‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Movie Review: Netflix Slasher Sequel Falls Victim to Its Own Tired Genre Tropes and Lame Twists (LatestLY Exclusive)

Fear Street: Prom Queen Movie Review: When Netflix released the Fear Street trilogy based on RL Stine’s books, it was a hit with fans and earned strong reviews. The trilogy was praised for its inventive non-linear storytelling, which wove together three timelines while paying tribute to the slasher genre - not to mention the satisfyingly gory kills. But as is often the case with success, studios want a bigger slice of the pie, which brings us to Fear Street: Prom Queen - a standalone spin-off that’s more likely to disappoint fans than rekindle the love they had for the original trilogy. Fear Street Part One - 1994 Movie Review: Netflix’s Horror Flick Is a Fun Throwback to Retro-Slasher Films.

Fear Street: Prom Queen, directed by Matt Palmer based on a screenplay written by him and Donald McLeary, is set in the same universe as the OG trilogy, in the familiar town of Shadyside, where all the grisly events unfolded - this time in 1988, a couple of decades before the curse of Shadyside was resolved. Maybe my memory’s off, but despite the film's multiple murders - one character even says it feels like 1978 all over - the events of Prom Queen were never referenced in the trilogy, where the protagonists often discussed the town’s bloody history.

Anyway, the story revolves around prom night at Shadyside High School. Our protagonist this time is Lori Granger (India Fowler), a teenager with a dark past who signs up to compete for the title of Prom Queen. Her rivals include drug-dealing Christy (Ariana Greenblatt), self-obsessed Linda (Ilan O'Driscoll), and most notably Tiffany (Fina Strazza), the 'Regina George' of Shadyside, who lives next door to Lori and never misses a chance to mock her. Tiffany, along with her loyal posse, constantly taunts Lori about a rumour that her mother killed her father.

Watch the Trailer of 'Fear Street: Prom Queen':

Lori’s only real support comes from her best friend Megan (Suzzanna Son), a horror film aficionado who may also be harbouring a crush on her. Meanwhile, Lori finds herself drawn to Tiffany’s boyfriend, Tyler (David Iacono). But as the school gears up for prom, they have no idea a masked killer is on the loose, one with a very specific goal: to eliminate the prom queen candidates and anyone who gets in the way.

'Fear Street: Prom Queen' Movie Review - A Tribute That Gets Slashed

Fear Street: Prom Queen is clearly intended as a tribute to '80s slasher films - a trend popularised by Stranger Things, also a Netflix property. But while Stranger Things evolves beyond homage with its Demogorgon-fuelled plotlines, Prom Queen remains stuck in the kill zone of what it’s trying to imitate.

That said, I won’t deny being invested in the serial killer storyline. The 'Carrie meets Prom Night meets Friday the 13th' vibe was engaging, at least until the plot unravels on the dance floor. The prom night soundtrack - filled with popular ’80s hits - is fun, and a couple of the kills are genuinely twisted. One victim gets their hands chopped off with a paper cutter, while their girlfriend is brutally eviscerated (we only see the aftermath). A bathroom kill scene also drops a major twist, even if it’s less brutal.

But many kills felt underwhelming. Take the first major death: the actress involved had recently starred in a big-budget flop, and it felt like the film was trying to recreate the shock of Maya Hawke’s death in the first Fear Street -only this time on an open playground. The payoff this time was lacklustre to say the least. Fear Street Part Two – 1978 Movie Review: Second Part of Netflix’s Horror Anthology Is Campy, Grisly and Comparatively Underwhelming!

The prom massacre, which should have been the highlight, ends up more comical than terrifying, despite limbs and heads being chopped off. The killer being so out in the open makes little sense, and when the big reveal happens, it’s hardly shocking. If the killer is targeting prom queen candidates, the suspect list practically narrows itself. Add in a couple of actors who feel too high-profile for this film, and it’s not hard to connect the dots.

When the film attempts a double - actually, triple - twist, it fails because the revelation was written lazily. I'm sorry, but my jaw remained firmly in place instead of falling to the floor.

'Fear Street: Prom Queen' Movie Review - Plot Failings

Beyond the murders, the film flounders in several areas it can't claw its way out of. For one, Lori isn’t a very likeable protagonist. Aside from being bullied by Tiffany and her friends and flashing a sad puppy face, there’s not much spark to her character. India Fowler’s performance suffers as a result.

On the other hand, Megan is a far more interesting character, and Suzanna Son brings likability to the role. That said, it’s a bit of a stretch how quickly she jumps to the conclusion that a serial killer is targeting students - especially without seeing any bodies. Yes, she’s into horror movies, but kids do disappear during prom for, let’s say, private time - as some do in this film.

Fina Strazza is also believable as the classic high school bully. The film briefly hints at her being a victim of her parents’ lofty expectations, but that thread is completely dropped by the climax. There was also this bizarre small moment where in the middle of a bullying session, it felt like Tiffany wanted to kiss Lori. Fear Street Part Three – 1666 Movie Review: Netflix Horror Trilogy Concludes on a Part-Disturbing, Part-Unwieldy, Overall Satisfying Note!

Even more bizarre is the dance-off between Lori and Tiffany that might be the cringiest scene of the year. It reminded me of the American Wedding dance-off between Stifler and Bear, except that was intentionally funny. This was just awkward. I’m no dancer, but if anyone moved like that, they should be banned from all future proms - let alone dance-offs.

Lili Taylor is competent as the school’s vice-principal but doesn’t get much to do. I was surprised to see the fantastic Katherine Waterston as Tiffany’s mother in a role that's kinda below her calibre. Maybe Netflix offered her a new show… or just a massive cheque to buy a mansion in Hawaii.

'Fear Street: Prom Queen' Movie Review - Final Thoughts

Fear Street: Prom Queen's failing is that in trying to be a glorifying tribute to the slasher film of the 80s (albeit without the nudity and sex), it is trapped in tired tropes and limp twists, becoming a weaker entry in the same genre it pays homage to. The neon lighting does not help either. Just dosing the soundtrack with 80s hit songs and the film with gory kills ain't enough. Fear Street: Prom Queen is streaming on Netflix.

(The opinions expressed in the above article are of the author and do not reflect the stand or position of LatestLY.)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 26, 2025 09:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).