Fear Street - Part Two 1978 review: A sequel that improves on its predecessor

3.5/5

What’s it about:

The second film of the weekly trilogy is set in 1978 in a summer called ‘Camp Nightwing’. Just like the first movie, a Shadysider’s name is picked by the witch Sarah Fier and the person goes on a killing spree, brutally murdering kids and young adults alike. Overnight the camp turns into a bloodbath with the story told from the perspectives of the Berman sisters, Cindy and Ziggy. The story opens with the survivors from the first movie seeking help from one of the sisters, who survived the massacre on Camp Nightwing.

What’s hot:

The second film in the trilogy perfectly shifts from the ‘neighbourhood slasher’ to the ‘summer camp slasher’. Unlike the first film, it is not riddled with obvious plot holes and is a straightforward slasher film with just the right amount of thrills and spills. There is also an upgrade in the performances by the cast with Sadie Sink, from Stranger Things, being the standout as the lead with Emily Rudd, Ryan Simpkins, and Ted Sutherland excellent as well as the supporting cast.

The cinematography and sound design remain just as good as the first one. The young actors have successfully delivered depth to the characters who would have otherwise been just random faces in a slasher flick. The script sheds further light on the lore and myth about Shadyside and Sarah Fier’s curse on Shadyside which adds to the mystery of Shadyside to keep the viewers hooked till the very end. And just like its predecessor, several hit songs from the time period are used in the film like David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold the World

What’s not:

The writing for the climax could have been better. Even though the film has supernatural elements, it should have been grounded in logic in how the script handled certain situations in the narrative, especially the climactic scene. The pacing of the narrative was irregular at times which affected the overall immersion of the movie.

Verdict:

A superior sequel that perfectly sets up the story for the final film set in 1666. The very final shot of the movie seems to suggest that the third movie of the trilogy might have a lot to unpack.