Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025): A Bloody Dance With Nostalgia
Fear Street: Prom Queen is the fourth installment in Netflix’s evolving horror anthology based on R.L. Stine’s bestselling teen horror novels. Set in the neon-lit halls of Shadyside High in the year 1988, the film embraces the slasher formula with all the retro glamour, synth music, and killer clichés fans of the genre might expect. However, while it succeeds in aesthetic and throwback charm, it stumbles in storytelling and originality, leaving many viewers divided on whether it was a dance worth attending.
The film follows Lori Granger, a quiet but determined student with dreams of becoming prom queen. Her candidacy, however, takes a dark turn when the other girls competing for the crown start disappearing—only to turn up dead. With the clock ticking toward prom night, Lori must unravel the identity of the masked killer dressed in a yellow raincoat before she becomes the next victim. The setup is familiar, evoking classics like Prom Night, Carrie, and I Know What You Did Last Summer, but the execution struggles to rise above homage.+
India Fowler leads the cast as Lori, delivering a grounded and likable performance as the reluctant heroine. Supporting roles include Suzanna Son as the overconfident queen bee, and Fina Strazza as Lori’s shy but clever best friend. Veteran actors like Lili Taylor and Chris Klein add gravitas, although their roles are largely underwritten. Katherine Waterston plays the school’s icy guidance counselor, a potential red herring in a plot filled with twists, none of which are particularly surprising.
Visually, Prom Queen nails the retro vibe. From poofy dresses and feathered hair to a pulsing synth-driven score, the film is dripping with 1980s flair. The production design effectively immerses the audience in a world of glittering prom banners and bloodstained corsages. The cinematography uses bold colors and shadowy corridors to create tension, and the kills—while not especially inventive—are staged with enough flair to satisfy gore-hungry viewers.
However, the film’s biggest weakness lies in its predictability. Every beat in the story feels borrowed from a dozen other slashers. The characters behave in frustratingly typical horror movie fashion, making illogical decisions that lead to their demise. While the film does attempt to comment on social cliques and the pressure of teenage popularity, these themes are only lightly touched upon and never deeply explored. For a franchise that started strong with bold storytelling in its original 2021 trilogy, this feels like a step backward.
At just over 90 minutes, Fear Street: Prom Queen moves at a decent pace, but it rarely builds the kind of suspense that makes slashers memorable. It’s more style than substance, a glossy homage to a bygone horror era that offers fleeting thrills but little staying power. While longtime fans of the series might enjoy the nostalgia and familiar beats, others may find it too safe and shallow.
In the end, Fear Street: Prom Queen is a mixed bag—a colorful, blood-splattered tribute to teen horror that entertains on the surface but lacks the emotional or narrative depth to truly stand out. It may not win the crown, but it earns a nod for showing up to the dance.
