The race for Prom Queen can be quite the hot button issue. Of course at Shadyside High things get turned up to another level in Fear Street: Prom Queen. Lori Granger (India Fowler) is far from the most popular kid in town. Rumors of her mom killing her dad during their prom have followed Lori her entire life. Lori is ready to change the narrative surrounding the Granger name. What better way than to throw her hat in the ring for prom queen?
The competition is stiff with the most popular girl in school, Tiffany Falconer (Fina Strazza), angling for the crown. Weirdly enough Tiffany’s entire wolf pack, Melissa (Ella Rubin), Debbie (Rebecca Ablack), and Linda (Ilan O’Driscoll) are also in the running. Rounding out the candidates is local bad girl Christy (Ariana Greenblatt). That is a hell of a gauntlet Lori will have to get through, but she’s determined to win.
Tiffany has always thought she was better than Lori. She knows Lori has a crush on her boyfriend Tyler (David Iacono) and flaunts their relationship in front of her. Tiffany talks down to Lori and her best friend Megan (Suzanna Son), and to pretty much everyone else as well. See Tiffany is a winner, which her parents Nancy (Katherine Waterston) and Dan (Chris Klein) have instilled in her from an age. Win no matter the cost. Yet when the bodies start piling on Prom Night, things may have gone too far for Lori, Tiffany, and the rest of the potential queens.
Matt Palmer directed the film and cowrote it with Donald McLeary. Fear Street: Prom Queen is Palmer’s second feature length film, following 2018’s Calibre, in which he also served in both capacities. McLeary has done some work in television, both on series and films. However Fear Street: Prom Queen is his first feature. McLeary and Palmer do have some shared history with McLeary having an acting role in Calibre.
The Fear Street concept is based on a book series by R.L. Stine. Having already launched the Fear Street trilogy (Fear Street Parts 1-3), Prom Queen is the fourth and latest installment in the series. The first three parts take viewers through Shadyside’s history during different points in time (1994, 1978, 1666). Prom Queen, and it’s 1988 school dance, have big shoes to fill with how well received the trilogy has been.
Fear Street: Prom Queen features the largest dose of cheesiness in recent memory. The script, characters, deaths, random dance off – all of it is just dripping with cheese. Much more than was necessary and at times tolerable. The best thing the film has going for it are spots of dark humor that land fairly well and an above average soundtrack. The majority of the movie plods on without real scares or anything else to set it apart in a crowded genre. Some may enjoy the over-the-top atmosphere Palmer has created, but this is a school dance not worth attending for most.
Fear Street: Prom Queen is streaming now on Netflix.
