Fear Street: 1994 - Not groundbreaking, but a fun homage!

Okay, so I finally got around to watching Fear Street: 1994. Look, I went in knowing it wasn't gonna be Kurosawa, lol. But honestly? I had a good time. While I'm typically a director-driven viewer, and the director, Leigh Janiak, isn't someone I'm particularly familiar with or have followed, I was curious about the hype I'd been seeing. It delivered on the '90s slasher vibe for sure. The soundtrack alone was worth the price of admission – those needle drops were chefs kiss! The Radiohead and Bush inclusions really set the scene. I thought the performances were solid, especially Kiana Madeira as Deena. She really sold the whole 'tortured soul trying to protect her friends' thing. It also did an impressive job pulling off the Scream inspired meta-commentary angle while maintaining its own identity. I was genuinely surprised by the kills too. They were pretty brutal for a YA-adjacent movie; definitely went further than I expected. Although, I will say, sometimes the pacing felt a little off? Like, things would ramp up super fast, then slow down almost too much. The whole mall chase scene was awesome though. Definitely a highlight (even if it's another Dawn of the Dead inspired location). My biggest gripe is probably the villain reveal, which felt a little underwhelming. Okay, maybe a lot underwhelming. It kinda just happened, you know? But overall, I enjoyed it. It's a fun, gory slasher flick with a good dose of nostalgia. I'm definitely gonna check out the other two in the trilogy, if only to see how the story all connects. I am curious as to if they connect and have the same crew involved. Anyone else watch it? Thoughts? Did you like it? What were some of your favorite details? Let's discuss it below!