Fear Street: Prom Queen Review – A Sloppy Misfire for the Franchise

In 2021, Netflix launched an ambitious trilogy of horror films based on R.L. Stine’s Fear Street book series, releasing each movie on consecutive Fridays over three weeks. Initially, the trilogy’s period settings and youthful cast seemed designed to capitalize on the Stranger Things craze, filling the streaming giant’s gap between new seasons of its hit show.

But thanks to Leigh Janiak’s stylish direction, surprisingly deep characters, a queer-centered story with meaningful social themes, and expertly crafted slasher sequences, the trilogy quickly stood out as a fresh, successful horror franchise on its own.

Given that success, many were surprised Netflix took so long to produce a fourth Fear Street movie. Unfortunately, Fear Street: Prom Queen disappoints. It lacks the sharp storytelling, character depth, and clever pacing that made the first three films so compelling. Instead, it feels like a downgrade, leaving fans wishing Netflix had taken more time to get it right.

Set in 1988, Fear Street: Prom Queen revisits Shadyside, a town long divided by violence and economic inequality, with its shadowy rivalry against the wealthy neighboring Sunnyvale.

While that cultural clash was a core theme in the original trilogy, here it’s reduced to a few superficial mentions, serving more as brand recognition than meaningful context. Instead, the film confines itself mostly to Shadyside High, where six senior girls compete for prom queen, setting the stage for predictable horror.

The contenders include the “Wolf Pack,” a clique of popular girls led by the cruel Tiffany Falconer (Fina Strazza), alongside the rebellious drug dealer Christy Renault (Ariana Greenblatt) and the bullied outcast Lori Granger (India Fowler), whose mother’s rumored murder at prom haunts her. As expected, prom night descends into violence when a masked killer picks off the candidates one by one.

This premise starkly contrasts with the trilogy’s spirit, which celebrated female solidarity and nuanced relationships. Instead, Prom Queen leans heavily into tired stereotypes and petty high school drama.

Characters are introduced with long internal monologues, but quickly devolve into one dimensional victims with little motivation or depth. Where the trilogy made even minor characters memorable through their choices, this film strips its cast of agency and relevance.

Arch-rivals Lori and Tiffany receive a bit more attention, yet their portrayals fall flat. Lori’s quest to become prom queen is clichéd, fueled by an obvious crush on Tiffany’s boyfriend, while Tiffany is the stereotypical mean popular girl, defined solely by her cruelty. The two leads are so bland that their scenes become tedious. Meanwhile, Suzanna Son’s Megan Rogers, Lori’s best friend and potential queer-bait character, is a glaring underused talent trapped in an otherwise heteronormative high school setting.

Overall, Fear Street: Prom Queen misses the mark, trading the trilogy’s emotional complexity and fresh perspective for shallow tropes and uninspired horror.