The Fear Street trilogy of 2021 was one of the most exciting things to happen to the horror genre in recent years. Now, the franchise returns with a standalone film in Fear Street: Prom Queen. Set within the same universe as its predecessors, it follows the prom queen candidates of Shadyside High as they begin to disappear ahead of their big night.
As a fan of the horror genre, I love a good retro slasher. The Fear Street films have done a great job of combining modern slasher thrills with a throwback attitude linking to slashers of the 80s and 90s, all the while capturing the creepy yet campy tone of R. L. Stine’s writing. Prom Queen is just that, with homages to the likes of Scream and Carrie taking centre stage, but never so prominent that it distracts from this film forging its own identity. It’s by no means your artistic, thought-provoking type of horror – it’s a fun, gore-filled slasher that aims to keep you guessing at the killer’s identity, and I love it for that. As a slasher in this day and age there’s going to be predictable beats, and this has every cliche under the sun, but they don’t detract from the film. This is because the fun lies not within it being original, but rather in the inventiveness of the kills, likeability of the characters and the charm of the tone. In terms of the tone, I will say that this one dives slightly more in the campy direction than any of the trilogy films, but not so far that it’s just a parody. In honouring Scream, it’s taken a similar comedic edge and isn’t afraid to get a little silly, all while not forgetting to live up to its namesake in “Fear Street“.
In terms of the story, it moves at a blistering pace to get through every kill in its conservative 90-minute runtime. With a high school setting and plenty of similar slashers to draw from, Prom Queen benefits from making its characters classic stereotypes we’ve seen time and time again. From the shy, unpopular lead to the edgy best friend and the villainous popular girl who’s dating a jock – all the regulars make an appearance. I say it benefits as it doesn’t need to do a lot of heavy lifting to set up its characters – just a scene or two to establish which stereotype a character belongs to is enough for the audience to know exactly what their deal is. The fast pace is great and it moves through the first act in record time. Actually, this film is much more prom-focused than I thought. As in, the vast majority of the movie is set during prom night, not just the third act. It’s a neat approach that I really like, but it presents a missed opportunity I couldn’t help but notice.
As this film moved towards its conclusion, I kept thinking how rather than feeling like a movie, at times it felt like the last two episodes of a slasher miniseries. While I love what we got, it could have been built on had it been 5-6 episodes of lead-up to the prom. For instance they have an attempted subplot with our lead’s relationship with her mother but it doesn’t really go anywhere, whereas in a series it could have.
Being a slasher, it’s all eyes on the kills as the main drivers of the horror… and I must say they’re glorious. The reliance on practical effects is maybe my favourite element of the entire film. From countless amputated limbs to a circular saw to the face, the makeup and prosthetics are a delight. They add so much realism to the horror and make the kill sequences even more fun than they would be had they been loaded with CGI.
When it comes to the cast, there’s a mixed bag of inclusions across the younger and older actors who are all solid. I was entirely unfamiliar with the younger cast, save for the surprising appearance of Ariana Greenblatt as Christy. Much like how previous Fear Street films utilised larger names in Maya Hawke and Sadie Sink, Prom Queen exposes Greenblatt to the world of horror and I’d be remiss not to mention she seems right at home. She slides effortlessly into the role and I’d like to see her get more horror features going forward. Speaking of recognisable faces, the adult cast is made up of Katherine Waterson, Lili Taylor and Chris Klein, three actors I’d never thought I’d see in a Fear Street slasher. They’re largely limited to supporting roles, but it’s fun seeing a few more experienced faces on board.
As far as our leads, India Fowler is strong as Lori. It’s a quite soft-spoken, vulnerable role and Fowler does a good job in bringing out the character’s qualities. She has good chemistry with Suzanna Son (Megan) who is decent in the role but limited by her character’s strange, underdeveloped arc. Lastly, Fina Strazza (Tiffany) is great at playing the popular girl everyone loves to hate and really leans into the bully nature of her character. No one really shines across the film, but everyone plays their part, which is enough.
In the end, Fear Street: Prom Queen is a quick, easy watch full of everything you’d expect from a throwback slasher. The story is plain and simple, with plenty of thrills throughout as the killer makes their way through the victims. It’s not a revolutionary game-changer, but it’s another fun entry in the franchise and a blast for anyone who loves a good slasher. With a little bit of camp, that classic R. L. Stine charm and some light connections to the wider universe, Prom Queen makes an ideal horror night.
7.8/10
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