Practically perfect!
You know, it’s kind of funny! I was really not digging this movie in the first 15 or so minutes! No, not the horror, that was on point from the get-go! 100% there! I am referring to the Gayness! As you know just a few days ago I wrote about the trailer and in that post I spoke of how I don’t dig stories where the couple is already together! So when the movie started with our girl Deena already being emo over Sam (our other girl, the blondie cheerleader) and them practically being broken up and then the silly fights that started their scenes together…
Yeah, I nearly skipped to the next movie in the queue, leaving this one for another day!
But as the movie went on and I was actually enjoying the overall story and the horror (seriously, super fine horror elements – even with the cliches, nay, the cliches actually make the movie) at one point my brain switched gears and actually all I could see of their relationship is a brand new relationship being started. I mean, it might as well be. We have no information at all of their past love, not even a photo. All we got was a box of Sam’s trinkets that Deena was returning to her!
In other words what I am trying to say is that all the negatives I had about the movie disappeared as the time passed! By the time the credits rolled I was mentally clapping, with a stupid-ass grin on my face!
It was so gud!
Maybe it’s because Horror is my favourite genre, or maybe it’s because I am of the 90s but whatever it is, the movie totally took my expectations and lived up to it! You damn well know I am already speculating on the next two movies. No, I have not yet read the books but I have ordered them!
As we know this is a three part story and the three parts will take place in three different time periods. The first one, this one, as the title says it’s set in 1994, which is the ‘current time’ where the story is concerned! The town of Shadyside, which is infamous for its legendary serials murders and neighbour to the heavenly Sunnyvale (totally not a nod to Buffy’s Sunnydale) comparatively, is where our protagonists live.
Just like any good horror movie, it opens with some nice kills along with the cheat code that is Nine Inch Nails’ Closer pumping the blood up to 11 at the mall but unlike some sicko going on a killing spree, there is something wicked afoot! Deena’s brother is into that stuff so he knows what’s going on and as he tells us, the curse has been awoken again and we should expect a lot more killings.
Perfect for me!
And that is where the movie’s other strength was…Despite being over 100 minutes, it never dragged. Seriously, you would not think that this was some part of a trilogy because it moved real fast! Bodies were falling like ship, like, it was truly sublime!
And speaking of bodies falling, I was really surprised by the climax! Kate, our other girl that I had thought would be bringing the friction were she to be in love with Deena but alas, she was straighter than the Dublin Spire and hit it off with Deena’s brother, anyway she totally got massacred! Her boy friend, who brings out our gang of five was also part of that jaw-dropping third act killing spree!
I mean, I don’t know what I was surprised so. This is a horror movie but still, I sure thought they would survive until the end of the story but seeing as the Evil Dead (no pun intended) were only targeting Sam (what was the Mall scene then!?! Was that prick just a closet psycho?!) I guess we needed to have some sacrifices in order to get some bloody kills in this bitch! Like, can you imagine a third act of a horror movie without any kills?!
And girl, Kate’s death was the most brutal and gruesome of them all! Her brain was literally sliced into foie gras! And it took so long anyone who watched was definitely thinking like me that there was no way she was dying. We all thought that she would be saved!
Joke was on us I guess and for some reason I love the movie even more for it! Don’t get me wrong, I frikkin loved Kate, in fact I would totally ship her with Deena but the fact that she was actually killed just…it just took me by surprise that I can’t help but give kudos to the director! I mean, there was literally no flags, like at all!
If only she was a lesbian, she probably would have survived! Hah, don’t you love it when tropes are reversed! Kind of funny when you consider that the story is from the 90s!
So, what’s this about the Evil being after only Sam? Well, from this first part, and I don’t think it really is the reason, we are told that she is the target because she disturbed the dead Witch Sarah Fear’s grave (I know that’s not her Sur name but it is read like that so I am writing it like that) after she got into an accident that was caused by none other than Deena herself.
Lost? Fear not, I am here to explain.
Like I mentioned, Shadyside and Sunnyvale are neighbours, literally minutes away from each other and the reason that our girls broke up (actually it was Deena who broke up with Sam, no matter how unbelievable that may seem) was because Sam’s family moved to Sunnyvale and in doing so transferred to the rival school.
They broke up because one of them moved 30 minutes away! Like, that is the reason! And they were fighting about it as if it was something more deep! That was what was riling me up in those first few minutes! But thankfully the stupidness stopped real fast!
Anyway, when Deena’s school goes to Sam’s to have a match, the two have a fight as does the rest of the students because those Sunnyvale pricks made fun of Shadyside being a breed of monsters, especially since they were mourning their fellow students who had been murdered in the opening mentioned!
Anyway, on the way back to their town, Deena’s bus is followed by Sam and her boyfriend in his car to be an even bigger prick. Seeing that and that Sam was there, Deena loses it and drops a can of water towards them which causes the car to lose control and they get into an accident!
No, Deena wasn’t that much of a bitch, something had come over her but we can all guess it hard to have something to hold onto as Evil usually does and it had to be Deena’s negative emotions towards Sam in that moment. Her nose is bleeding meaning something had taken over her temporarily.
Nose bleeds are a bad sign in this world!
She immediately regrets it of course and stops the bus to run after Sam. But before she got to her Sam had already weaved their fate into a different direction because as she fell out of the car, she landed on top of Sarah Fear’s grave and her hands made contact with her bones under the earth. She saw visions of the witch there but she did not understand what it was at the time.
Because of that Sarah Fear’s curse awakened Shadyside’s worst killers to go after her and the movie is basically Deena and her friends trying to save her girlfriend. They obviously don’t succeed amidst all the carnage and loss like explained but this is only a third of the story!
Back to our couple, though Sam made a joke about their relationship and how literally just being back together for a few hours Evil was already after their lives, I for one think that if they survive the story, they will make it into my Top 10 ships for sure! I mean like, love stories that fight Fate and win are sure to win over just about anyone!
And I have to say their relationship was versatile and different in a good way. Usually when a story starts with the two couple broken up, they rarely get back together but here not only did they get back together, like I said, it was in a way that makes it feel like they are only starting, because we don’t know of their history together…well, not yet.
Also the fact that they can go head to head in a fight (towards the end when it turned out that Sam was not saved but actually ended up being possessed after she had temporarily died and thus tried to kill Deena) and they are equal in that they both bring the same amount of force towards one another.
I just love them you know.
As for the moments, they are limited as they spend half the time in friction but this is just the first part of three so there is still time but what we got was enough for now. Truthfully, even in their silly fights I still shipped them because it was obvious they were so into one another.
And their characters are likeable, nay, all the characters were likeable, which again adds to the greatness of this movie!
Back to the moments, Deena fighting to save Sam takes the cake! I am talking about that scene where they figured out that they could not kill the monsters and thus the only way to survive was to let them kill Sam. I totally felt that! Imagine having to choose between your friends and family and your love!
Yeah, no!
The ending scene was cute two, before Sam went all Exorcist on Deena that is! But if I am being honest, I found their fight when she turned super hot too!
Breaking news, I am a weirdo!
And how can I talk about moments without mentioning that scene where Sam went total Badass on her Mom and kissed Deena in front of her! You see their love was kind of a secret before their breakup because Sam was afraid to come out, definitely because of her Mom but then here she totally kicked fear in the backside and came out with a bang!
Deena: “See you tomorrow?”
Sam: “No…”
*Walks up to Deena and KISSes her*
“I’ll see you tonight!”
Total badass! And she really did see Deena that night, only it was the night she also tried to murder her as I mentioned.
And best for last, the scene we have seen in the trailers of course! The way Sam pulled Deena over to her with the belt straps! The delicious groping! And I still can’t get over that thing they did with their noses! I don’t know, it shouldn’t be that surprising but it is to me! Too bad we had to share the make-out time between three groups (one by himself – an hero) and it was cut short because…reasons I guess, but Kate is dead now so future make outs are totally solo! And since we haven’t gotten a full course yet…yeah…I can’t wait for the other two movies!
Crude? I don’t give a tick. This is a horror post!
Which is coming to an end right here as I say if you haven’t seen Fear Street part 1 yet, get to it. It’s on Netflix!
Ja
~
百合 Goggles 
July 4, 2021 at 19:52
I had a good time. It was well paced.
I really enjoyed the story, the 90s, the murders, the characters and their reactions.
Although the trilogy gets its inspiration and background from Fear Street series written by R.L. Stine, I thought the story was original.
As a kid, I read over 120 books from the Goosebumps and Fear Street series!!
The Fear Street series started in the late 80’s, early 90’s (Hi Buffy! ;-))
PS: By the way, have you watched The Duke of Burgundy and Olivia?
July 4, 2021 at 20:37
I think I watched all the Goosebump episodes back in the day. I guess my love for horror was in my blood! Then again, this is someone that saw movies like The Blob when I was not even a Teen!
Ah yes Buffy. Is it me or did the female killer look like Buffy at one point in the show!
Anyway yeah, I have watched both those movies! Thanks for the rec!
July 4, 2021 at 21:41
Do you mean Ruby Lane? Jordyn DiNatale stars as Rory in “The Birch” (Facebook Watch). And I only had her in mind.
July 5, 2021 at 09:44
I just discovered a little gem. This movie has one of the most enjoyable endings I have ever watched.
Maybe you already know, otherwise I recommend it.
July 5, 2021 at 09:53
Hmmm I am not familiar with it. Thank you, I’ll check it out!