Movie Review

Fear Street Part 1: 1994 a promising start to Netflix horror trilogy

Horror is such a copycat genre that there are few films that feel genuinely original. It’s no small irony, then, that some of the better entries are those that straight up acknowledge their unoriginality, using their time to make fun of or comment on the genre while still serving up some fun thrills.

That would appear to be the goal of the new Netflix movie Fear Street Part One: 1994, the first of three films based on R.L. Stine’s Fear Street series that will premiere over the course of three weeks. Writer/director Leigh Janiak has used the basics of the books to craft movies that pay homage to different classic horror films, cheekily starting with a takeoff on the original homage, Scream.

The film is set in the fictional Shadyside, aka Killer Capital, USA for the many murders that have taken place there over centuries. Some believe that a witch named Sarah Fier, who was burned at the stake in 1666, is the cause of the continued killings, inhabiting various people throughout the years to do her murderous deeds as a curse against those who did her wrong.

The latest to run afoul of Sarah are a group of teenagers led by Deena (Kiana Madeira), who’s still pining after her ex-girlfriend Sam (Olivia Scott Welch), who’s recently moved to neighboring Sunnyvale, which is very safe compared to Shadyside. Deena’s brother Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.), who is obsessed with the killings, has a crush on Kate (Julia Rehwald), who has a flourishing side business selling pills to her classmates alongside her friend Simon (Fred Hechinger).

Janiak and her co-writer Phil Graziadei walk a tricky line in this first film, introducing the idea of Sarah’s curse while knowing there can be no resolution until the third film. The seemingly more natural idea would be to start in 1666 and go forward in time, but the filmmakers have bucked the norm to do things their own way.

It will be interesting to see how the others play out, because Part One: 1994 is definitely meant to feel like a ‘90s movie, with a lot of era-appropriate songs and a jokey quality similar to Scream. The various kills and a killer wearing a skull mask call to mind that film, too, but not in a bad way. The intent is clear right from the start, and the way the characters interact make it almost impossible not to have fun while watching them.

Save for a couple of people with minor roles – at least in this film – there are no recognizable names in the cast. But a lack of preconceived notions works for the young group, as each is free to create their own persona. Madeira and Rehwald are the best of the bunch, with each combining vulnerability and spunkiness that makes each of their characters memorable.

Each of the main actors will be in the next two films, although since the story is going backward in time, it’s unclear what form their parts will take. Fear Street Part Two: 1978 (which will be released on July 9) looks likely to be a Friday the 13th type of film, while Part Three: 1666 (released on July 16) will bring witches to the fore. If they’re as successful as this first film, horror fans will have cause for celebration.

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Fear Street Part One: 1994 is now streaming on Netflix.

Masked killer in Fear Street Part One: 1994.

Masked killer in Fear Street Part One: 1994

Photo courtesy of Netflix

Masked killer in Fear Street Part One: 1994.

Vinyl Record News

Dallas record store chain Josey Records spins new location in Garland

Josey Records

Josey Records

Vinyl at Josey Records

Dallas music maker Josey Records has extended its reach east: The record store chain, whose empire includes one of the largest single independent record stores in the U.S., has opened a location in Garland, at 1005 Northwest Hwy., at the intersection of Centerville Road, where it's selling its trademark assortment of vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, turntables, music posters, new releases, and music accessories.

This is the sixth location and the third in the Dallas area, joining the original in Farmers Branch which owners Waric Cameron and Luke Sardello opened in November 2014. They've since opened locations in Plano, Tulsa, Kansas City, and Vidalia, Missouri.

The original location is a giant place with 16,000 square feet devoted to vinyl, 45s, CDs, turntables, and T-shirts. They do a good job showcasing new releases and collector vinyl — they made CultureMap's list of 5 best places in Dallas to buy vinyl records — and are known to host album release and listening parties such as a recent blockbuster celebrating Linkin Park.

They made headlines in June 2020 when they acquired the vast musical inventory of Bill’s Records following the death of owner Bill Wisener; Cameron and Sardello both worked at Bill’s, and knew the sprawling collection first-hand.

"It has taken us years to even start going through it, but in last two years, we've made some headway," Cameron says. "Bill's has its own audience, so we created a specific Instagram account, just for Bill's Records merchandise called @billsrecordsvault."

They chose Garland because they saw it as an area that was under-served.

"There are very few record stores in that area of northeast Dallas, Casa View, Garland, Rockwall, Mesquite," Cameron says. "We have customers who live over there, so it seemed like a good place for a store."

The storefront they're in was most recently The Music Store, which sold and rented musical instruments and accessories; but coincidentally, it's next to an address that was once RPM Records, a hip record store from the '90s.

The Garland store follows the same model as their others: selling new and used records and merchandise, and buying used goods, as well.

"One thing that's cool is that each location takes on its own identity," he says. "We buy used CDs, vinyl records, cassettes — we're a used resale business — and what we buy from our customers dictates what that store becomes. For example, our Plano store has a lot of classic rock. So we're looking forward to seeing what Garland gravitates to."

Garland does have one thing that the other locations do not.

"Right now, Garland has this incredible collection of jazz," Cameron says. "We bought a great collection of jazz records — someone called and wanted to sell it. We get that a lot, we buy major collections from all over the U.S., we even make house calls. So we saved it for the Garland store."

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