Fear Street: Part Three - 1666 (2021)

Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: Fear Street: Part Three - 1666 (2021)
Original Title: Fear Street: 1666
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Length:  1h 54min
Rating: R
Director: Leigh Janiak
Writers: R.L. Stine, Kate Trefry, Phil Graziadei, Leigh Janiak
Based On: Fear Street book series by R.L. Stine
Actors: Kiana Madeira, Elizabeth Scopel, Benjamin Flores Jr., Randy Havens, Julia Rehwald, Matthew Zuk, Fred Hechinger, Michael Chandler, Sadie Sink, Emily Rudd, Olivia Scott Welch, Lacy Camp, McCabe Slye, Ashley Zukerman, Jordana Spiro, Jeremy Ford, Charlene Amoia, Mark Ashworth, Todd Allen Durkin, Ryan Simpkins, Ted Sutherland, Gillian Jacobs, Darrell Britt-Gibson

IMDb Blurb: In 1666, a colonial town is gripped by a witch hunt that has deadly consequences for centuries to come, while teenagers in 1994 try to put an end to their town's curse before it is too late.

Cat’s Point of View:

The third and final act of Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy made for a satisfying book-end to the three-film run of this story.

The first movie sparked so many questions, and the second offered few answers, whetting the appetite for more. Fear Street Part Three: 1666 offered not only an origin story to this tale of a curse enveloping twin cities, but also a fitting resolution in the “present day” where the narrative began in 1994.

Part Three offers revelations that aren’t quite as shocking as they likely were intended to be, and yet the twisty shenanigans still entertained.

I understand some of the detractors from this third installment complaining that it felt like this was 2 whole movies smushed together. In some ways, it could be seen that way. I, however, appreciate the way that the extended flashback occurred. It more viscerally brought us into the story of the origins of the curse that befell Shadyside. It pulled our present-day characters into the parallel scenario of the past.

The setting of 1666, while likely a year selected for the numerical significance with its dark connotations, did fall in a period of time when witch fever was still high between the general timeline of The Burning Times in Europe and the Salem Witch Trial era in the 1690s. The segment from the past felt plausible and harrowingly fitting to that time period.

The transition between the past and the present were done well. I enjoyed seeing how the familiar faces wove into the past and brought the situation in 1994 into greater focus.

Of course, the climax was as campy as you would expect based on the build-up from the first 2 teen slasher installments. There was still plenty of blood to be spilled and inventive plans to be hatched.

Over all, I really enjoyed the entirety of the experience of this trilogy. I do strongly suggest that anyone interested in Fear Street Part Three: 1666 go back and watch the movies in order. Just a reminder that they are a continuous story from Part 1 through Part 3. Netflix does offer skippable recaps, but why read the Cliff’s Notes when the whole of the tale is so entertaining? Each movie ends with a “to be continued,” and is nicely concluded with this third installment.

Sometimes trilogies don’t pay off in the way you would hope, and leave questions and missed opportunities in their wake. This was not the case with the Fear Street trilogy encompassing 1994, 1978, & 1666.

If you’re a fan of R.L. Stine’s work, or the nostalgic horror of campy teen slasher flicks, this trilogy and specifically its conclusion will be right up your alley.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 89%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 76%
Metascore – 68%
Metacritic User Score – 6.5/10
IMDB Score – 6.6/10

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4.5/5

Movie Trailer:

Fear Street: Part Two - 1978 (2021)

Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: Fear Street: Part Two - 1978 (2021)
Genre: Horror, Drama, Mystery
Length: 1h 49min
Rating: R
Director: Leigh Janiak
Writer: Leigh Janiak, Zak Olkewicz, Phil Graziadei, R.L. Stine
Actors: Gillian Jacobs, Kiana Madeira, Benjamin Flores Jr., Olivia Scott Welch, Sadie Sink, Brandon Spink, Chiara Aurelia, Marcelle LeBlanc, Eden Campbell, Ted Sutherland, Michael Provost, Drew Scheid, Emily Rudd, McCabe Slye, Jordana Spiro, Ashley Zukerman
 
Blurb from IMDb: Shadyside, 1978. School's out for summer and the activities at Camp Nightwing are about to begin. But when another Shadysider is possessed with the urge to kill, the fun in the sun becomes a gruesome fight for survival.

 
Selina's Point of View:
We're catching up on the Fear Street movies we missed, so expect part three next week. Cat and I discussed it, and we couldn't believe we had skipped reviewing these. It was an easy choice to fix that oversight. R.L. Stine was childhood for both of us.
 
It was a great idea for the three parts to be released in the same month, since two and three start where the last left off. It keeps the movies fresh in the mind of audiences. When there's a situation like this, where it all leads into each other, this should be common practice. Think about how much better it would have been to watch something like The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) at the beginning of the month and then The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) at the end of the same month if they'd come out the way the first three Fear Streets did. There could have been special showings where theaters put them back-to-back with a short intermission for bathroom breaks. I would have paid out the nose for that.
 

But I digress.
 
Like in the first part, Fear Street felt nostalgic. It followed all the horror movie rules that we once had laid out for us in Scream (1996), and it had the familiar setting that we saw in Friday the 13th. It also has that distinct R.L. Stine flair to it, though I'm sure the movie took liberties with the original material.
 
I did like part one a little better, though not enough to make a difference. They're on equal footing with story, and slightly campy acting, but the kills in part one were much more creative. Part two was bloodier though. It depends what you want from your slasher flick.
 
I look forward to seeing how the third movie ties in, and if there actually is an end to Sara Fier. R.L. Stine's endings aren't always happy. That makes it a little difficult to predict.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 88%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 81%
Metascore – 61%
Metacritic User Score – 7.0
IMDB Score – 6.7/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina's Rating – 3.5/5
 
P.S. Don't look at the IMDb page before watching the movie, it spoils something.
 
Movie Trailer:

Fear Street: Part One - 1994 (2021)

Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year:  Fear Street: Part One - 1994 (2021)
Original Title: Fear Street: 1994
Genre: Horror, Mystery
Length:  1h 47min
Rating: R
Director: Leigh Janiak
Writers: R.L. Stine, Kyle Killen, Phil Graziadei, Leigh Janiak
Based On: Fear Street book series by R.L. Stine
Actors: Maya Hawke, Charlene Amoia, David Thompson, Ryan Torres, Noah Bain Garret, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Ashley Zukerman, Kiana Madeira, Benjamin Flores Jr., Julia Rehwald, Fred Hechinger, Matt Burke, Matthew Zuk, Olivia Scott Welch, Jeremy Ford, Elizabeth Scopel, Eric Mendenhall, Todd Allen Durkin, Jordyn DiNatale, Lloyd Pitts, Kevin Waterman, Emily Brobst, Keil Oakley Zepernick, Michael Chandler, Lacy Camp

IMDb Blurb: A circle of teenage friends accidentally encounter the ancient evil responsible for a series of brutal murders that have plagued their town for over 300 years. Welcome to Shadyside.

Selina’s Point of View:
I’m going to start by saying I was a rabid fan of R.L. Stine as a kid. I read every single Goosebumps that came out. Hit up the Scholastic book fair with the few dollars my mom gave me and bought out any R.L. Stine books I came across. Because of that, Fear Street: Part One – 1994 felt like a warm childhood hug.

It’s a horror that utilizes a bread slicer as a weapon, so I understand how strange that sounds. Cat and I have been discussing what goes into the definition of a “comfort movie” for someone, and I think this fits right into that discussion. My favorite comfort movie is Jurassic Park (1993), after all, and people get eaten in that.

But I digress.

I never read the Fear Street books, but the story still feels familiar. It’s reminiscent of 80s and 90s horror flicks like Friday the 13th (1980) and Scream (1996). It follows a lot of the same familiar horror movie rules and still manages to end in a way that’s a bit unexpected.

There are some plot holes that could be attributed to either the books or the adaptation. I have to hold it against the film, though, because I’m unfamiliar with the original material. Some people die in situations that don’t make sense, seeing how the secondary characters manage to stay safe as long as they do.

Despite that, the acting is on point, and the film is a pleasure to watch. For horror fans, I could absolutely see it being someone’s comfort flick.

Cat’s Point of View:
I was rather surprised to discover that we hadn’t already reviewed the Fear Street trilogy that had premiered as Netflix Original features back in 2021. I remembered that I had watched them and enjoyed them. I also recall distinctly writing about them. Alas, it was apparently just regarding my #12 entry on July 2021’s Top 20 list, where I placed all 3 together as a unit due to their release dates following only a week apart within that same month. I digress…

When the newest Fear Street movie, Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025) hit Netflix recently, it took me back to my fond memories of watching the first three. It would be weird if we covered the newest without visiting the trilogy that came first, though. Thus, here we are.

I was happy to watch Fear Street: Part One – 1994 again to refresh my memory. This time, my daughter was excited to watch with me. She hadn’t been into horror movies when these first released. We fell all the way down the rabbit hole and binged the trilogy. I’m only covering the first installment here, however.

Part One sets the stage for the overall adventure. There’s a good bit of lore both touched on in obvious and subtle ways. Some of the characters don’t seem to have quite as much depth in this first bit of story, but trust me when I say that things do develop as the overall 3-part story arc progresses.

From odes to the era in which this movie was set and the slasher genre to the details that highlighted the contrast between neighboring rival towns of Sunnyvale and Shadyside, this really felt like a R.L. Stine book come to life. Of course, he is the author of the Fear Street series these stories were adapted from.  One of the aspects I appreciated about these films, beginning with Fear Street: Part One – 1994, was that the production team wasn’t afraid to lean into the darkness and give the teen-scream series an R rating. Stine’s Goosebumps series felt more appropriate to the PG-13 range. R. L. Stine is great for offering chills for a wide age range.

One thing to note about this trilogy is that it is not, in fact, an anthology as I originally guessed. Each movie leads directly into the next. While the three films lean heavily into the time mentioned in their titles, they are exploring an interconnected story that spans hundreds of years. The end of each movie closes with “to be continued” and dives right into a sneak peek at the next installment. It was very easy to binge all three, and Netflix also offers an option to skip the recap in the next installment.

If you’re a fan of slashers, I’d highly recommend giving the Fear Street trilogy a try. 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 84%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 63%
Metascore –  67%
Metacritic User Score – 5.8/10
IMDB Score – 6.2/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 3.5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4.5/5

Movie Trailer:

Killer Countdown - 3 From Hell (2019)

Streaming Service: Amazon Prime Video
Movie Name/Year: 3 from Hell (2019)
Genre: Action, Horror
Length: 1h 55min
Rating: R
Director: Rob Zombie
Writer: Rob Zombie
Actors: Sheri Moon Zombie, Bill Moseley, Sid Haig, Jeff Daniel Phillips, Richard Brake, Emilio Rivera, Dee Wallace, Clint Howard, Daniel Roebuck, Wade Williams, Sean Whalen, Danny Trejo, Barry Bostwick, Pancho Moler, Chaz Bono

IMDb Blurb: After barely surviving prison, the demented Firefly clan go on the run, unleashing a whole new wave of murder, madness and mayhem.

Cat’s Point of View:
3 From Hell is a little more “mainstream” than most of the other movies in our Killer Countdown, but it can't be denied that its writer and director Rob Zombie (Halloween II, 31, The Munsters) is known for work that is bonkers, chilling, provocative, and darkly comedic. What more could you want for the spooky season, right?

This movie is the final chapter in a trilogy that also includes House of 1000 Corpses (2003) and The Devil's Rejects (2005). Both films and their events are heavily referenced throughout 3 from Hell. If you haven't seen those other films first, I'm afraid you'll get quite a lot of spoilers as well as likely not quite get all the...dare I say, nuance, of these psychotic family members.

I will have to admit that I fall somewhat in the latter category, as I am afraid I have been procrastinating on watching The Devil's Rejects. I have seen the initial movie in this trilogy, however, so I wasn't entirely lost. I will say, however, that there's enough mocumentary-type build-up in the beginning of the film that it did generally fill in some of the blanks.

3 From Hell doesn't hit as many hardcore horror notes as House of 1000 Corpses did. It plays out more like an action thriller with horror elements of the occasional spattering of blood and gore. I wasn't necessarily disappointed with this, though it was not exactly what I was expecting. I had been hoping for something a little more chilling than this bonkers cross between trippy, gritty, and brutal dark comedy and mocumentary. I liked it all the same.

Aside from the core cast members of Zombie's wife and muse Sheri Moon Zombie (Toolbox Murders, Halloween, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto), Bill Moseley (Prisoners of the Ghostland, Hayride to Hell, Stream), Jeff Daniel Phillips (The Gifted,. The Munsters, Christmas Bloody Christmas), and the late Sid Haig (Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Halloween, Bone Tomahawk), there were quite a few that I was excited to see here.

Though, before I get into those familiar faces, I must note that I feel that this film was a little lacking for the absence of more plot involving Haig's Captain Spaulding. Unfortunately, Haig's declining health required a bit of re-tooling of the script, and I feel that even though something felt missing that they gave him a proper cinematic send-off. It was the right call, however, as he, in a sad twist of fate, passed away within a week or so of the film's release.

Zombie was able to work in Richard Brake (Game of Thrones, Bingo Hell, Barbarian) to round out the titular trio, without Spaulding available, and I think his energy was a great addition to this ensemble. Brake's most memorable roles tend to be his unhinged villains. He fit right in here with this completely unhinged family dynamic. Dee Wallace (The Lords of Salem, 9-1-1, Stream) can actually be found in quite a few of Zombie's movies – quite the juxtaposition to her earlier work in the genre and even as the wholesome mom in E.T. The Extraterrestrial (1982). I was rather amused that none other than the O.G. Brad Majors, Barry Bostwick (American Pie Presents: Girls' Rules, Love by Drowning, Daruma), was offering narration. Clint Howard's (The Funhouse Massacre, Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Old Way) character both made me giggle and feel the pangs of remorse for my amusement at his character's tragedy. My daughter and I both practically pointed to the screen and called out “MACHETE!” when we saw Danny Trejo (American Underdog, Big City Greens, Seven Cemeteries). Last, but certainly not least, we really enjoyed seeing Emilio Rivera (Sons of Anarchy, Mayans M.C., Dante's Hotel) as well.

While 3 From Hell wasn't exactly what I was expecting, it was crazy fun that especially highlighted the extreme level of batshit of Sheri Moon Zombie's character, Baby Firefly. The actual insane gleeful abandon of that character drives the plot and actually offers a few genuinely touching moments.

I can't say that 3 From Hell is a movie that I would want to return to in the future, it did make me want to go back and watch the film in the middle of the events, The Devil's Rejects. If you're a fan of Zombie's work and the other movies in this trilogy, I would definitely recommend giving this one a shot to round out your experience, if you haven't already. If you're new to Zombie's work, then maybe start at the beginning first. Either way, you're in for a wild ride.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 57%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 55%
Metascore – 50%
Metacritic User Score – 4.6/10
IMDB Score – 5.4/10

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5

Movie Trailer:

Clerks III (2022)

 

 

Streaming Service: STARZ

Movie Name/Year: Clerks III (2022)

Genre: Comedy, Drama

Length:  1h 55min

Rating: R

Production/Distribution: View Askew Productions, BondIt Media Capital, Destro Films, SModcast Pictures, Eagle Pictures, Fathom Events, Lionsgate UK, Lionsgate, Metropolitan Filmexport, STARZ

Director: Kevin Smith

Writers: Kevin Smith

Actors: Brian O'Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, Amy Sedaris, Austin Zajur, Bryan Johnson, Ben Affleck, Danny Trejo, Ernest O'Donnell, Ethan Suplee, Fred Armisen, Harley Quinn Smith, Jennifer Schwalbach Smith, Justin Long, Lisa Hampton, Marilyn Ghigliotti, Michael Belicose, Michelle Buteau,  Mike Zapcic, Ming Chen, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Scott Schiaffo, Trevor Fehrman, Walter Flanagan

 

IMDb Blurb: Dante, Elias, and Jay and Silent Bob are enlisted by Randal after a heart attack to make a movie about the convenience store that started it all.

 

Selina’s Point of View:

Kevin Smith is my favorite writer/director. As much as he’s known for his fart and dick humor, there’s more to it for me.  

 

My cousin gave me the VHS of Clerks (1994) one year for Channukah. I don’t remember what year, but I know I was entirely too young for it. I remember saying a polite ‘thank you,’ and then making a face when he wasn’t looking because I couldn’t understand why he’d given me some lame black-and-white movie.

 

The first time I watched it wasn’t even off of that VHS tape. It was sitting in the basement of a friend’s house with a Colt 45. A beer I was, also, way too young to be drinking. As bad as that sounds to an adult ear, we weren’t doing anything worse than that. We sat down there watching movies, spitting quotes at each other, and just kind of existing together.

 

 

At a time when I felt very much alone, bonding with those people over Clerks is one of the best memories of my teen years – and I don’t have a lot of those.

 

It’s not easy to discuss, but I’m pretty sure without Kevin Smith – and those people from the basement – I wouldn’t have made it to now.

 

I told Kevin Smith about it once, and he gave me a letter in response. I’d rather keep the contents of that letter to myself, but I’ve never lost track of it. I’ve moved across the state since then. Lost more things than I can count, but I know exactly where that piece of paper is.

 

Clerks was a life-changer for me. Clerks II didn’t have the same intense effect on my life, but I still enjoyed it. I’ve watched it a few times over the years, but I file it with most of Smith’s other works. Right alongside Mallrats (1995) and Dogma (1999).

 

I expected Clerks III to be a bit of a different beast. The trailer showed exactly how meta it was going to be – pulling from Smith’s heart attack and his experience making the original Clerks. I was super excited for it and ready to see it in theaters.

 

My daughter started pre-school though, and my entire family has had some form of the plague since. Most of the time we haven’t been fit for public consumption. So, I missed it’s run and then had to wait for streaming.

 

I could not have prepared myself for what I just watched.

 

Not only was it on the same level as the first Clerks, but it benefited from everything Kevin Smith has learned since he started his career. Randall’s heart attack was harrowing, and I haven’t ugly cried at a movie as much as I did at the end in a long time. I do think my personal history with the series was part of what caused that, but it was just as much the movie itself.

 

Clerks III was the perfect way to end the Clerks story. It paid homage to the original while still evolving into its own thing. I’m sad that I missed it in theaters, but maybe it was for the best – the ugly crying was truly a sight.

 

I do think that the people who would get the most out of Clerks III are fans of the original. It’s not the kind of sequel you can just jump into without watching what came first. You need that established relationship with the characters of the story.

 

If you do choose to watch Clerks III, you should watch the other two first. You can find Clerks on Paramount+ and Hoopla. Clerks II can be found on PlutoTV. Of course, all of them are available on Amazon for a fee.

 

Cat’s Point of View:

My family and I have long been big fans of Kevin Smith’s work We’ve seen every “Jay and Silent Bob” related movie and show - and some of those multiple times. I could babble on for quite a while but I will spare you most of my geek-out. (I’m practicing for when the Core-4 of the Clerks (1994) trilogy comes together with a few others from the Askewniverse family at Geek’d Con this summer. I will be working at the convention and doing my best to be a literal professional fangirl.) I digress…

I remember the first time I watched the original Clerks, it took me a minute to adjust to the black-and-white. I was worried my TV was busted or that I’d accidentally used the wrong setting or something like that. Was I even watching the right movie? My now-husband, who was sharing one of his favorite VHS tapes with me at the time (circa 1998), assured me that it was quite on purpose and urged me to hold on because it was going to get good in a minute. Shortly after that, I - much like when I watched an actual black-and-white TV when I was little - forgot that it wasn’t in color and I just enjoyed the story. 

 

Watching all the movies that have come after has been one of our “things” throughout the years. As soon as our daughter was old enough for the content, we shared our love for these movies with her as well. It was no wonder that I listed this as my #1 pick for September 2022’s Top 20.

I expected Clerks III to bring this trilogy full circle, as well as the legion of cameos involved. What I didn’t anticipate was the massive rollercoaster of feels that this story would take me on. I didn’t expect the tears. So many tears. I was ugly crying, there at the end. I felt like someone needed to shout CLEAR before the punch to the heart. 

This was a beautiful, hilarious, and poignant bookend to this saga. 

Clerks III took a deep dive into our own expectations for our life as we get older and assess what we’ve accomplished - and haven’t. We take a step back and see how some things have changed and also some remain the same. It questions what possibilities could lie ahead, as well as keeping its core focus of ride-or-die friendship, while also exploring the navigation of existential crisis and loss. Yeah. All of that in a Clerks movie while at the same time being damn funny.

 

It’s clear how Kevin Smith’s own life experiences colored this deeply personal story arc that tied together the first and last movies and even wove in the middle (as well as some of the other side-quests). He’s been very vocal about how his own heart attack changed his outlook on life and even has recently been speaking openly on the topic of mental health. (We need to normalize this, folks, and strip away the stigma. You can watch his YouTube video posted on People’s channel here.)

For anyone that hasn’t watched any of the Clerks movies yet, you’ll want to at the very least get the first 2 under your proverbial belt before taking on the final movie of this trilogy. For the completionists out there who want to be able to pick up every Easter Egg and reference to the View Askewniverse movies featuring Jay and Silent Bob, Screenrant published an article with a good chronological list. 

 

Of course these movies - and particularly this trilogy are about so much more than just Jay and Bob. Brian O'Halloran's Dante, Jeff Anderson's Randall, Rosario Dawson's Becky, and so many more new and old friends come together in this glorious finale, and I loved every minute of it.

Anyone who is already a fan will definitely want to watch Clerks III ASAP, if they haven’t already. This was my 2nd viewing - and I still cried just as hard - and it might not be my last. I feel like I owe a massive thank you to Kevin Smith for this crazy ride, and while this saga is seemingly ending - I can’t wait to see the stories he wants to tell next.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 62%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score –93%

Metascore – 50%

Metacritic User Score – 4.7/10

IMDB Score – 6.3/10

 

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 5/5

 

P.S. - There isn’t a mid or post-credits scene, however, there is a roughly 3 minute audio segment from Kevin Smith voiced over the end of the credits. In this segment, he offers an alternate ending and an epilogue to the story.  

 

Movie Trailer: