Did You Catch These Fear Street: Prom Queen Easter Eggs?
If you grew up reading R.L. Stine or are just a slasher junkie, you’ll appreciate all the hidden details in Fear Street: Prom Queen. From subtle references to horror homages, let’s break down the Easter eggs you might’ve missed at Shadyside’s deadliest prom.
Shadyside High
We’re back in the cursed town of Shadyside. The 2021 trilogy explored the evils of the town in interconnected stories through 1666, 1978, and 1994 — this time we’re diving into a standalone slasher set on prom night in 1988.
Camp Nightwing
There’s a school mural that honors the victims of the Camp Nightwing massacre from Fear Street Part Two: 1978.
Later, when the police arrive after the prom showdown, one cop calls the events: “Worse than ‘78.” That’s a bold claim if you’ve seen what went down at Camp Nightwing.
Sarah Fier Lives!
Eagle eyed fans will notice “Sarah Fier Lives!” graffiti in the school bathroom — proof that her legend still haunts the halls.
Torres Family
David Iacono plays Tyler Torres, Tiffany Falconer’s reluctant boyfriend. In Fear Street Part One: 1994, Ryan Torres (David W. Thompson) becomes possessed by Satan and begins the killing spree at the Shadyside Mall — starting with Maya Hawke’s Heather. Could the two Torres’ from Shadyside be related?
The Prom Queen Book
When Tyler forgets his classic athlete's jacket at the diner, it reminded me of R.L. Stine’s original The Prom Queen book, where the baseball team jackets were a huge red herring as to who the killer was. Talk about a deep cut for book fans!
Iconic First Kill
Ariana Greenblatt pulls a Drew Barrymore in Scream, getting that iconic first kill moment — just like Hawke in the first movie. “Whoever the first person to die has that honor, for sure. Drew Barrymore definitely set that tone for whoever the first kill is — girl, boy — it is going to be iconic,” Greenblatt told me for Pop Culture Planet about her character Christy taking on that legendary role. “That's something I look for in all horror movies that I watch.”
Horror References
Right off the bat, Fear Street: Prom Queen is giving major slasher throwbacks. Think Happy Birthday to Me, Prom Night, and, of course, classic Fear Street vibes. There’s subtle shout outs to The Lost Boys, Rosemary’s Baby, and India Fowler’s character Lori even shares a name with an iconic final girl.
The Wolfpack watch Phantasm II at the movie theater, which called to mind a killer parallel for Iacono. “The character gets stabbed in the head and he falls back really slowly,” he told me. “Then later on, I won't say who, but another character also gets stabbed in the head and it kind of mimics that same scene. I didn't know that was happening in the movie, so I felt like that was a really nice nod to horror fans.”
Suzanna Son’s character Megan is often seen reading Fangoria and she’s got a Lucio Fulci’s Zombie poster on her bedroom wall. Meanwhile, Fina Strazza’s Tiffany has posters of Johnny Depp and Patrick Swayze on her walls, with Depp making his film debut in A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Leading up to the release of the film, Netflix even released epic vintage posters paying homage to films like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Prom Night, Carrie, Bloody Birthday, and the original Fear Street books.
Killer Inspiration
Director Matt Palmer told Bloody Disgusting that he was inspired by Giallo films and Alice, Sweet Alice, which features a killer in a yellow coat, when it came to bringing the villain to life. That in itself was a reference to the killer with the red raincoat in Don’t Look Now. Talk about a full circle moment!
End Credits Scene
And the end credits? A direct callback to the Fear Street trilogy’s post credit scene! In that one, mysterious hands grab the book of spells that Solomon Goode stole from the widow in the woods in 1666 out of the Shadyside Mall basement. The cover of the book has the same creepy sigil that we see in Nancy Falconer’s (Katherine Waterston) blood splatter at the end of Fear Street: Prom Queen.
Could that tie back to the larger Fear Street universe? “That's cool. I haven't heard either way, but I'd be open to it,” Son told me, with Iaono adding: “I love that little bit and just how subtle it was, how quick it was, how it doesn't hold your hand at all. It's just like, oh yeah, this is happening and I think that's pretty cool when it's left up to interpretation.”
