In 1666, a colonial town instigated a witch hunt to deter the devil. Little do they know that their actions will have devastating ramifications for the centuries to come.
“Fear Street Part Three: 1666” is here. The final installment of the RL Stine “Fear Street” trilogy and it’s a satisfying closure to an excellent series.
The film further explores the history of Shadyside. More specifically, Sarah Fier. A denounced witch, hanged by the first villagers and buried under the infamous town.
People said that before Sarah Fier died, she sold her soul to the devil and placed a curse on the village. Hence the neverending grisly violence and murder.
At first Deena (Kiana Madeira) believes that the curse is a bunch of nonsense. Shadysiders are going insane because life is just terrible. She is sure of it. There is no curse or spell, only sadness, loneliness and misery.
But it turns out, she is wrong. The curse is real. And she is now its new target.
To break the generational curse, she teams up with a fellow survivor, her brother and her ex-girlfriend to uncover the truth about the vile witch. However, in order to do that, she must travel back to 1666, the year Sarah Fier died.
Leigh Janiak’s third film combines modern and period piece horror to create a compelling and entertaining love letter to the genre’s touchstones.
Like the first two installments, the film shines because of its riveting story and keen sense of terror.
What is great about “Fear Street Part Three: 1666” is that it juggles different tones seamlessly, from serious to humorous to sad to joyful. It’s still campy and fun, but at the same time affecting with its message on love, discrimination and oppression.
One of its most overt (and recurring) theme is how the LGBTQ+ community becomes the pariah of an unforgiving society. But even if Janiak's film is less poignant about it than expected, the characters she crafted are empowering and inspiring.
Although the story of Sarah Feir ended on a sad note, the point is clear as water. People should be more progressive and learn from the past. Being different from the norm is okay. Be open to love and acceptance as hatred will only instigate resentment for generations to come.
That is why besides “Fear Street Part Three: 1666” being an admirable horror film because of its terrifying jump scares, brilliant plot twists, and endearing performances; it is also a movie about how an underrepresented community triumphed against the curse of fear.
Furthermore Kiana Madeira solidifies herself as a revelation and a talent people should look out for. She clearly bares everything within her to carry this film (and the whole series) alone. Even though she only has a few films under her belt, she shows that there is nothing more badass Sarah Feir/Deena Johnson than her.
With that said, “Fear Street Part Three: 1666” is definitely a must watch film of 2021.
4/5
Watch all "Fear Street" film on Netflix.
With that said, “Fear Street Part Three: 1666” is definitely a must watch film of 2021.
4/5
Watch all "Fear Street" film on Netflix.