Fear Street Part Three: 1666 (2021) Movie Review
Written By: Angela DiLella
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Leigh Janiak
Producers: Peter Chernin, David Ready, and Jenno Topping
Writers: Phil Graziadei. Leigh Janiak, and Kate Trefry, based on the Fear Street book series by R.L. Stine
Date Released: July 16, 2021
Cast:
Kiana Madeira as Sarah Fier/Deena Johnson
Ashley Zukerman as Solomon Goode/Nick Goode
Olivia Scott Welch as Hannah Miller/Sam Fraser
Benjamin Flores, Jr. as Henry/Josh Johnson
Rating = 4/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
Deena (Kiana Madeira) finally sees what caused her hometown of Shadyside’s curse in 1666 through the eyes of Sarah Fier (Kiana Madeira) herself. Returning to the present, she finally understands what must be done to set things right once and for all—one last murder.
Gore Factor
Though there seems to be less gore on average in the third part of the Fear Street trilogy, there is no doubt that part three continues part one and two’s slasher legacy. Viewers who are sensitive to eye-related and animal-related violence and gore, proceed with caution.
The Grave Review
Fear Street Part Three: 1666 finally shows the whole, uncut story of how Shadyside became so cursed, while Sunnyvale and its residents always seem to prosper. The movie starts at the exact spot Fear Street Part Two: 1978 left off, with Deena and company transplanted into Sarah’s world to live through the last few days of her life. Sarah is accused of indulging in witchcraft, which led to her untimely death as well as her curse, and the purposeful misrepresentation of the events has spread the blame unevenly. At around the halfway point, when Sarah’s story has been told, the survivors of parts one and two band together to right the wrongs. This was a solid conclusion to the story that integrated past and present events successfully and took the time to connect all portions of the story clearly and concisely.
The cast knocked it out of the park for the final entry in this trilogy. Scenes in 1666 were particularly strong, with characters portraying their roles as superstitious and paranoid pilgrims exactly as one would expect, while going above and beyond to stick to some historical accuracies, like legitimate-sounding accents and contemporary clothing and ornamentation. Admittedly, this did make it difficult at times to tell some of the male characters apart until the bodies started dropping. Ashley Zukerman, who has played (adult) Nick Goode throughout the trilogy, did a phenomenal job in particular as both Nick Goode’s ancestor Solomon and Nick himself, evolving in both roles from a friend or at least friendly acquaintance to a monster. He plays all-powerful and cruel just as well as fraught and hopeless, and his arc is a powerful one when all the pieces start coming together, especially if you have seen and remember the first two parts of this trilogy.
Fear Street Part Three:1666 was the perfect cap on the century-spanning story that subverts expectations for both fans of the original book series and fans of horror in general. The updated story still uses the most important elements of R.L. Stine’s original Fear Street Saga books and uses it to tell a much more complex story that also incorporates elements of the regular Fear Street series of books. The explanation for the curse that plagues the locals is much stronger and more coherent, and this enables the movie to subvert expectations. When the team of survivors band together and start winning, it feels like a powerful statement, not to mention the revelation of Sarah’s curse and how those wrongs are righted. Seeing how the sliminess of the Goodes out in the open is stunning as well, and I wouldn’t be surprised if many others, like me, will have the urge to rewatch the trilogy with all the pieces in place, trying to catch clues they may have missed or moments they misread because of characters’ or moments’ initial perception or presentation. The movie balances some truly horrific moments with truly horrific ideas, and seems to have a message about the truth, the perceived truth, and how that can be manipulated that will stick with the viewer long after the movie has ended, and the bloodstains have faded in your memory. The only weakness I really found in this movie was a mid-credits scene that suggests that the curse could begin anew, which felt unnecessary considering how well both Deena and company’s stories and that of Shadyside’s were wrapped up.
For the foregoing reasons, Grave Reviews gives Fear Street Part Three: 1666 (2021) four graves out of five graves.
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