Fear Street: Prom Queen Review: A Prom-Themed Slasher That isn’t Worth Attending

The Fear Street movie is back. But instead of another throwback-heavy, interconnected trilogy spearheaded by Leigh Janiak, Fear Street: Prom Queen is more of a standalone feature. And this time, it’s Matt Palmer of 2018’s Calibre in charge as he attempts to revive the prom-themed slasher genre popularised by the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis-starred Prom Night in the early 80s.

But if you are expecting something as ambitious as Janiak’s timeline-shifting trilogy, Palmer prefers to play it straight. I don’t mind the back-to-basics approach as long as the movie delivers grisly fun with the story and character(s) engaging enough to keep me entertained. The good news is that Palmer knows well how to stage some graphically violent kills and over-the-top gore with mostly axe-related massacres and, at one point, a blood-splattering circular saw murder. No 1980s tradition of the slasher genre would be complete without a distinct feature of the killer, and Fear Street: Prom Queen is no exception.

Here, the movie introduces a silent, formidable axe-wielding killer dressed in a bright red PVC hooded raincoat with the face concealed in a black mask. The killer’s objective? Kill the Shadyside High School students one by one, particularly the potential prom queens on the night of prom. Fear Street: Prom Queen only runs 90 minutes, and the movie doesn’t waste time going for the kills since the bulk of its running time is spent in and out of the prom.

Too bad the story itself is paper-thin, and frankly, I barely care about any of them, whether they will survive. Not even the movie’s protagonist, Lori (India Fowler), the daughter of a disgraced mother, Rosemary (Joanne Boland), who was accused of murdering her husband years ago. The movie doesn’t bother much about providing us a substantial backstory other than just including some verbal exposition dumps because Palmer is more interested in focusing on the prom night.

So, Lori figures that by winning the coveted prom queen title, her life can change for the better. But she has to compete with other candidates, namely the mean girl Tiffany Falconer (Fina Strazza). The latter is expected to be a shoo-in win for the shiny tiara on her head. Her mother, Nancy (Katherine Waterston), is particularly obsessed with the prom and wants her daughter to secure the title. Lori also happens to have a crush on Tyler (David Iacono), who turns out to be Tiffany’s boyfriend. Then, there’s her best friend Megan (Suzanna Son), who somehow has a feeling for her.

The kills are visceral, but there is so much blood, gore, and violence that can do to maintain one’s interest. There’s little buildup of tension and suspense. It doesn’t take long before I grow increasingly bored with the flimsy story that even a supposedly lean 90-minute running time overstays its welcome. Not surprisingly, Palmer throws in some jukebox musical, featuring memorable 80s hits from Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give Up” to Roxette’s “The Look”, Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” and Laura Branigan’s “Gloria”.

The characters are sadly cardboard cutouts, and as the movie progresses with Palmer’s flat direction, I wish the killer would speed up the killing process and murder everyone. Save (our) misery from enduring this hack of an ’80s slasher revival. Sure, the last 30 minutes do ratchet up the tension once the killer shows up in front of everyone and starts a bloody killing spree. The motivation is subsequently revealed, and so is the identity of the killer.

But it’s barely enough to overcome most of the shortcomings, making Fear Street: Prom Queen a huge missed opportunity. The Fear Street movie franchise clearly deserves a better screen treatment, and I can’t believe that after a four-year wait, this is the best they can come up with?

Fear Street: Prom Queen is currently streaming on Netflix.