What is the twist in Fear Street Part 3: 1666? [SPOILERS]

The final movie in the Fear Street trilogy is finally here, horror fans! If you’ve followed along with each installment, the films — Fear Street: 1994, Fear Street: 1978, and Fear Street: 1666 — follow different timelines as they explore the history and the lore of Shadyside, Ohio.

As explained in the first movie, 1994, Shadyside has a reputation for being the lesser town compared to its rival, Sunnyvale, with multiple murders that have taken place there. This, of course, is believed to be because of Sarah Fier (Elizabeth Scopel), a witch who was hanged years and years ago and is apparently haunting the town. The protagonists in the first two films, 1994 and 1978, are determined to figure out how to break Sarah Fier’s curse, and finally in the final movie, 1666, a resolution is found.

This isn’t without a major twist, however.

*Spoilers ahead for Fear Street Part 3: 1666.*

Throughout the Fear Street trilogy, we’re made to believe that it’s Sarah Fier who’s to blame for all the killings in Shadyside. As the legend goes, the witch has been haunting people for years, possessing them and making them kill plenty of innocent people. It’s presumed that Sarah is angry for being hanged back in the 1600s, and is now out for revenge. Another explanation that’s speculated is that Sarah could be mad about her cut-off hand not being with her body, which is why a handful of the characters try to put her bones back together. As we see in both 1978 and 1666, however, that doesn’t break the curse.

So why exactly is Sarah Fier haunting Shadyside, and why is there a curse on the town? Well, as revealed in 1666, it’s not Sarah at all — and actually, she was never even a witch.

Why is Shadyside haunted in Fear Street?

The real curse put on Shadyside is actually from the Goode family! That’s right — Nick Goode, who was C. Berman’s (Gillian Jacobs) love interest when they were kids and goes on to become the Shadyside sheriff, is part of a long line of evil-doers. We get this revelation just as Deena (Kiana Madeira) does, who sees a vision from Sarah Fier’s perspective in 1666. The first part of the movie follows Deena as Sarah, and we get to see how Sarah was labeled a witch to begin with.

Back in 1666, trouble arises when someone summons the Devil and horrific things start happening to the town. A pig eats her newborn piglets, people’s eyes get carved out, and murders occur. Because Sarah and her best friend Hannah Miller (Olivia Scott Welch) are secretly in love and are caught kissing, they are then blamed for this evil. The people of Shadyside call Sarah and Hannah witches, and when Sarah goes to hide, she uncovers something shocking.

Sarah turns to her friend Solomon Goode (Ashley Zukerman) for help, who hides her in his home. While there, Sarah discovers a cave under the ground — one that we’ve seen before. Upon finding the witch’s mark, Sarah realizes that it was Solomon who summoned the Devil.

Solomon appears and tries to explain his motivations to Sarah, showing a name etched in the cave wall and saying that if they sacrifice one soul, they can achieve “power, prosperity, legacy.” Solomon says he was tired of having bad luck and wanted to take action into his own hands. So basically, he decided to strike a deal with the Devil to make his life better.

Unfortunately, Sarah Fier is ultimately hanged, but she promises she won’t stop until she exposes Solomon Goode. Now we know what Sarah wants, and Deena realizes that the Goode family has been carrying on this deal with the Devil for centuries. It’s not Sarah Fier who is evil, but the Goodes. And that includes Nick.

Shadyside is cursed because the Goode family continues to sacrifice souls for the Devil, which explains why Shadyside is such a bad place and Sunnyvale is a town of success, wealth, and power. The Devil rewards the Goodes and Sunnyvale as part of the deal.

When Deena realizes this, she knows they must kill Nick Goode to stop the curse for good.

In case you don’t want to know how Fear Street Part 3: 1666 ends, I won’t spoil anything else for you. Just know that Nick must be defeated if Deena, Josh (Benjamin Flores Jr.), and C. Berman want Shadyside to stand a chance.

Fear Street Part 3: 1666 is now streaming on Netflix. How do you feel about this twist? Let us know in the comments below!