I was intrigued by the format they're going with (an interconnected series told across three parts, each set in a different year/era), so I decided to check it out even though slasher flicks aren't my thing.

Part 1: 1994
They're obviously leaning HARD into the nostalgia angle. Right from the jump there's basically a rapid-fire playlist of grunge-era MTV hits. IMO, *ish got annoying fast; I almost jumped ship before the story even began.

So I started off sour on it, but once things get going and the characters are fleshed out more, it was decent enough and I actually cared a little bit by the end. Some of the crucial scenes regarding the backbone of the plot were murky and could've been presented better, I think, but I wasn't confused by anything. It seemed to be kinda light on kills, so when things really started getting real toward the end, it was a bit of a surprise. again, I'm not a horror fan, so I'm not sure how closely this follows genre tropes.

I didn't love it, but I'll probably give Part II a go — I'll just mute the first few minutes while they Suicide Squad an entire NOW! album into the soundtrack.

One more thing: despite the flurry of references and me being practically the same age as the protagonists in 1994, I felt almost NO nostalgia from this at all. all except for the cheerleader, Kate, who reminded me of a major high school crush I could've got with if I'd played my cards right... *sigh*

I love horror. I love slasher flicks. I love nostalgic/throwback horror flicks.

This was just cheesy and superficial teenie bopper stuff. The sound editing was brutal and wince-inducing. The music, abrupt cuts, the jump scare violin sounds or whatever they're called, etc.

Outside of the Mike Flanagan stuff, Netflix has been pretty bad for horror. There's some entertaining modest-budget stuff coming out of Shudder though.

you didn't like the jump scare violin sounds in this particular movie, or altogether?

I don't like jump scares, period, haha. I was shocked when Jordan Peele used them in his films, as I figured he was above that kinda thing. since then, I assumed they were standard for horror, like a cheesy genre mainstay (regardless of budget) that people just accept. but yeah, they need to be retired.