"Fear Street Part 3: 1666" REVIEW

I previously wrote about the first two instalments of the Fear Street trilogy in my reviews of Part One and Part Two. While the first movie failed to wow me, I had a lot of fun with the second portion of the series. Now that the series is over, was it worth three feature length productions? Well...

After being introduced to Shadyside in '94 and a detour to '78, Fear Street brings us back to the beginning for Part Three: 1666. Don't let the title fool you, though. While 1994 and 1978 took inspiration from their respective eras, ironically 1666 feels the most contemporary. With puritans, pitch forks, and witch-panics, this instalment appears to draw inspiration from recent productions like 2015's The Witch or 2020's Bandai Namco videogame Little Hope.

As the conclusion of this weird little trilogy/miniseries/experiment, a lot is depending on this movie's capacity to actually fulfil the promises of the first two movies in the series. We've been introduced to the major characters and much of the lore; now we need to see how the story will play out. We understand the stakes, we've spent hours in this setting, and by going back to the past we are promised answers and insights into the world of the previous two movies.

So how does it do?

Well, for the most part, pretty well. It checks those boxes. Now, if you've been following the witchy genre for the last few years, I wouldn't go into this expecting too many surprises. We're here to learn about the origins of a famous witch who was executed by the puritanical settlers in the area? Gee, I wonder where that's going to go....

Unsurprisingly, the movie spends a decent chunk of time, especially near the start, focusing on the horror of being an outsider in an insular community rather than any sort of supernatural thrills. By reusing actors from the first two instalments of the trilogy, the movie makes its statement that kids will always be kids. We're assured by one such kid that being a kid isn't a crime. They want to hook up, get drunk, and party... just like they have in the other two movies. As much as times change, the movie suggests, the kids don't. And those kids are still operating under the watchful/predatory eye of the adults.

Is this good? Is this bad? Your mileage will certainly vary. Like the first movie in the trilogy, there is plenty here that feels familiar and unsurprising, the point that the movie begins to drag at times. Again, the movie echoes earlier instalments in the franchise, and again this creates both fun parallels and portions of the movie where it just feels too familiar to be exciting. By the time that the kids are once again cutting open their hands as part of their plot to beat their undead adversaries, it's just a bit too much like a dish we've already been served before--two weeks ago, in fact.

That said, the movie works hard to actually tie off the mysteries we've been dealing with throughout the franchise. The mechanics of the Shadyside curse are explained, and the history of the with is revealed. This feels like a definitive ending. There's even a mystery introduced early in the first film which, after the majority of three movies where it felt totally forgotten, is concluded near the end of this movie. The movie lands on its feet.

If you're a fan of the slasher genre, and you're looking for a few hours of distraction? Yeah, Fear Street will scratch that itch (or slash that teenager). But if you're not sold already, I doubt there's enough here to change your mind.