Satisfying or whimpering? Fear Street 1666: Final entry in Netflix’s horror franchise divides fans

Third film is available to stream today 16 July

The highly anticipated third and final instalment of Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy has been released – and the reviews are in.

RL Stine’s best-selling horror novels – originally published in the Nineties – have been adapted by the streaming giant into three films.

The first entry Fear Street: 1994 was released on 2 July, with the second instalment, Fear Street: 1978, arriving on the platform on 9 July.

The final film – titled Fear Street: 1666 – debuts today (16 July). The third entry is set in the 17th century, exploring the origins of the curse that plagues the town of Shadyside with murders and massacres.

While the films so far have been met with mostly positive reviews, the most recent release has divided fans and critics.

“Ooooo fear street 1666 really ended the trilogy with a bang!!” wrote one person on Twitter.

Another person added that the films were “all SO good and so much fun to watch, kept me on the edge at all times and gave us a very cool and satisfying ending”.

Many of the positive fan reactions praised the central love story between Deena (Kiana Madeira) and Sam (Olivia Scott) for its representation of a lesbian relationship.

(Netflix)

“The fear street movies are the BESTT 1666 had me scared and excited,” added someone else.

Likewise, Screenrant critic Molly Freeman writes that the 1666 ends the trilogy “on a high”, adding it “offers a satisfying conclusion to the story”.

In a four-star review of the film, Kevin Maher writes for The Times: “It’s far meatier than we had any right to expect”. He adds that the horror trilogy has proven director Leigh Janiak “to be an instinctive film-making heavyweight”.

Other critics, however, were not so convinced. In a three-star review of the film, The Independent’s film critic Clarisse Loughrey wrote that the third instalment is “the weakest in Netflix’s trilogy”, although concedes that the film “ends on a gore-fuelled high”.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Lovia Gyarkye appeared to agree, writing: “Too much of anything is never good, and the end of Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy confirms that”.

Gyarkye adds that the film “perfunctorily ties up the narrative ends with little finesse or energy”.

Writing for The Daily Express, Callum Crumlish called Fear Street: 1666 “a disappointing end to a fantastic film event”.

The critic criticised the actors’ attempts at a British accent, and adds that the “events aren’t strong enough to hold an entire film”.

The Fear Street trilogy is now available to watch on Netflix.