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Fear Street Part 2: 1978 doesn’t follow most of the rules for the Camp Nightwing slasher like Part 1 did for Skull Mask, and it’s a better approach.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Fear Street Part 1: 1994 and Fear Street Part 2: 1978, now streaming on Netflix.
One of the most complicated aspects of the Netflix Fear Street trilogy has been the rules of the witch, Sarah Fier. As she haunts Shadyside and possesses slashers, it seems like there are rigid laws to follow, especially in Fear Street Part 1: 1994. However, as Fear Street Part 2: 1978 dives back in time, things change drastically, as it doesn’t follow any rules for the Camp Nightwing slasher. As inconsistent as 1978 is, it’s a better strategy that makes the sequel more enjoyable.
In 1994, the slashers primarily hunted those who had Sam’s blood on them. While it’s unclear if there was any reason behind those killed in 1994’s opening, the rest of the film is very overt about why everyone else was killed later on, and it’s because of Sam’s blood. However, it also appeared that if someone was in the way, then they’d be killed too, yet this was not clarified well, so some may have been confused by this.
There were also questions about how the witch selected her avatars. While Ryan seemed to be random, Sam was a very intentional choice. While she was supposedly freed from the witch after being resurrected via CPR, she was then possessed later on, and this appeared to be a first time thing.
That didn’t happen with past killers, as they were random. In fact, these confusing rules were altered for the Nightwing massacre and Tommy at large. Along with being picked randomly, he got to kill whoever he wanted. Granted, he targeted Shadysiders, not Sunnyvale teens, but it still added an air of unpredictability. No one was safe or in harm’s way because of their blood, and there was no reason for these killings, as Tommy murdered main characters and young children however he pleased.
It also made the journey of the Berman sisters more interesting, as Cindy tried to escape the caverns below and figure out what happened to Tommy. Coupling this with Ziggy, her younger sister, trying to stop the attacks around the camp, it put them all on the table as equally-expendable protagonists.
This approach made 1978 genuinely shocking, as Tommy hacked away, unlike in the formulaic Part 1. What this also did is allow 1978 to pull off a brilliant bait and switch. Many expected Ziggy, who eventually desecrated the witch’s hand, to die, but she was resurrected and revealed to be Christine, a.k.a C. Berman.
The big twist unfolded because there were no possession rules in 1978, so Christine didn’t become an evil Chosen One like Sam, and she could help Deena try to free her girlfriend. It also allowed fans to be stunned when Cindy’s gored next to her sister because, had there been rules set up like the first chapter, it would’ve been unlikely that Tommy would focus so much attention on butchering Cindy while Ziggy — the witch’s true target — was in arm’s reach. Plus, with C. Berman not being possessed like Sam, it was also hard to determine what this could mean during 1978, as one may think that if Ziggy were to survive, she would end up like Sam, but that’s not the case.
This way, there’s chaos and bloodshed in an organic manner in 1978 than in 1994, which are both available on Netflix. With the final entry, Fear Street Part 3: 1666, now available, it looks like audiences will learn more about the rules of this curse, or lack thereof.
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