Bibliographic Information:
Title: Fear Street Part One - 1994
Director: Leigh Janiak
Production Company: Chernin Entertainment
Copyright Date: June 28, 2021
Genre/Format of the Title: Horror, Thriller / Movie, Streaming
Running Time: 1h 47min
Film Rating: R for bloody violence, drugs, language, and some sexual content
Cast: Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr.
Awards or Honors: No awards as of the submission of this paper
Logline: “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. Welcome to Shadyside.”
Plot Summary: A heated confrontation between a group of teens accidentally triggers a sleeping curse. An ancient evil returns to the town of Shadyside and killers from the past rise from the dead and begin to kill again. To survive, the teens of Shadyside must unravel the mystery of what’s plagued their town for centuries (part one of a trilogy).
Director Background: Leigh Janiak is a director and screenwriter. Fear Street Part 1 is her second feature-length film, her directorial debut being 2014's Moonlight. She has also directed a number of TV episodes, including episodes from the TV series Outcast (2016) Scream (2016) and Panic (2021) (IMDB, n.d.).
Critical Evaluation for Books and Non-Print Items: This movie was a fun ride! While Freaky leaned more into the comedy than it did the horror, Fear Street happily plays with all the tropes of the slasher subgenre. It doesn’t do it to the point where it just becomes a derivative project though: the director infuses it with a lot of style and the young cast bring an updated feel to the genre. The movie is fast-paced and there are some memorable, creative kills.
Creative Use for a Library Program: Gory Makeup Tutorial -- Halloween Prep
Fear Street is a bloody film: it has some interesting, creative gory kills. For this activity, teens will work on makeup for their costumes, just in time for Halloween! Staff will assist with tutorials, focusing on detailed, gory makeup! An example of the kind of tutorial we would follow is shown below:
A DIY tutorial for basic visual effects
Speed-Round Book Talk or Short Book Trailer: When an ancient evil is awoken by a group of teens, old killers reemerge to continue their killing spree. By why is it that only people from one part of town are dropping dead? Welcome to Shadyside, where people always get the short end of the stick (and the knife in the back).
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: It cannot be understated: this film is BLOODY GORY and it got its R rating because of the severe violence and gore. There are some really gruesome and detailed kills that some parents may not want their teens exposed to. As with any other film challenge, I would direct the concerned parent to the MPAA guidelines and IMDB parental guide for assistance in filtering out content for their child. I would also remind parents that films are simply a visual means of storytelling and that, while the scenes can be difficult to sit through, they do serve the narrative.
Reason for Inclusion: The Fear Street trilogy is based on the popular horror series for young adults by RL Stine. Initially released in 1989, the Fear Street book series focuses on older teens, unlike Stine's other work Goosebumps. While supernatural elements are present, Fear Street stories tend to be more grounded in reality and feature a twist. Since its initial inception, the literary series Fear Street has been revamped a number of times, its most recent adaptation being the trilogy of films adapting some of the stories. There is a clear audience for horror and RL Stine, so older teens (and adults who grew up with Goosebumps) will be sure to enjoy this first movie in the Fear Street trilogy.
Enhancements
Fear Street Part One Official Trailer
Fear Street Trilogy Trailer