Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025)

The story woven through the first 3 Fear Street movies made up for some questionable character death choices but the newest installment, Fear Street: Prom Queen doesn’t make up for the same sorts of decisions with a in depth narrative. The story is told in a clunky way that can lead to confusion about character motivations and involvement. This Fear Street is like trying to make gooey sugar cookies but pulling them out just a tad too soon, still edible but a bit more raw than desired. Relying heavily on the world building from the first 3 movies Prom Queen opens with a monologue about Shadyside, the dark version of Sunnyvale that is the opposite side of the coin in every way from socioeconomic status to town tragedies.

The backstory that is driving the character’s choices is a bit confusing (and/or I missed key details early on) but the overall consequence of it, that Lori is an outside, is clear. Despite the main character, Lori, being an outcast she’s one of six girls nominated to be prom queen at the upcoming prom in 1988. The events take place between Fear Street Part 2: 1979 and Fear Street Part 1: 1994 but does not feature the same characters, backstory, and is not supernatural in nature. Rather than a supernatural slasher or possession-type situation Prom Queen is about a real life slasher in a red pleather rain poncho, with a thick black mask and black gloves, wielding a fire axe and any items that could double as murder weapons around them in the school.

Prom Queen is campier than the other Fear Streets but it doesn’t always translate as well as the camp in the others did. Additionally, without the supernatural element the over the top and aggressive murder sequences seem more cruel and evil, especially as the murders continue to escalate during the events in the film. It’s a movie and it is a slasher, it doesn’t promise too much but it doesn’t deliver too much either.

Nothing feels like a kiss of death for a movie more than an unnecessary dance-off sequence. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Step Up films, know why it’s unwise to rewatch You Got Served and know dance moves from both Napoleon Dynamite and Save the Last Dance—I love a dance sequence, but only when it makes sense. A dance-off in White Chicks during a night out clubbing in the 2000s made sense but a dance-off in the middle of a suburban 1988 prom to 80’s music made no sense. It felt like the movie was trying to make an inside joke about the “White Women Dancing” trend on TikTok with both girls becoming lost in the music as the crowd, forming a circle around them, ooh’s and ahh’s, in amazement.

The actors forming the circle deserve a medal because I wouldn’t have survived the filming of this scene, I cringed and laughed uncomfortably until it ended. Genuinely forgot that it was a horror movie on because it was so misplaced and unnecessary. The main character, or the antagonist, aren’t out here with a reason that a dance-off would be the preferred method of battle. I didn’t even hate the senior-prank style dance during the prom king and queen announcement earlier with the weird American flag bathing suits for no reason. Why is there a single Fear Street: Prom Queen dance routine, let alone multiple?

Missed opportunity IMO to not have her wear the dress she did and instead have Lori’s mom pull out her own prom dress that she hadn’t worn during whatever disaster happened at their parent’s own prom. Now that I’m thinking back on the plot I think I am more confused than during the watch. The school tools used to murder made me chuckle, as they wouldn’t be that sharp or well functioning to complete the task, especially chopping limbs clean off. The boy that has both hands chopped off and crawls to the door (which made no sense since his feet were fine) and then tried to open the door with his bleeding stumps was more comedy than anything else.

The weed dealing girl and the horror friend, Megan, are the 2 most interesting characters in the movie and once they’d killed one of them we vowed to turn this off if they killed the other. They are worth watching the movie but the story isn’t one I’ll be revisiting again and again, especially not without watching the other 3 Fear Street movies since this movie relies on that narrative building about their world.