Fear Street: Prom Queen Review
Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy is one of those fun horror movie popcorn watches you could ever enjoy from something so campy, yet so brutal. R. L. Stine’s second collection of stories have made for an interesting trilogy, seeing Shadyside and Sunnyvale’s rivalry play out throughout the years. With Fear Street: Prom Queen taking the franchise in a new direction, I was intrigued to see how this story, based on the 1992 book, would come to life. What results from the brainchild of Matt Palmer and Donald McLeary is an enjoyable and gnarly slasher that’s promising for more.
Fear Street: Prom Queen, set during the prom night of Shadyside High in 1988, follows the reserved and troubled Lori Granger (India Fowler). Constantly bullied by her “rival” Tiffany Falconer (Fina Strazza), Lori hopes to become prom queen with the help of her BFF Megan (Suzanna Son) despite all odds. But when a mysteriously red-coated killer begins hunting down the other nominees during the prom, everything starts to go awry for the night.
From the get-go, you can already tell that it wants to stand out on its own despite the opening flashbacking to the events of Fear Street: 1978 and such. Of course, being reacquainted to the world of this series only feels right, given how it’s been nearly four years since the trilogy. However, it doesn’t feel like it has the more “down-to-earth” character dynamics that we originally got with 1996. Rather, the film works hand-in-hand with its diverse cast of characters to give this spinoff its own uniqueness.
That comes through the friendship between Lori and Megan, which has its own highlights from the classroom to the dance. It’s different from all of the other lead friendship dynamics of the Fear Street franchise because Lori and Megan aren’t constrained by this supernatural danger that’s plagued the trilogy. Instead, because Prom Queen is more slasher-focused, the lead duo is given more freedom to not be held back by an overbearing narrative element.
However, there are certain undertones that Lori and Megan’s relationship might be more than just a friendship. To only get hints at that feels like a missed out opportunity, but given the context of the original book, it feels like Lori and Megan’s friendship is limited by what’s on the page.
To make up for this, the rivalry between Lori and Tiffany is about as straightforward as you can get while still having that eccentric ‘80s flair. Though they’re innately fighting for the love of Tyler (David Iacono), Tiffany really gets too personal and deep about Lori’s familial history. These moments gradually become more unhinged, both in comical and confrontational ways, over time, adding to the film’s tension with just the right amount of high school drama.
With some of its other characters, you can expect them to be cannon fodder for this installment’s killer. Fortunately, there are some standouts, particularly with Melissa (Ella Rubin), who takes on this shift in personality as Tiffany continually pokes at the bear. She’s a character with the necessary amount of depth to add some realism to the narrative. Other characters, like the punk Christy (Ariana Greenblatt), are relegated to a more minimalist role given their circumstances. Overall, most of the characters are either comic reliefs, brief mentions, or dead meat.
That being said, Prom Queen’s story plays out the way as you’d expect with a high school prom night film until the final act. The film very much plays into the stereotype of the class outcast and the unrelenting bully, feeling like it’s sticking to a linear path. While there are some twists and surprises, they’re very limited as the focus remains heavily on the Lori-Tiffany rivalry. Although, the kills are brutal as you’re hoping for with a film in this series, with some being very shocking (pun intended.)
Fear Street: Prom Queen is a satisfying watch for your Fear Street hunger, entertaining you with its charming characters, gruesome kills, and classic R. L. Stine magic. Sure, the story that it’s adapting still has a lot of potential, but it does well with what it’s given in presenting fans with a horror film that’s fun to see for yourself.
Fear Street: Prom Queen is now streaming on Netflix.
Rating: ★★★½
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Christopher Gallardo is a freelance entertainment writer and critic. While not running The Reel Roller, Chris can be found writing reviews and breakdowns on all things films and TV. Outside of entertainment writing, he’s currently taking classes for a Bachelor’s of Science with a minor in Digital Media & Journalism. Plus, he loves Percy Jackson, animated films and shows, and Fallout! Follow Christopher on Instagram & X.