Fear Street 1893: a review of “The Last Thing Mary Saw”

Depending on what you thought of “Fear Street 1666,” you could consider it a plus or a minus that “The Last Thing Mary Saw” follows a similar path. It’s a sheer coincidence that the film was released just after the Netflix Trilogy, but the similarities are unavoidable, at least as far as the subject matter.  Don’t expect needledrops of pop music, as they have been replaced by a heaping pile of dread.

Set in 1893, “The Last Thing Mary Saw” is a tale unfurled by the titular Mary (Stefanie Scott, “Insidious; Chapter 3”), who opens the film giving a deposition following the death of her grandmother. The men who interrogate her don’t call much attention to the blindfold she wears or the dried blood seeping from it, though they look appropriately shaken.  Most of the film is a flashback as Mary recounts the events surrounding the Matriarch’s death.  Toss in Mary’s stiflingly religious household, as well as the maid she shares a forbidden love with AND the mysterious stranger who shows up at the family’s house,, and you can practically see a sign that says “this won’t end well” in bright neon (which actually would make it that much closer to a “Fear Street” film, but I digress).

Writer/Director Edoardo Vitaletti tries to get as much atmosphere as he can for his first full-length feature.  The harsh lighting and period costumes enrich the tone, and the skies are never not gray.  The atmosphere is so oppressive, it’s almost a surprise when the supernatural element comes in.  These people would go crazy anyway, and not just because the film is set on Long Island for reasons not quite explained.

There should be a term for a filmmaking strategy where a director supplements a small budget with a solid cast.  Vitaletti makes out like a bandit here and Scott is in good company with Isabelle Fuhrman (“Orphan”) as Eleanor, the tentative maid and Rory Culkin (“Scream 4”) as the enigmatic “Intruder.”  He and veteran actress Judith Roberts bring an air of menace as characters who are never given names, but leave impressions.  Roberts, playing Mary’s grandmother and the family’s “Matriarch,” is best-known as Mary Shaw from “Dead Silence.” Though she plays a different character, she can still scare the pants off of you with just her eyes.

A good addition to the Shudder roster, “The Last Thing Mary Saw'' takes a bit to get going, but the feeling it evokes stays with you afterwards.  The film ultimately owes a lot to “The Witch,” and the two would make a decent double feature. If you want to get in the “Halloween” mood, this isn’t a bad place to start.

“The Last Thing Mary Saw” will be available on Shudder in the near future.