Inspired by a series of novellas by R.L. Stine, ‘Fear Street Part Two: 1978‘ is a Netflix teen horror sequel. Like its predecessor, it is directed by Leigh Janiak based on a script by Phil Graziadei and Leigh Janiak.

An adult Christine Berman (Gillian Jacobs) tells the story of a Camp Nightwing massacre to Deena Johnson (Kiana Madeira) and her brother Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.), the two who are seeking a cure for the possessed Sam (Olivia Scott Welch). Teen Christine goes by Ziggy (Sadie Sink) at the camp in 1978. She is there with her sister Cindy (Emily Rudd), a teen Nick Goode (Ted Sutherland), and will participate in a “color war” between kids of Shadyside and Sunnyvale. After Cindy’s boyfriend Tommy (McCabe Slye) is assaulted by camp nurse Mary Lane (Jordana Spiro), he falls under the curse of Sarah Fier and goes on a killing spree, forcing Cindy and Ziggy to work together to try and stop him.

My complaint about this film is the same as the first. The characters are incredibly unlikeable and do little to gain my sympathy. In fact, the background characters garnered more empathy since I did not know them more so than the protagonists. They are stupid teenagers who are kind of terrible people. Perverts, thieves, drug dealers, and jerks round out this cast, same as its predecessor.

In a sense, it is nothing more than teen drama and angst wrapped up in a slasher film to make you feel like it is original. It is not. Not once do you feel connected to these characters. This tired old trope of horny, drugged-up teens was done in the last film. They really could not have thought of anything new? Had the first entry had different types of characters, I could believe this about the 70s, but now it just feels lazy.

That is not to say that the acting is bad. Everyone does a good job with their respective roles, but you can tell they are just trying to work with what they have. Sadie Sink was the best actress in the cast and she does a better job than the actress portraying the adult version of the character. I have a feeling we will be hearing more from her.

Bottom line, Fear Street Part Two: 1978 is a boring teen drama wrapping itself in the veneer of a slasher horror film.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Strong blood and gore, Strong foul language, Sexual content including nudity, Drug use

FAVORITE QUOTE: I’m a bad friend.

Check out the trailer below:

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