Fear Street Part 3: 1666 (Mini-Review)

Fear Street Part 3: 1666 is the third and final part of a movie trilogy based on the Fear Street books by R.L.Stine. This final part sees Deena Johnson being shown the horrifying truth of the curse by Sarah Fier. With that information she knows the way that the three hundred year old curse can finally be lifted from Shadyside and Samantha Fraser freed. Fear Street Part 3: 1666 was released on Netflix in 2021. It was directed by Leigh Janiak. It stars Kiana Madeira, Ashley Zukerman, and Gillian Jacobs.

When Deena sees Sarah Fier's memories, everyone in the past looks like those from Fear Street Parts 1 and 2. This is clever as it allows viewers to quickly form bonds with characters without too much screen time. Instead of needing to build up love for a new character, viewers are able to relate to a character from the first two parts. This means some deaths are extremely devastating. I do think this wasn't done purely for our benefit, as Sarah is able to point to the true villain from Fear Street Part 1 by showing who they are in the flashback.

Deena and Sam's relationship has been the cornerstone of the Fear Street films. Even though Part 1 is the weakest entry, their relationship made me like the movie. While homophobia played a part in the first film, it takes center stage during the 1666 flashback. One reviewer said that the 1666 portion lacked any horror and I must argue against that. While it wasn't full of blood and gore, minus one scene, the horror was something more subtle. The horror came from Sarah Fier and Hannah Miller wanting to from a relationship but due to the cultural taboo of lesbians, they couldn't for fear of death. The horror came from the fact that once the Devil found his home in Union, that Sarah Fier and Hannah Miller would be blamed by their neighbors just due to the fact they loved each other romantically and sexually. A similar fear that LGBTQ+ people like myself have in the real world.

Even in the film's darkest moments, there was humor to be found. So while there are moments that get your heart pumping, it never gets overbearing. There was one line near the end that made me burst out laughing. The line delivery was just killer.

In the first film, Josh Johnson was in a chat room talking with someone called Queen of Air and Darkness. That is the title of the faerie Mab. So I formed my theories on who she could be with that in mind. Upon the reveal of who she actually was I laughed as I had not guessed it would be that person. Though maybe the person has a darker side...depending whose hand it was in the mid credits scene.

This film connects the trilogy with an overarching theme. That being that homophobia and lust for power can have effects for centuries afterwards. Another theme that I can't talk about too much on this post, due to me wanting to keep this review spoiler free, is that sometimes love isn't enough. Sometimes if you love a person that doesn't automatically make you a good person. Heck, sometimes it can make you a monster.

I would strongly recommend Fear Street Part 3: 1666 to those that have enjoyed the previous Fear Street movies. I would also recommend Fear Street Part 3: 1666 to those that like horror.