After four years, Netflix returns to Shadyside with Prom Queen, a new installment in the Fear Street franchise. Following the decades-spanning Fear Street: 1994, 1978, 1666 horror trilogy from 2021, this latest franchise edition firmly sets itself in the 1980s, bringing with it hairspray, sequins, and way more dismemberment than expected.
Based on the beloved Y.A. book series by R.L. Stein, Prom Queen borrows from the author’s 1992 book of the same name. For the Class of ‘88, Shadyside High’s prom will be a night to remember after a masked killer stalks the main Queen candidates. Dubbed the “wolf pack”, this gaggle of mean girls—led by alpha Tiffany Falconer (Fina Strazza)—has their sights set on the coveted crown, and they’ll stop at nothing to make sure outcast Lori Granger (India Fowler) doesn’t snatch the title away from them.
Lori’s a good girl who works a part-time job at the local diner, keeps company with her Fangoria-loving BFF Megan (Suzanna Son), and tries to rebuild her family’s legacy. Back in the early 1970s, Lori’s mom was accused of murdering her boyfriend in a fit of rage after the pregnant teen discovered her high school star beau was two-timing her, or so the legend goes. Though she was found not guilty of the crime, the small town rumour mill continues to churn even years later, making the Granger family societal outcasts. As Lori, Fowler brings that perfect 1980s ‘Final Girl’ charm. She’s a wide-eyed brunette with dreams of escaping her family’s stifling Shadyside legacy.
Much like the novel, the plot of Prom Queen is neither too deep nor too long. It’s a cinematic personification of a page-turner, easily digested in 90 minutes and filled to the brim with blood. Director Matt Palmer pays homage to the slashers of the 1980s and delivers a bloodbath of epic proportions. Humorous, over-the-top and, best of all, insanely bloody, the kills in Prom Queen–of which there are many–are refreshingly inventive, inviting as much shock as they do laughs as body parts go flying.
The film warmly embraces all things from the earlier decade and showcases pieces from Prince posters and mix tapes to acid wash jeans, banana clips, and dialogue that seems lifted straight out of Heathers. With a killer soundtrack, Prom Queen can at times feel like a Frankenstein’s monster of a film, cobbled together from the best ideas of not just ’80s horror, but from ’80s and early ’90s teen films, too. There was no need, plot-wise, for the movie to take place nearly four decades ago, but stylistically and for pure nostalgia reasons, it was absolutely the right choice.
Should you be of the Gen X, Millennial or Xennial generation, Prom Queen will feel like a great throwback to the movies of your youth. The ones you thought showed you exactly what you high school would be like. It was hard not to be disappointed that there were far fewer dance-offs in reality than what movies of the time made us believe, so it’s a delight to catch one awkwardly epic one here between prom queens. It’s perfectly cringe-worthy, with all involved making Elaine Benes look like Baryshnikov.
In small supporting roles, Lili Taylor and Katherine Waterston put their best shoulder-padded looks forward. And in a true “wanna feel old?” moment, American Pie’s Chris Klein appears as a Shadyside High teacher and Tiffany’s father.
Growing up in the ’90s, I read every one of Stein’s Fear Street novels. Of the over 50 releases (and their subsequent spin-offs), Prom Queen was my favourite–notably because a character in the book was named Rachel West. She meets a grisly end in the novel, but the name was enough to make me a complete fan. While there is disappointingly no Rachel West in the filmed version, this Rachel West enthusiastically enjoyed it. An incredibly fun and bloody hour and a half, Prom Queen will only leave you wanting more from Shadyside. And we wouldn’t blame you for perhaps queuing up Friday the 13th or Sleepaway Camp after teh credits roll for a look back at some of the original slashers.
Fear Street: Prom Queen is now streaming on Netflix.
