Review: Rua do Medo Trilogy is a love letter to horror cinema
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A Netflix finished the Street of Fear trilogy, an ambitious project adapting a series of books by RL Stine, author of Goosebumps and considered the leading American writer of contemporary children's horror.
With just one week between each title, the Rua do Medo trilogy honors while subverting terror and its most popular subgenres, ranging from slasher ao “post terror” in this time travel that goes from 1994 to 1666.
*Warning, the following text contains spoilers for Rua do Medo: 1994, 1978 and 1666.
Rua do Fear: 1994 - Part 1
In the first film of the trilogy, we follow a group of teenagers who try to unravel the origin of mysterious murders in the city of Shadyside. With characters, concepts and narrative structure that feels like a mix of the franchise Panic with homemade success Stranger Things, we have the first chapter of the saga.
Rua do Medo: 1994 ends up suffering in favor of the project. That is, the plot of the skull mask assassin is left aside for the development of the Shadyside town mythology and the curse of the witch Sarah Fier. Despite all this, the film is far from bad.
self-conscious terror
Proving to be a big fan of the genre, director Leigh Janiak — who also signs the trilogy’s script — pays homage to and uses features from horror classics. Just look at the first scene of the film, which is a clear homage to the prologue of Panic (1996)
Still drinking from Wes Craven's work, Part 1 also plays with the conventions and structure of the genre, whether with characters referencing other horror movies to explain their plans or even building the main cast, putting a lesbian couple in the spotlight and killing the heteronormative characters with the exception of the black.
Shadyside vs Sunnyvale
From the opening credits, Part 1 of the Street of Fear trilogy gives a lot of importance to the rivalry between Shadyside and Sunnyvale, being quite emphatic in the contrast of the neighboring cities. Shadyside is mainly inhabited by working-class families, and the killing has been going on for hundreds of years. The neighboring city is inhabited by wealthy residents and has not seen any violent crime in decades.
Recalling some works by Stephen King that guarantee personality to inanimate beings, the construction and development of the main plot of the trilogy end up making the city of Shadyside much more than a character: she is the great protagonist of the trilogy, while Sunnyvale is gaining more and more. more contours of villainy, becoming its antagonist.
Streaming
Sometimes the film doesn't seem to stand on its own and perhaps this is Janiak's choice of direction. After all, the spacing between one film and another is only one week, so these “holes” will be filled soon, a justification that only works during the times of the service. streaming.
I believe that the audience must accept this justification, since the third act of the film is quite hasty in trying to solve the problem of 1994, as well as wanting to surprise the viewer with an invitation to the next chapter. Therefore, if we look at Rua do Medo: 1994 as an isolated film, it seems to end without a conclusion.
Street of Fear: 1978 - Part 2
Part 2 of the saga begins immediately after the events that close Rua do Medo: 1994, when brothers Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.) seek help from C. Berman (Gillian Jacobs) — the only survivor of the massacres. of Shadyside — after Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) is possessed by the witch Sarah Fier.
Berman explains to the brothers that there is no escape from the witch's curse and, to make it very clear, she tells them everything that happened in the summer of 1978 at Camp Nightwing. Here's our movie.
Much simpler than the previous chapter and without much subtext to explain to the audience, Rua do Medo: 1978 works very well as a movie. slasher isolated, while deepening the plot of the franchise's macro story.
If in the previous chapter the references were to horror films from the 1990s/2000s, now we have a tribute to the golden period of slasher, between the 1970s and 1980s, having as main references of archetypes, narrative and visual structure the films of the franchise Friday 13, and the movies Madman e Sinister Camp.
With fewer ties between the main characters — not least because we know their fate — than its predecessor, Rua do Medo: 1978 creates a small mystery about which of the Bernan sisters dies. Since C. Berman is short for Cindy Berman, on the other hand, actress Gillian Jacobs physically resembles Ziggy Berman (Sadie Sink) in a younger version.
Inversely proportionate to its predecessor, Rua do Medo: 1978 adds little to the franchise's macro history, particularly after the conclusion of 1666, while 1994 grows. That said, as a standalone film, it's the best of the three.
Street of Fear: 1666 - Part 3
The third and final installment of Netflix's new horror franchise takes a trip to the year 1666, going straight to the events that triggered the mythical curse of the witch Sarah Fier. Through Deena's eyes, we follow Fier's final days in the village that would become the city of Shadyside.
In Part 3 we have a much more drama focused story, leaving the bloodbath to its predecessors. Here the terror is not in some masked murderer or satanic rite, but in the people who judge and condemn the different without batting an eye. Kiana Madeira, living the wronged Sarah Fier, delivers the best performance of the trilogy.
After paying homage to horror films from the 1970s to 2000s, the franchise now drinks from the “post-terror” source – an almost sub-genre, which bets on psychological horror over scare devices, such as high chords and jump scares, which has gained popularity and critical attention in recent years for films such as Hereditary e The witch.
post terror
By the way, the latter is the main reference, from the setting — a village with extremely religious people who accuse everything that is outside the normal of witchcraft — to technical factors such as the costumes and especially the photography with natural light, which creates a really claustrophobic tone. when scenes take place outdoors.
The most curious thing about this tribute is that part of the post-terror fans are staunch film critics slasher. One more point for Leigh Janiak, who manages to move between various stages of horror, proving once again that her trilogy is an ode to the genre in cinema.
It was always Sunnyvale's fault
Building a strong Sunnyvale antagonism throughout the three chapters, it was clear that the neighboring town was to blame for Shadyside's history of violence. In Deena's journey into the past, she discovers that the demonic pact was not made by Sarah Fier, but rather by Solomon, an ancestor of Sheriff Goode, thus creating a generational cycle that keeps Sunnyvalle and the Goodes thriving using the residents of Shadyside as their own. sacrifice.
Even if this was not a very surprising development, it is still quite effective for everything that has been built so far. The conclusion, on the other hand, was not the best, with a very similar ending to the first chapter, including repeating the shopping mall scenario.
References
In addition to the more obvious references, which we mentioned above, the Rua do Medo trilogy also brings together references from music, literature and television. In its first two chapters, the selection of songs, in addition to reminding the audience of what historical period we are in, also talks to the characters. Like the sexual tension of characters while playing “Closer” from Nine Inch Nails, “Cherry Bomb” by The Runaways is playing in the performance of reckless teenagers and introspection while someone listens to “Creep” by Radiohead.
David Bowie is also very present, especially in the second chapter of the series. Whether in the soundtrack, as in the name of Ziggy Berman, which indicates connection with the stage name of David Bowie during the 1970s, Ziggy Stardust. Also, Deena's dog is named Major Tom, another direct homage to Bowie's song "Space Oddity."
Stephen King, in addition to the obvious inspiration for the trilogy as a whole, is also referenced by Ziggy and Nick (Ted Sutherland), who turn out to be fans of the author while flirting. Still in literature, RL Stine's books are literally in the movie, in the third chapter, when Deena uses them as a protective vest.
Cons
The Rua do Medo trilogy is a great trip to the horror cinema of the last 50 years and a very daring project. This boldness cost some production problems. Starting with its format, which at times feels much more like a series, sacrificing the quality of Part 1 and taking the weight off of Part 2.
Another problem related to the format is the inconsistency in the rhythm of the features, which loses its breath at times and rushes soon after, as between the second and third acts of Part 1. In part 3, Sarah's origin story Fier could be longer, but it pretty much shares the same screen time with the conclusion of the trilogy, which stretches beyond what it needs, repeating the solution and even scenario from Part 1.
Future of the Street of Fear Trilogy on Netflix
Although the trilogy has been completed, there is a lot of ballast for Netflix to use. Whether exploring other assassins in unused periods in this trilogy, as something in the future the main timeline of the adapted franchise. Material for this exists in abundance, after all, the original work contains dozens of books with hundreds of short stories.
Conclusion
The Rua do Medo trilogy is a project with a lot of heart, which references horror cinema from different historical periods and which seeks, in its own way, to have its own identity. At no time does Rua do Medo try to be bigger than it is, it makes mistakes by taking risks, but in the end it manages to reach its goal, which is to please both a young audience and long-time fans of the genre.
Learn more
Want to explore the Netflix catalog? Check out our impressions of Army of the Dead: Invasion in Las Vegas and the Castlevania season four.
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