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Fear Street: Part 3 – 1666

Starring: Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Ashley Zuckerman, and Elizabeth Scopel
Written by: Phil Graziadei, Leigh Janiak, and Kate Telfry
Based Upon the “Fear Street” Book Series by R. L. Stein
Directed by: Leigh Janiak

“I am NO Lamb.”

Netlfix’s Fear Street Trilogy comes to a thunderously entertaining, theatrical end in Fear Street: Part 3 – 1666.

When last we saw our horror heroine Denna (a commanding Kiana Madeira), she was chasing down clues as to the curse of Sarah Fier (the haunting Elizabeth Scopel); the grisly specter that has hung across all the Fear Street films—hoping desperately to free Samantha (Oliva Scott Welch, who adapts wonderfully to the period setting) from the Curse of Fier.

But her search leads her back in time, as she stumbles into magically embodying the form of Fier during her final days – days that tore apart the settlement of Union. This gave birth to the division of Shadyside and Sunnyvale, forever draping the land in the Curse of Sarah Fier!

Admittedly, jumping back to the 16th Century three movies deep is risky, but I am happy to report that Fear Street: Part 3 pulls it off (mostly) with a few stagey choices. Layered atop a pretty rousing and tense folk horror movie nucleus.

For one thing, basically every part is played by someone else we have already met on Fear Street. They pull together all these cast members, providing the film a neat repertory feeling I appreciated. Even better, it allows the cast across the board to deliver differently compelling performances that stand well against their “modern day” efforts.

Consequently, this third installment feels like it’s filling the gaps I have wanted to get to across the previous movies. The name “Sarah Fier” has been one hanging across the whole franchise, and finally, in Part 3, we are provided the entire story, and without doubt, it’s a total doozy.

Granted, Part 3 lacks some of the slasher charm of the first two films. However, in their place, there are grand and ghoulish set pieces with events that have only been teased before now, like the harrowing church house massacre and the swift persecution of Union’s “witches,” which are now presented in grim detail. Shot with a gauzy, but compelling, almost documentarian eye by director Leigh Janiak.

Yet Fear Street: Part 3 – 1666 is not a completely perfect experience. I think the franchise has grown slightly out of their serialized elements, and admittedly, they still do add a surprisingly poignant novelty and follow through I am happy to see more horror dive into. They also underscore the fixed dread 1666 trades on, now showing us all the stories they have been telling us. Only to snap back forward at the 1666 plot’s peak and then back to 1994, bringing the Sam and Denna saga to a literal earth-shattering conclusion and complete with a cheeky “Fear Street: 1994 – Part 2” title card.

Additionally, these elements slightly hard 1666’s ability to stand on it’s own. Obviously, not very many people skip directly to a third installment of a franchise (aside from those that can/do perfectly validly!)

Of course, I am happy these plots weren’t left unresolved. But at the same time, I almost wish I would have stayed in 1666 the whole time.

Despite this slight stumbling block, Fear Street: Part 3 – 1666 brings the franchise to a confident conclusion. One that takes some big swings, backed by some wonderful horror filmmaking, showy performances, and attention grabbing effects. Perfect for a weekend binge or trilogy night.

Fear Street: Part 3 – 1666, along with Fear Street Part 1 & 2, are available now on Netflix.