What was the first movie that got you into loving horror? That’s a question that varies for each generation. The only thing that’s constant is that we need gateway movies. They might not be the hottest, the biggest, the baddest, or even the best, but they’re movies that bridge the gap between not knowing something and loving something. In the case of Fear Street: Prom Queen, it’s likely one of those gateway movies. For the people out there who like to pretend they laugh at The Exorcist, they can sleep while watching The House That Jack Built, or want to be like the people in Fire In the Sky (still a movie I won’t rewatch), this might not be for you. However, for those who might want to dip their toe into the waters of slasher movies, Fear Street: Prom Queen does the job.

Fear Street: Prom Queen is based on the Fear Street series from R.L. Stine and does have some small connections to the previous Fear Street trilogy that Netflix put out in 2021. Those films took over from a cultural standpoint and captured the attention of horror fans for a solid three weeks. Since then, they’ve only gained popularity and fans have clamored for more gritty horror based on these classic young adult novels. Well, this one is based on Fear Street: The Prom Queen from 1992. If you’ve read that book, this movie takes a bit of a different route.

The Premise Of Fear Street: Prom Queen Is Pretty Simple

It stars India Fowler as Lori Granger, an outcast in Shadyside. Her family has gone through hell in the past with her mom being accused of murdering her father on Prom Night in the past. Lori emerges as a candidate for Prom Queen through the Wolf Pack, a group of popular girls led by Tiffany Falconer (played by Fina Strazza). Lori’s best friend Megan (played by Suzanna Son) supports her through the whole thing, but the two outcasts have to go up against the popular girls and a new killer taking out prom queen candidates.

It also stars David Iacono as Tyler, the boyfriend of Tiffany, who might have an interest in Lori as well. Chris Klein plays Dan Falconer and Katherine Waterston plays Nancy Falconer, Tiffany’s overbearing parents who really want her to win Prom Queen. Lili Taylor plays the heavily religious vice principal Brekenridge. It also features Ariana Greenblatt, Ella Rubin, Rebecca Ablack, Ilan O’Driscoll, Ryan Rosery, and Darrin Baker.

The Good Of Fear Street: Prom Queen

Fear Street: Prom Queen has a lot going for it. It’s based on a classic young adult horror series that a lot of us read growing up. It’s got an 80s aesthetic that has been done a lot, but it still works. And it follows a slasher formula that is well-trodden and that audiences know and love. Everyone went through problems growing up, bullies, overbearing parents, the works. That’s what makes Prom Queen work. Most of us went to prom. It’s the biggest night of our lives up to that point. From the popular kids, to the jocks, to the nerds, it’s an important rite of passage for youth into adulthood.

The characters in Fear Street: Prom Queen mostly feel lived in and representative of that point in everyone’s lives. Lori is relatable, she’s an outcast because of circumstances out of her control. She works a job to help pay the bills at home and has a best friend who loves horror movies. She’s the exact opposite of Tiffany, who is pampered, prissy, and bosses around her legion of minions, known as the Wolf Pack. Fina Strazza’s performance as Tiffany is perfect because she taps right into that old-school bully that we all knew growing up. India Fowler’s performance is also strong here, instantly relatable to anyone.

So, with this movie being “baby’s first slasher”, the kills are pretty top notch. They’re violent, and sometimes inventive. There’s some “greatest hits” feeling ones that are just brutal like kills with an axe, and the best one in the film is when someone loses multiple appendages and then tries to open a doorknob. Fear Street: Prom Queen does a fairly good job of building the kills up and letting the audience breathe between them.

The Ugly Of Fear Street: Prom Queen

With all the 80s aesthetic and soundtrack, the movie doesn’t actually look all that 80s when it comes down to it. The set design and everything else just feel a bit uninspired. The costumes are fitting for the time period and vibrant with puffy things, cumberbunds, and lots of hairspray, but the overall aesthetic of the film doesn’t match.

There is a twist here, and when a film outright borrows from something like Scream, I don’t really mind. But here, we get an opening kill that is predictable, and then a twist that is even more predictable. The aftermath of that twist ended up confusing me more than anything else. The finale of the film also drags on a bit, with a false finish, but that finish takes an enormous amount of time to get going. It just feels unsatisfying through it all. There’s a lot of talking, a lot of “oh but here’s what’s actually unfolding!” and a revelation that probably didn’t need to be there.

The Megan character also feels like she’s just kind of here to move the plot along and fit in some horror references. She doesn’t get anything to do with that knowledge, or make it worthwhile for us to know that she’s a big horror fan.

This is inevitably going to get compared to the previous Fear Street trilogy. Those films had an overarching story, side characters that felt important, and they looked and felt like their time periods. Fear Street: Prom Queen, at points, feels like someone is making an 80s movie because they know people love that time period.

I would have liked the movie to be a bit more like the book in one way. The book takes place over multiple weeks, giving you time to get to know everyone. The movie takes place over two-ish days and it feels rushed. Getting to know the other members of the Wolf Pack, Megan, and some of the other characters outside of Lori and Tiffany would have done wonders.

Through all of that, though, it’s easy to sit here and criticise Fear Street: Prom Queen for being derivative and pandering to a time period that’s been done to death. However, that feeling should also come with the idea that this is a movie that’s likely not made for the ultimate gorehound out there. This isn’t Terrifier 3. This is just like the books Goosebumps or Fear Street. If you want to get people into the genre, you can’t just hand them something inaccessible and hope it works. Fear Street: Prom Queen does that with some relatable characters and a familiar plot. The music choices in the film are inspired and The Newton Brothers provide an excellent composition that definitely aids the slasher vibes of the film.

It might not be perfect, but the movie does provide some great kills and a way for new horror fans to enter the genre with a familiar formula.

Fear Street: Prom Queen streams on Netflix on May 23rd, 2025.

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