Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025) Review!!

Synopsis – When the “it” girls competing for prom queen at Shadyside High start to disappear, a gutsy outsider discovers she’s in for one hell of a prom night.

My Take – Back in 2021, Netflix did something distinctive. They adapted beloved author R.L. Stine’s teen horror series ‘Fear Street‘ in the form of a feature trilogy, each part respectively distinguished by the years 1994, 1978, and 1666, and dropped them a week apart from each other for consumption.

While the streaming giant’s release strategy was unique at the time, it helped that the trilogy also struck a rare balance of nostalgic reverence and inventive horror storytelling, successfully delivering a fresh, blood-soaked re-introduction of the series to the newer generation. Making us approach the next installment with genuine anticipation.

Acting as more of a standalone project that is loosely based on the 1992 ‘Fear Street‘ novel of the same name, the film doesn’t grapple with the lore conjured by its predecessors, instead it introduces new characters, new motivations and new killers in the same setting of gloomy 80s fictional town of Shadyside.

But while the film, directed and co-written by Matt Palmer, flaunts enough vintage vibes, stylized murder sequences, and a high school dance drenched in blood, humor and drama, it ultimately squanders its potential in favor of familiar twists, shallow characters, and, most disappointingly, a complete mishandling of everything that once made this series seem like more than just another slasher cash grab.

Co-written by Donald McLeary, the itinerary of era-specific horror homages should have made the film a veritable playground for tongue-in-cheek references and satire, but the film shockingly doesn’t merely fall flat dramatically, but also dashes any opportunity for visual intrigue, particularly in terms of on-screen carnage.

Sure, as a standalone slasher, the end result is serviceable at best, but as a continuation of a beloved franchise, it’s a significant blunder that not only lacks the heart and edge that made the trilogy a standout, but actively undermines the established lore with uninspired storytelling. Though the Leigh Janiak helmed features masterfully toggled between horror, dark comedy, and coming-of-age drama, this latest Netflix Original refuses to tactfully engage with the tropes that make those titles so memorable.

Once again set in the fictional town of Shadyside, the year is 1988, the story follows Lori Granger (India Fowler), outcast high school senior, who one final goal before graduation: being crowned prom queen. Though clear-skinned and fair-haired, Lori has spent her whole life dabbling with rumors that her mother (Joanne Boland) allegedly murdered her father.

Making her the clear underdog among the competition, which includes the popular girl group nicknamed “the wolf pack”, led by the uncontested and ruthless Tiffany Falconer (Fina Strazza), and is filled up by Melissa McKendrick (Ella Rubin), Debbie Winters (Rebecca Ablack) and Linda Harper (Ilan O’Driscoll), who taunt Lori at every opportunity they get. Lori’s only defender is her best friend Megan Rogers (Suzanna Son), a stoner horror nerd who thinly conceals her own distaste for Lori’s pursuit, but opts to support her nonetheless.

The only other unconventional candidate is bad girl Christy Renault (Ariana Greenbalt), whose salaciously punk appearance and side hustle as a local drug dealer has made her a sort of a rebel against Vice Principal Dolores Breckenridge (Lili Taylor), who intends for the prom to reinvent the high school, despite the town’s poor reputation. But as the fateful night approaches, something sinister unleashes and one by one, the prom queen hopefuls and their dates begin to get picked off.

Here, the 80s setting allows for fun prom aesthetics, synth flourishes, and feathered hair galore, yet hardly anything lines up in co-writers Palmer and McLeary’s script. While the setup leans into classic teen-slasher territory, complete with cruel bullies, creepy authority figures, and whispered rumors of past murders, the film never quite commits to either suspense or satire.

Though the film often circles back to the allegations surrounding Lori’s mother, she is hardly a fixture in the plot itself. It’s clear that petty grievances from the adults’ tenure at Shadyside High have been passed down to the next generation, but very little background is provided outside of inconsequential lines of dialogue that communicate a sense of familiarity, say, between the vice principal and Tiffany’s mother.

It’s clear that the writers began to develop certain characters to serve as red herrings like a creepy janitor, a duo of Tiffany-obsessed sycophants, and the suspiciously docile principal. But most of these characters are introduced just to be forgotten or dispatched. The film’s attempt to play with whodunit also doesn’t fare much better. The screenplay tries to build paranoia around Lori’s classmates and school staff, but there isn’t enough depth offered to ever truly suspect them, making the final killer reveal all the more lackluster.

The eventual reveals feel disconnected and implausible, even within the heightened created world by R.L. Stine. And by the time the killer is unmasked, the narrative logic is stretched enough to feel more like an easy way out. Yes, the kills come in close intervals, but lack the creativity of its predecessors. Feeling more pale imitations of what made the earlier entries so gleefully brutal and memorable.

Performance-wise, the cast struggle to rise above the material. India Fowler is a decent lead, but the script burdens her with too many predictable emotional beats. Comparatively, Suzanna Son and Ella Rubin are allowed more moments to shine and bring personality to their roles. Fina Strazza appears more like cartoonish villain and alongside her David Iacono, Rebecca Ablack and Ilan O’Driscoll don’t fare any better.

Ariana Greenblatt appears too briefly to bring any nuance to her role. Among the adults, Lili Taylor exudes warmth as an ex-nun turned vice principal, while Chris Klein and Katherine Waterston are mostly wooden. On the whole, ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen‘ is an uninspired slasher that offers neither the inventive thrills of its predecessors nor the rich mythology that made the series so compelling.