The second entry in the Fear Street trilogy digs deeper into the Fier curse that’s plagued Shadyside for centuries by traveling backward in time. It leaves behind the high energy of the ‘90s in favor of the laid-back late ‘70s. While the formula bears many familiar beats as its predecessor, director Leigh Janiak continues her streak with another solid R-rated slasher that delivers brutal kills and likable characters that make those deaths hurt.
Part 2 picks up immediately where Part 1 ended, with Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) firmly in the grip of the curse. Deena (Kiana Madeira) takes her to the only place she can think of, the home of the sole known curse survivor, C. Berman (Gillian Jacobs). Berman’s brush with the curse came in the summer of 1978, during her stay at Camp Nightwing. With Sam bound and secured, Berman recounts that awful week that claimed the lives of so many campers.
Her narration tells of sisters Ziggy (Sadie Sink) and Cindy Berman (Emily Rudd), two opposites that barely get along. Ziggy’s the more rebellious and angrier one of the pair, and older sister Cindy reformed her previous rebellious streak to play it straight in hopes of one day leaving Shadyside. These sisters provide the emotional through-line of Part 2, both in their fractured relationship and their friendships and budding romances. That helps when Part 2 kicks off with a similar formula established in Part 1. The flies buzz around the cursed one doomed to become a killing machine, with the campers none the wiser. Then the slaying begins, and Netflix again flexes its music budget with an endless array of classic jams.
While this entry does retread much of what we already learned, co-writers Janiak and Zak Olkewicz expand the mythology just enough to progress the overarching narrative and provide a few critical clues for our ‘90s protagonists. Janiak once again establishes that she’s ruthless with her characters, putting her leads through the wringer while even the youngest of Nightwing campers aren’t spared from a gnarly ax blow or three. It’s the perfect balance of moving the story forward while delivering a classic slasher with a higher body count.
Perhaps most impressive of all is the way Janiak uses misdirection in a familiar slasher. The early narration instills the notion that you’ll guess precisely how the Nightwing bloodbath will play out, but Janiak has a few tricks up her sleeve. It culminates in a finale that goes for the jugular in more ways than one.
The more easygoing spirit of the ‘70s setting makes the pacing feel a little slower, especially during moments of mythology rehash. Even still, Janiak once again crafts a solid slasher that brings the thrills and an impressive body count. Part 2 works as a standalone and connective tissue between entries, but it’s the characters that make this work so well. Sink and Rudd’s shared chemistry lend an unspoken history that deepens the tension and love between Ziggy and Cindy. Sink and Rudd hold their own apart, too, building characters we care about. They bring the sincerity to balance the grisly horror.
Despite a trilogy that sets each movie in a different period, Janiak is now two for two in delivering entertaining slashers. There’s a lot of ground left to cover and many unanswered questions remaining, with only one movie left. All signs point to Janiak bringing this trilogy to one satisfying, blood-soaked finish.
Netflix releases Fear Street Part 2: 1978 on July 9.
