Rating of
3/4
Before We End, Let's Go Back to the Beginning
Chris Kavan - wrote on 08/06/21
The excellent Fear Street Trilogy wraps up things by taking us back to the beginning - before ending in the present. When we last left Deena (Kiana Madeira), she had successfully reunited the severed hand of the witch Sarah Fier with her body - but instead of ending the so-called Shadyside curse, Deena found herself transported back to 1666 and inhabiting the body of Sarah instead. Thus she experiences exactly what happened and the real story behind the centuries-long curse that has plagued her town and the people living in it.
The story of Sarah Fier is one of forbidden love - much like Deena and Samantha (Olivia Scott Welch) in the present day, Sarah is in love with Hannah Miller (Welch again). It's hard enough for same-sex romance in the modern age, but back in 1666 it was treated akin to demonic possession.... or witchcraft - especially when the girl in question is the daughter of the local pastor, Cyrus Miller (Michael Chandler). While Sarah's own father, George (Randy Havens) tries to steer Sarah in the direction of widower Solomon Goode (Ashley Zukerman). Even though Sarah does seem to have a good rapport, even suggesting marriage just to placate the townsfolk, this doesn't translate to more than a platonic relationship.
While Sarah and Hannah try to keep their feelings for each other hidden from their small community, it doesn't last long. During a Bacchanal-like celebration, they first visit the reclusive widow for some mind-altering berries - and also spy a book of black magic. During the celebration they very publicly shame Caleb (Jeremy Ford) and later sneak off - not knowing they have been followed. Shortly after, the town suffers from a series of horrible events from food and bread spoiling, to livestock going feral, their water supply tainted by a dead dog and, for a bloody finale, Pastor Miller rounding up all the children in town and sacrificing them in some unholy vision. After this series of events, the town comes together where Mad Thomas (McCabe Slye) reveals he was the one who spied on Sarah and Hannah and says their relationship is the cause of all the ills and accuses both of witchcraft. Sarah manages to escape but Hannah is captured and scheduled to be executed.
Sarah decides the only way to set things right is to become what the townspeople want her to be - and goes after the Black Book only to discover the widow dead and the book gone. Confiding in Solomon, she is forced to hide when the townsfolk come to his home only to fall into the catacombs below his house and discover that Solomon is the one who has made the deal with the devil - and is willing to go to any lengths to make sure the Goode family retains wealth and power - no matter how many people have to be sacrificed along the way. Solomon and Sarah get into a fight - Sarah loses her hand - and is given over to the townspeople. She lays the blame entirely on her - setting Hannah free - but not before cursing the town and promising revenge against Goode.
We return to the present where Deena now realizes that Fier isn't the cause of any curse - it's the Goode family - and this knowledge now means she is the target of all the resurrected killers But she has a plan, enlisting the help of her brother (Benjamin Flores Jr.), Ziggy (Gillian Jacobs) and mall security Martin (Darrell Britt-Gibson) who holds his own grudge against the sheriff. Utilizing all the tricks they can muster, including drawing out the killers with blood - they manage to trap several of the returned killers while Deena chases Goode into the tunnels below. The only way to break the curse is to sever the link to the family who made it.
The trilogy wraps up nicely - with hope and, yes, a tease at another chapter should the powers at be over at Netflix decide to go ahead. More importantly, the last film continues to honor the empowering LGBTQ message from the first film. As many have pointed out, often characters of this nature are the first ones to die in most other horror films - it's nice to see them play the main characters here - and with some emotional depth to go along with it. While the second film embodies the slasher genre, this third has the better storyline - switching from the past to present is an excellent way to wrap things up and we get a definitive answer to the overarching mystery. Once again the cast is excellent for being less well known and it has a nice mix of thrills.
The trilogy remains solid throughout the run and provides a nice twist on the standard tropes while remaining true to the genre. I wholeheartedly recommend this to horror fans as it provides plenty of blood along with a meaningful story and characters.
