Why is Netflix's Fear Street 2 a prequel rather than a sequel? Here's what you need to know about the storytelling and the overall release strategy.
WARNING: Spoilers for Fear Street Part One: 1994.
Here's why Fear Street 2 is a prequel and not a proper sequel to Fear Street Part One: 1994. Directed by Leigh Janiak, the first movie of the trilogy ends with a significant cliffhanger involving the villain Sarah Fier and protagonist Samantha Fraser (Olivia Scott Welch). However, rather than moving forward with a chronological storyline, the second movie goes back 16 years for a slasher-themed story about a survivor's traumatic experiences at Camp Nightwing.
Fear Street Part One: 1994 sets up a direct sequel with its climactic reveal. Throughout the movie, the teenage protagonists learn about the legend of the Shadyside Witch, Sarah Fier (Elizabeth Scopel), and discover that she often returns to possess unsuspecting locals. Samantha is specifically targeted after inadvertently bleeding on the witch's bones, resulting in several undead killers being summoned and thirsting for the young woman's blood. The teenagers discover that Gillian Jacobs' C. Berman managed to survive an attack in the '70s by literally dying and then being resurrected; a plan that Samantha pulls off successfully in Fear Street Part One: 1994. The film ends with survivors Deena (Kiana Madeira) and her bother Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.) finding out that Samantha has been possessed by the Shadyside Witch.
For dramatic purposes, Fear Street 2 goes back in time to explain what happened to C. Berman and how she managed to survive a massacre. Sadie Sink stars as a younger version of Constance "Ziggy" Berman, who attends Camp Nightwing with her sister, Cindy (Emily Rudd). The prequel movie informs Netflix streamers about the backstory of Jacobs' character, and why her experiences are so crucial to understanding how the Shadyside Witch, Sarah Fier, can potentially be stopped for good. Fear Street Part One: 1994 implies that adult Constance has been living in fear, and also reveals that she doesn't believe Sarah Fier can be defeated, evidenced by a climactic phone call to Deena. A prequel movie allows for a retro-themed homage to classic slasher flicks, and also strengthens the overall storyline by shifting to Constance's perspective.
Furthermore, as a prequel movie, Fear Street Part Two: 1978 flips the traditional approach to sequels. Rather than continue with the 1994 cast through the second and third installments, while including brief flashbacks to explain what happened in the past, the trilogy shows what happened all while resolving the 1994 storyline. Each sequel/prequel is essentially a giant flashback. On top of that, the trilogy can continue to explore classic horror scenarios by working backward. There's very much a Stranger Things vibe to Fear Street Part One: 1994, while Fear Street Part Two: 1978 seems inspired by '80s slashers in the style of the Friday the 13th movie franchise. The third and final film, Fear Street Part Three: 1666, giving viewers a period horror film.
The Fear Street release strategy also differs from Netflix's usual approach. Streamers are used to binging series at their own leisure, and so the Shadyside Witch saga offers a different kind of viewing experience. The Fear Street trilogy pays homage to the horror genre as a whole, yet it becomes much through its central performances from up-and-coming stars like Welch (Panic), Sink (Stranger Things) Fred Hechinger (The Woman in the Window), and Chiara Aurelia (Cruel Summer). Jacobs' character arc brings everything together, of course, and the actress herself is a familiar face that global audiences will recognize from TV roles in Community and the Netflix show Love. With the prequel movie Fear Street Part Two: 1978, Netflix teases curious streamers with a narrative shift while doubling down on horror tropes.
