‘Fear Street Part 2: 1978’ is a classic slasher
PHOTO PROVIDED The Camp Nightwing killer is pictured in a still from “Fear Street Part 2: 1978.”
In the second part of the “Fear Street” trilogy we are heading back to the golden years of summer camp slashers, the 1970s.
If you haven’t read my first review: 1) I totally understand and 2) you may be a little confused if you read past this point so I’d suggest reading it first.
Before we find ourselves at Camp Nightwing during the summer of 1978, our dynamic sibling duo Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Josh (Benjamin Flores, Jr.) need to find our story teller.
When we last saw the siblings, they were standing above a tied up and possessed Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) with Deena swearing she’d save her girlfriend.
C. Berman (Gillian Jacobs) — our Nightwing survivor — meets Deena and Josh after they break into her home (not the best introduction) begging for her help in saving Sam. At first she refuses, telling them there is no escaping the curse or tragedy that is Shadyside and definitely no saving Sam… who, by the way, is tied up in Deena’s trunk. Props to Welch for her work as a feral demonic teenager, she really pulls it off.
After a very heartfelt love confession about Sam to Berman, the older woman reluctantly agrees to tell them what happened at Camp Nightwing in 1978.
From here, we’re transported back in time to a beautiful looking summer camp filled with laughing and happy children. Well… except for Ziggy Berman (Sadie Sink) who is almost kicked out of camp after being accused of stealing money from Sunnyvale camper Sheila. She’s saved however when a young Nick Goode (Ted Sutherland) — the future sheriff — keeps her from being sent home.
“Fear Street Part 2: 1978” centers mostly around Ziggy and her older sister Cindy (Emily Rudd) and what happened to them the night Cindy’s boyfriend goes postal and axes a bunch of campers.
Their storyline’s are split at first. Ziggy is seen attempting to get revenge against Sheila who had tried to hang her for stealing money (a little much if you ask me.) She’s assisted by Nick, who seems to have a crush on the prickly girl.
Cindy’s storyline is where the juicy stuff happens. She, her boyfriend Tommy Slater (McCabe Slye) and fellow Shadyside counselors Alice (Ryan Simpkins) and Arnie (Sam Brooks) are on the hunt for more information about Sarah Fier. They find a book in Nurse Mary Lane’s office which details history and lore about the witch. Side note: Nurse Lane is the mother of Ruby Lane — the most recent Shadyside killer — who attempted to kill Tommy.
All this happens while the rest of camp is taking part in capture the flag. In the woods. In the middle of the night. What a recipe for disaster.
From Nurse Lane’s book the group learns that Camp Nightwing is located on the former Pilgrim settlement of Union, which existed before it split into Shadyside and Sunnyvale in 1666.
They also find Sarah Fier’s cabin. In the basement is a room with a Satanic symbol carved into the floor, names carved on its walls and an entire tunnel system. Cindy and Alice make a chilling discovery. All the names on the walls are Shadyside killers, and Thomas Slater is last on the list.
After spending most of the day fighting off the violent whispers in his head, poor Tommy gives into the curse. He axes Arnie in the face before going after the two girls. They narrowly escape him, crawling through one of the tunnels, causing it to collapse with him on the other side.
Although they’re momentarily saved, the rest of camp isn’t. Tommy leaves the cabin and immediately goes on a killing spree throughout the woods, only targeting Shadyside campers.
Cindy and Alice use the map in Nurse Lane’s book to try and find their way back to camp, specifically through the outhouse (gross, but necessary to escape).
Meanwhile, after discovering bodies of campers, Nick and Shadyside counselor Gary round up all the kids and get them to the mess hall, including Ziggy. But she doesn’t stay there for long, remembering that she trapped Sheila in the outhouse as a prank.
Ziggy attempts to free Sheila who tries to beat her up (just girly things right?). Ziggy knocks her out easily and is found by Gary. That’s when they hear shouts for help, coming from the toilet.
The two attempt to lower a rope down to help Cindy and Alice when, in comes Tommy! He beheads Gary and Ziggy narrowly escapes being his next victim, rushing towards the mess hall.
She runs into Nick, who tries to save her from Tommy, ending up getting axed in the leg but not killed, before she rushes to the mess hall in hopes to find an escape with the other campers.
Unfortunately for her (but good for everyone else) they were already bused away leaving her and the others stranded.
While Cindy is following the map to another escape route, leaving an injured Alice behind to follow, Ziggy attempts to take out Tommy, strangling him with a burlap sack.
Luck is absolutely not on her side, because it doesn’t work. However, as she’s looking death in the face, Cindy escapes the tunnels through a large grate in the mess hall and stabs Tommy to death.
Alice arrives soon after, with what Nurse Lane was searching for, Sarah Fier’s hand. According to the woman’s book, the curse would supposedly end when body and hand unite. Once again though, luck isn’t on Ziggy’s side. Just like with Sam in 1994, she accidentally bleeds on the bones. This causes Tommy to be revived, kill Alice and send a couple of other Shadyside killers after her and Cindy.
The sisters valiantly attempt to dig up Sarah’s body, which is supposed to be under the hanging tree outside of camp. Instead, they find a rock with the words “The Witch Forever Lives.”
Faced with no other option, Cindy sacrifices herself in an attempt to save Ziggy. This act seems almost in vain when Ziggy is stabbed by another one of the killers. The sisters have one last heart wrenching moment together before death.
Of course, the story doesn’t end there. Nick discovers the two sisters and is somehow able to revive Ziggy. We later learn, and to the shock of both Deena and Josh in the future, that Ziggy’s real name is Christine Berman.
Back in the present, Ziggy tells the siblings that she tried to tell everyone the truth, even Nick, but none of them listened.
Deena tells her that they found Sarah’s body and learn that the hand is still buried under the hanging tree at Shadyside Mall. Leaving Ziggy to watch Sam, the siblings find the hand and go back to where it all began. Quite literally in Deena’s case.
Part 2 of this series clearly pays homage to classic summer camp slashers. It’s definitely higher on my list than 1994. It leaned into the nostalgia of it all, including a great sound track of 70s classics.
And the actors did a great job. Sink, a Netflix regular, brought the sarcastic, stand offish Ziggy to life well. And Rudd opposite her was a great combination, showcasing what it can truly be like to have a sister you don’t always get along with (I’m an expert on this… so trust me.)
With its jump scares, straight up gore and terror, “Fear Street Part 2: 1978” really checked off all the boxes on my list of must haves in a slasher film. And it really helps further the overall plot of the trilogy without taking away from the movie’s own story.
Next week I’ll be back again with “Fear Street Part 3: 1666” which will bring together everything we’ve learned so far, and really challenge what we already know.
Just like its predecessor, “Fear Street Part 2: 1978” is rated R for language, gore and some sexual situations and is only available on Netflix.
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Laura Jameson is a staff reporter for The Express.





