The origin and the end of everything arrives. It is impossible not to recognize how much fun I have had with this trilogy, very self-aware of its own nature; a new Netflix invention that has been able to bring together three movies in three weeks in a great way, without giving rise to marathons but getting used to the routine that has meant facing a new part every weekend. La Calle del Terror concludes as a sublime idea of the platform, which is based on a genre of easy consumption that has left us a fantastic first installment, with a much more traditional second part as far as slasher is concerned and with a third installment that manages to have its own individual imprint.
The Street of Terror (Part 3): 1666 leads us to the origins of Sarah Fier, the witch who has been tormenting the people of Shadyside for these past centuries. We will learn what happened in the small town of Union and we will establish the necessary connections back to 1994 to close the story. The cast of the first and second installments returns, establishing some of the roles of 1666, which is appreciated and makes us empathize with the story in an absolutely direct way.
It is, without a doubt, the least slasher trilogy movie. Its beginning, which takes us directly to 1666 (a connection is not established first in 1994 as in the second part) plunges us directly into this time and in this context. Even the cast uses the accent of the time when speaking (at least in the original version) and, obviously, we will not listen to the music of the time. In its place, a fantastic soundtrack that manages to surround all the events of the story at all times. Again, without any surprise, The Street of Terror (Part 3): 1666 is an audiovisual show.
The style that the film establishes in this change of era is very palpable. There is less violence from the beginning and takes pleasure in building a good context that serves as a bridge for the three films. Even the tone when it becomes a horror film is more typical of the context of the time it wants to convey: the devil, the witches … more macabre and dark than the previous two films.
Obviously, the story ends up leading us to 1994 where the story closes, in an atmosphere that is more reminiscent of the first than the second part, although losing some freshness along the way. I loved it, but it is true that living the experience week after week makes the third part much less surprising than the first, already knowing the good tips that its director and screenwriter leave us again, Leigh Janiak, who has earned the right to become one of the references of the genre thanks to this work.
The Street of Terror (Part 3): 1666 is again a movie without fear, brave, as it should be. It transfers the same social consequences of the first installment to its context hundreds of years ago, being able to turn it into the engine of its history. You may have noticed Kiana Madeira a little less inspired than in the first installment, but she is once again leading a cast of performers more than correct in a film of this genre. If you don’t believe it, take a look at the latest examples of the genre to really appreciate what has been achieved in this and other fields by this trilogy.
La Calle del Terror exemplifies a new way of enjoying cinema that platforms such as Netflix are taking advantage of, adapting to these new forms of consumption.
The connections with the other two parts are somewhat lazier than at the end of the second part, but enough to surprise and even to generate the desire to do a second viewing with all the information on the table. I’ll probably do it myself in a while. Wait for the necessary revelations to fill in all the gaps that the puzzle had left us, answering those questions that were left in the air.
It is a film that tries to be gimmicky, it is evident, although it is less noticeable here than in its previous installment. It also works worse as a slasher itself and I do not doubt that she will become the least favorite of the fans of the genre, because her intention is different. It is evident that Leigh Janiak wanted each of the three tapes to have its own unique personality, that move on the same train but that travel on very different tracks.
This achieves that The Street of Terror, as a complete trilogy, it works very well. That self-awareness causes it to be a strange movie saga, since they themselves know that we have seen them week after week in a small space of time or that we are even going to see them in a row. That is why it relies so much on the events between the two and they do not feel so self-concluding, It is a new way of enjoying cinema that platforms such as Netflix are taking advantage of, adapting to new forms of consumption.
I can not say much more that I have not commented on the reviews of the first or second part, but The Street of Terror (Part 3): 1666 is a good closing to a trilogy of a genre like the slasher to which not only does justice, but which it becomes a reference. Leigh Janiak’s directing work is magnificent, like the sound, photography, interpretation … you can put few buts to the complete trilogy beyond the most negative touches that are part of the genre itself; If you do not like slashers or this style of horror cinema you will not enjoy this trilogy, but if it attracts you, do not hesitate: what a good job.
A great closing for a trilogy that confirms that the homework has been done with note by Netflix. Very self-aware of the way most will consume the three films, the platform takes advantage of it to generate three connected stories. This third installment is less surprising but manages to have its own personality, like the previous ones, establishing the origin and conclusion of the saga. Good adaptation and a superb work by Leigh Janiak, which although it cannot overcome the bad habits of the genre, it becomes a reference.
