Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Fear Street Part 1: 1994.
Netflix’s Fear Street Part 1: 1994 featured an iconically brutal death involving a bread slicer — but it was also one of the movie’s most subversive moments. Directed and co-written by Leigh Janiak, the movie burst onto screens on July 2, 2021. Full of bloody mayhem, Fear Street Part 1: 1994 marked the first installment in a full trilogy based on R.L. Stine’s popular Fear Street novels. Already well-received by critics and fans alike, Fear Street Part 1: 1994 has already been celebrated for capturing the feel of 90s teen slasher movies. Most notably, it has drawn comparisons to the Scream franchise, especially in terms of its horror subversions.
Set in the struggling town of Shadyside, Fear Street Part 1: 1994 followed a group of teens as they learned that there was truth to the urban legend of an ancient curse. After a prank gone disastrously wrong, Deena (Kiana Madeira), Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.), Kate (Julia Rehwald), and Simon (Fred Hechinger) were pursued by the undead Skull Mask Killer. Soon after, Deena’s ex-girlfriend – and the killer’s true target – Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) was dragged screaming into events. Conversely, two other killers joined the hunt in the form of Ruby Lane (Jordyn DiNatale) and the Nightwing Killer. As a result, both the kill count and the number of Easter eggs and references in Fear Street Part 1: 1994 steadily increased across the runtime.
Unfortunately, one of those to meet their ends in Fear Street Part 1: 1994 was the popular and resourceful Kate. In fact, she arguably received the most memorable (and brutal) death of the movie. Facing off with the Skull Mask Killer, she’s ultimately overcome and has her head forced through a bread slicer. The moment was one beloved and greatly fought for by Janiak, and even Rehwald herself. It equally stuck with fans long after the credits rolled. Rather than simply providing an iconic death, it also served as one of Fear Street Part 1: 1994‘s best subversions. After all, it came as things entered the home stretch towards Fear Street Part 1: 1994‘s ending — when it had begun to appear as though every one of the main group may make it out alive. It effectively set the stage for the fact that safety wasn’t as guaranteed as it seemed and thus dramatically upped the stakes of the final battle.
Even the overall execution of the bread slicer death scene lent itself to being an iconic subversion. As a character, Kate was intelligent, charismatic, and self-assured. She was resourceful and a natural leader. She was capable of making the hard decisions and repeatedly saved the lives of her friends. In short, Kate was prime final girl material. As such, even when locked in battle with the Skull Mask Killer, viewers could be forgiven for thinking she’d escape somehow. That was lent further credence by her screams echoing around the grocery store setting of Fear Street Part 1: 1994‘s gory last stand, and as she was only moved gradually towards her bread slicing doom. With many of the characters shown to have heard her yells, each seemed ripe to rush in for a dramatic last-minute save. That just made it all the more shocking and subversive, however, when none came and Kate eventually met her grisly end.
The subversive nature of Kate’s death by bread slicer also worked the other way. At first glance, it could be assumed to be Fear Street Part 1: 1994‘s peak in terms of horror. Between it and Simon’s sudden demise soon after, it gave the impression that the worst had passed. That belief was seemingly solidified when Deena managed to stop and then restart Sam’s heart moments later, dispatching their bloodthirsty pursuers in the process. For all intents and purposes, Kate’s death seemed to steer Fear Street Part 1: 1994 into its denouement. In truth, though, the bread slicer scene helped to shroud the bigger twist (and horror) to come between Sam and Deena. It helped to subvert audiences on yet another level, leading into Fear Street Part 1: 1994‘s unanswered questions and the overall cliffhanger for the next installment.
Key Release Dates
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Fear Street: Part Two – 1978 -
Fear Street: Part Three – 1666