Fear Street: Part 2 - 1978 - A Netflix Movie Review

Doesn’t a horror cliche usually happen when we go away to summer camp?

Fear Street Part 2 - 1978 is a 2021 continuation of the first film. Trailing back to 1978, part 2 of Fear Street recalls a summer camp tragedy in Shadyside. A demon possesses a member of the camp. Now the camp must fight for survival from the brutal murders.

The second part of the Fear Street trilogy establishes the horror. Similar to the first, I was excited to see where this segment would go. Fear Street Part 2 - 1978 is dark and bloody. Despite it being a better follow-up, it tends to be repetitive in the middle half.

Sadie Sink is the best part about the second installment. In my opinion, Sink felt like she was the only actor to connect with her character. She is the queen of sarcasm. Determined and fierce, Ziggy us up for any battle.

I couldn’t tell if it was a character choice or if it was Emily Rudd’s performance, but she was so stiff. None of her line deliveries at the beginning felt natural. By the end, Rudd was a powerhouse. Aside from her character choices, the dynamic explored between Rudd and Sink was excellent.

The cast from the first installment of Fear Street reprises their roles. Joining the cast of Fear Street: Part 2 - 1978 Ryan Simpkins, McCabe Style, Gillian Jacobs, Brandon Spink were wonderful. The ensemble of panicked camp goers did a terrific job running for safety. The character had much more depth than from the first Fear Street film.

Relationships are analyzed in the Fear Street series. You never know who you will have to rely on, especially in the midst of a slasher situation like this. That’s what I liked about Cindy and Alice’s interactions.

When I went into watching this series, I was not expecting it to be so gory. There are brutal kills in Part 2. Which became repetitive in my opinion. Leigh Janiak did a terrific job with the suspense and gore angle of the trilogy. Make-up was well-achieved. The gore may be too much for viewers. There is also some nudity.

Fear Street: Part 2 - 1978 could have had a more concise plot instead of continuously cutting between subplots. The editing moved too quickly between each story. I noticed that this film ran on familiar cliches that you’d see in horror films.

Janiak also could have done a better job with the series originality. Too many horror film references are made. It takes elements from iconic horror films like Friday the 13th. Look closely, and you’ll see that Part 2 uses similar location sports from Friday the 13th.

Without a doubt, Part 2 finds its tone that was missing in the first film. It does not disappoint. Part 2 had better character depth, and there was more with the dark/spiritual angle of the film. Maybe a little too much as the killer gets too many murder scenes.

Aside from the murders, we really don’t get much intel on the villain, unless that is on purpose. Were they trying to make a new villain or not?

The dialogue is also stronger. There were no strange beats or unnecessary subplots. I found Part 2 more interesting and I didn’t look at it as a film. I was invested the entire time. The music choices are also a highlight.

I still recommend that you watch the trilogy on Netflix. You cannot miss out on it. On the day each film was released, I was on the couch waiting in glee to find out what happens next.