

The reason why I call this a first-timer type of horror film is because it is not that scary. If you’re interested in watching horror films but you’ve been too afraid to watch some, then baby steps are necessary. The opening of this film is quite fun, it definitely serves that 90s nostalgia on a platter, while paying homage to Scream ahead of the opening credits. The slasher film does follow the same tropes, while still adding some surprises throughout. Does it necessarily reinvent the genre? No. But it still incorporates everything we know and love about slasher films. The main difference in Fear Street Part One: 1994 is that it combines supernatural elements with the slasher subgenre. They mixed those two together to create a pretty interesting story. Like all horror films, Fear Street has rules, and those rules must be followed in order to finish the job.

Another great thing about this first instalment is that the focus is entirely on teenagers. While they go through these horrifying tasks, they learn so much about themselves and the relationships they keep. On this crazy journey, we meet Deena (Kiana Madeira), Samantha (Olivia Scott Welch), Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.), Kate (Julia Rehwald) and Simon (Fred Hechinger)who all have a history with each other. As they attempt to find out who the killer is, they all come together and work out their issues. There are some funny moments, but for some reason if there were jokes in the film, they didn’t quite land. It does drag on in the third act because of the three different endings, (or at least, that’s what it felt like to me) when there are multiple endings it kind of undervalues the previous kills, if the ones that follow are not as good.

Fear Street Part One: 1994 is a solid start to this trilogy and a great first horror film for the next generation. It is a supernatural slasher film that will bring horror fans back to their teenage years. There are plenty of twists and some fun lore that sends the teens on a tour through the city they grew up in. Don’t worry, even though it doesn’t have too many jump scares, the gore is definitely there and the suspense creeps in with the score. The ending of this first part will leave you wanting more and the Netflix release strategy for this trilogy is definitely working to their advantage because it hasn’t been done before.