Fear Street Part 3: Goode vs. Gooder
Film
We made it!! We've reached the end of our Fear Street journey and wow what a journey it has been...
Before checking out my thoughts here, be sure to freshen up and see all the moronic takes I had on the previous 2 films, Part 1 and Part 2, because I was definitely wrong about how some things were going to wrap up!
Ok so definitely be warned: spoilers ahead
One of the hot topics that I've been preaching throughout these films is the usage of color and the duality of red and blue in the metaphorical battle of good vs. evil. Of course one of the discussions in my Part 2 article was about how Nick Goode walked the fine line between red and blue (as a police officer and in not committing to the curse of Sarah Fier but also by not completely dismissing it).
Well now that I've watched Fear Street Part Three: 1666, I know how full of shit I was!
Turns out the Goode family is behind all of the nefarious acts within Shadyside as their great ancestor Solomon Goode (Ashley Zukerman) made a deal with the devil in return for prosperity. Of course the only draw is there needs to be a sacrifice every few years which is the name scratched onto the stone in the underground tunnel, that person then of course goes on to kill numerous additional people. We then see that the tradition of sacrificing a Shadysider in this ritual was passed down to Sheriff Nick Goode and that he was even the one to put Thomas Slater (McCabe Slye) on the wall in Fear Street Part Two: 1978 -- MEANING I was just spewing utter nonsense when I said Goode was walking a fine line. In actuality, Nick Goode was trying to fill his father's expectations of him of not only becoming Sheriff but also continuing to sacrifice Shadysiders for the "greater Goode" (wow I pulled that out of a hat, go me).
Aside from me being horrendously wrong, it was awesome to see that twist play out. Initially I was anticipating the mayor of Sunnyvale to be the main culprit but having it be the esteemed Sheriff was even better.
This of course brings me to my next point, which is how incredibly well these three movies are executed from top to bottom. I give all credit and kudos to the director of these three films, Leigh Janiak! Not only did she direct all three entries, but she also has screenwriting credit for all three, and it shows.
The singular cohesiveness of this trilogy is immaculate and while they probably can't be consumed as single pieces of work like Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy (a holy grail of a trilogy), together they are astounding. The first film, Fear Street Part One: 1994, is as good of an intro film as you could hope for from a 3 piece series and the second did a great job of advancing the landscape within the horror genre, namely with the additions to the mystique and curse of Shadyside. And then there's the penultimate film, which wraps everything up exquisitely. All lingering questions have been answered, including why putting Sarah's hand back with her body didn't ultimately "end" the curse; and even events from the first film, like how killing Samantha (Olivia Scott Welch) and then reviving her didn't keep her safe from harm, are uncertainties put to rest.
Moreover the third film ended with that classic "oh maybe there's more?" horror movie ending with someone grabbing the book that holds the satanic rituals within it. Clichés be damned, I love that shit.
Lastly with everyone watching these movies, there's always the question of which one is the best one? And I really don't like answering that for this trilogy not only because I don't think they can be taken as single pieces of work, but also because I love them all equally.... which I understand is kind of a dodgy excuse... so (if you insist), here is my definitive Fear Street ranking...
- Fear Street Part Three: 1666 - This is the peak of the trilogy but it was definitely tough between this one and my number 2 selection. But the way this film wraps everything up, unleashes the theme of the whole trilogy, and showcases the allegory of white men doing anything and everything to maintain a status quo is stupendous. An excellent ending to an excellent trilogy.
- Fear Street Part Two: 1978 - Again I could definitely put this up to number 1, but it was really the wrapping up of the trilogy that bumped up part 3. But Camp Nightwing was an awesome chapter in these films and added some wonderful meat to the story.
- Fear Street Part One: 1994 - Please don't take this as me saying this is not a good movie because it's at the bottom of the list!! I only put this at the bottom because I enjoyed the other 2 a bit more. But from my part 1 article, I clearly enjoyed this movie quite a bit and again, what a great entry into the world of Shadyside and Sunnyvale.
One more quick shout out to Leigh Janiak for a great trilogy! And another shout out to Netflix for testing the waters with how we consume film, especially 3 straight films in a series. One coming out week after week was a perfect way to not only keep people invested by not waiting too long, but also building the hype more and more with each release.
Well done, and I can't wait to revisit Fear Street in the future.
Froth
I had a real solid hunch I was going to love this movie just as much as I enjoyed the previous two, which may or may not be the wrong way to enter a movie viewing experience...
Anyways, I really thought I would (spoiler: I did) so I needed a dynamite beer from one of my favorite breweries here in Seattle. So I blew into the magic conch and beckoned for the skies to open and the good people at Cloudburst brewing to fuel the fire. And oh boy did they answer the call.
I had myself a Street Lights, People IPA for this just because street lights are one of the most used horror movie tropes. You know that textbook empty street and eerie ambience, maybe some fog, and that damn flickering street light. Additionally this beer was named for the stereotypical white man anthem Don't Stop Believin' and whilst watching Fear Street Part Three: 1666, I never stopped believing in our wonderful lead character, Deena (Kiana Madeira).
Not to mention I didn't stop drinking this beer so there's that as well. This was a great combo of citrus flavors and that beautiful gold and not too bitter finish. This is certainly a staple once again from the fine people at Cloudburst and if you happen to find yourself in Seattle at any point, I 10/10 recommend the Cloudburst breweries.
Oh and I also recommend the Fear Street Trilogy, and flossing because dental hygiene is important.
Street Lights, People IPA IPA - American | 6.9% ABV Cloudburst Brewing @cloudburstbrew
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