It’s A Prom Night To Forget As Fear Street: Prom Queen Falls Flat
Netflix took horror fans by storm when they dropped three interconnected Fear Street films in the summer of 2021 that explored the cursed town of Shadyside through 1666, 1978, and 1994. Now the franchise returns with a standalone slasher set on prom night in 1988 with Fear Street: Prom Queen. This is the first film in the series to be inspired by a specific R.L. Stine book instead of just pulling from the wider Fear Street lore. We follow Lori Granger (India Fowler) who is a bland outsider vying for the title of Prom Queen against the most popular girls in school, who constantly bully her about her family’s own cursed past. But as prom night approaches, the candidates start slowly disappearing.
Fear Street: Prom Queen drops us into what feels like a Temu Stranger Things version of the ‘80s, where the soundtrack is the most authentic thing about it. Fowler’s Lori lacks the bite needed to believably go up against the meanest girls in school for prom royalty. A more intriguing entry point could’ve been someone putting her name in as a joke. Instead, Lori stays one-note, while her bullies continue to recycle the same tired lines about her family’s tragic past all movie long.
There’s barely any development for the characters, so the motivations don’t land and it’s hard to feel invested in anyone’s arc. Despite some exciting names leading this cast — including Suzanna Son, David Iacono, Ella Rubin, Ariana Greenblatt, and the recently Tony nominated Fina Strazza — many of the actors felt underutilized or given plot points that don’t go anywhere. The story is mostly confined to prom night, which makes the film feel limited and small in scope. There are some gruesome murders with a few campy moments that work, but the overall humor falls flat. It’s missing the edge that actual movies from the ‘80s had and instead feels like a watered-down attempt to hit familiar beats without any substance. Key moments feel unearned, illogical, or just plain repetitive as the story never really builds momentum. The highlight of the film is the rare moments when it connects back to horror movie or Fear Street universe Easter eggs.
Despite so much material to pull from, this is the weakest entry in the Fear Street saga. What really made Leigh Janiak’s trilogy stand out was her clear vision and bold direction. She put queer characters and characters of color at the center of their own horror stories — not just as sidekicks or victims, but as the actual heroes. Fear Street: Prom Queen is missing that spark. The reveal of the killer was especially disappointing to me as they fell back on a worn-out slasher trope that doesn’t feel like enough motivation to justify the bloodshed. Unfortunately, Fear Street: Prom Queen is a forgettable slasher that ultimately feels like a waste of time.
Fear Street: Prom Queen is streaming on Netflix.
