The Final Girls 🎬 & Fear Street 🔪
Happy Thursday! Tomorrow is Friday the 13th, so today’s recommendation is for two fun homages to classic horror — one safe for the horror-averse and one a little more intense.
In movie news: The New York Film Festival announced its lineup including Julia Ducournau’s Palme d'Or winner Titane, Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World, Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta, Todd Haynes’ Velvet Underground, and Rebecca Hall’s Passing. The festival begins on September 24th. Here’s the lineup.
Have a terrific summer weekend!
The Final Girls 🎬
Max (Taissa Farmiga), the daughter of late 80s scream queen Amanda (Malin Åkerman), and her friends find themselves pulled into the world of her mom’s most famous movie, Camp Bloodbath. Along with the movie version of her mother, Max has to defeat the film’s killer. Here’s the trailer.
Why you should watch it: We’ve seen meta-horror like The Final Girls before — The Cabin in the Woods, Tucker and Dale v. Evil. And as a Friday the 13th send-up, The Final Girls is a perfectly fine trip down memory lane with enough silly in-jokes and gags to keep you entertained throughout. I dare you to try and not laugh at Tina’s (Angela Trimbur) hilarious striptease to lure the killer into a trap.
However, there’s a surprisingly emotional core that separates The Final Girls from other horror homages. The comedy may be slapstick, but the film also sneaks in a therapy session on grief, motherhood, and trauma. And yes, this is the same movie where someone dies by tripping into a bear trap. Sometimes you can have it all. 91 mins.
Fear Street 🔪
Broken into three films — 1994, 1978, and 1666 — Fear Street tells the story of the town of Shadyside where 300 years of brutal murders have plagued the residents. However, a group of teens led by Deena (Kiana Madeira) may finally bring an end to the town’s curse. Here’s the trailer.
Why you should watch it: Every installment of Fear Street is an homage to the era it takes place in. 1994 has elements of Scream and other 90s teen slashers. 1978 is a clear Friday the 13th homage and 1666 tackles folk horror. The film series, adapted from the R.L. Stine series of the same name, isn’t weighed down by its inspirations though. Instead, it’s a singular (and highly entertaining) paranormal mystery that unfolds in a satisfying way.
Featuring a history-making protagonist and characters that you can’t help but root for, Fear Street effectively blurs the line between TV and film by creating films that stand on their own but reward viewers who make it through them all. 107 mins / 114 mins / 110 mins.
📽 P.S. You can see every movie I’ve ever recommended right here.
🍅 I’m also a Tomatometer-approved critic on Rotten Tomatoes! You can find new movie reviews here and here.