As a Goosebumps kid, boy do I have egg on my face for never getting into R. L. Stine's other series, Fear Street. Are they all this fun?

First Things First: I was too busy wistfully remembering Borders that I completely forgot about B Dalton. (While googling to see when the last stores closed, I learned B. Dalton was responsible for GameStop. Thanks, I guess?)

Brief Thoughts: As someone whose first horror film experience as a kid was Scream (assuming we’re not counting E.T. as horror), all it took wasvthe opening scene to immediately sweep me away with the nostalgia that carries long into the rest of the film, from the masked, black robed killer, to the initial slow-mo kill a la Drew Barrymore’s stabbing, to the music (both how scenes are scored and the songs chosen), to the constant character separation trope (curse you, stupid teens!). And as much credit as R. L. Stine deserves for inspiring these films with his novels, writer/director Leigh Janiak deserves so much more for bringing the 90s slasher feel to the modern audience in such a fun way that avoids feeling dated as it plays with and expands upon the rules of the genre that it’s now a part of. Are there a couple plot holes / inconsistencies in concern to the set rules of this film’s universe? Sure. But I honestly enjoyed the movie too much to let these nagging issues ruin my experience (a big step, if you know me at all).

And that final confrontation set piece. Holy shit.

Quick Questions:

-Why does Deena get a nosebleed on the bus?
-If the school’s mascot is the Witches, are the female teams called the Lady Witches? I know men can be witches, but Lady Witches still feels a bit redundant. Asking as a Lady Patriot. 
-How many of these sets were also used in Stranger Things? Cuz there are at least 2 that looked very familiar. (Janiak is married to Ross Duffer so she’s def got the hookup.)
-How old is Josh supposed to be? Because he looks 12, making some of these scenes a bit uncomfortable. 

Nominee For Best Supporting Performance: Usually this is a joke category reserved for things like the closet ghost in Crimson Peak or the puppy in the flashback scene from Aquaman, but I’m going sincere for once to give Julia Rehwald a special shout-out seeing as this is her first major role. Honestly everyone does a perfect job, so hats off.

Final Thoughts: Is Part 1 of the Fear Street trilogy perfect? No. But oh boy did it succeed at not only hyping me up to watch Part 2 and 3 immediately, but Scream 5 as well. 2022 can’t get here soon enough.