By Chris Snellgrove
| Updated
If you’re “from the 1900s,” as those cruel Zoomers might say, then you are very familiar with R.L. Stine, who created the legendary Goosebumps series of horror novels aimed at younger readers. Before that, he created Fear Street novels like Prom Queen, and this series was aimed at teen readers, featuring bloodier kills and higher body counts. In May of this year, Netflix adapted that novel, and Fear Street: Prom Queen is a great watch for anyone who enjoys 80s-style slasher goodness.
Fear Street: Prom Queen is set in 1988 and focuses on a group of teens getting ready for their high school prom. There’s a bitter rivalry about who will be crowned (you guessed it) prom queen, but these dazed and confused high schoolers soon have something bigger to worry about: a mysterious killer who is hacking and slashing their way through the senior class. And unless the murderer can be identified and stopped, each of these terrified teens will have to save the last dance for the Grim Reaper.
Based on that description, you’ve probably guessed that Fear Street: Prom Queen is not the most original horror movie in the world. R.L. Stine’s book was heavily inspired by Prom Night, the 1980 slasher classic starring Jamie Lee Curtis. Accordingly, this Netflix original movie often feels like an homage to that earlier movie and countless other vintage horror films, though the dialogue between these teen characters is more reminiscent of Scream than Prom Night.
Speaking of the teens, the young actors of Fear Street: Prom Queen do a very solid job. Younger audiences are sure to enjoy the killer performance of India Fowler, best known for her memorable role in Showtime’s thriller The Agency. Tony-nominated Fina Strazza, best known to genre fans for her role in Amazon’s excellent Paper Girls. As for the older actors, ‘80s kids may be particularly excited to see American Pie’s Chris Klein and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’s Katherine Waterston.
Though this is the fourth entry in Netflix’s Fear Street series, it functions as a standalone film. That may be good news for horror buffs who thought the previous trilogy of movies was uneven (I personally found the third film much weaker than the previous two). Fans of that trilogy will spot selective references in Prom Queen (most notably that it takes place in the familiar Fear Street setting of Shadyside), but you won’t really miss anything if you skip those first three movies and cut to the fourth film.
Why The Critics Were Wrong About Fear Street: Prom Queen
The elephant in the room here is that Fear Street: Prom Queen didn’t exactly dazzle movie reviewers, as evidenced by its bleak 26 percent critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics generally griped that this movie was going through the motions and retreading ground mostly covered by earlier ’80s slashers. The implication of this critical assignment was clear: that if you’re in the mood for a vintage-style horror film, you’re better off watching the originals rather than streaming Prom Queen.
One problem with this assessment: if you’ve already watched the best slashers until you’ve memorized every stab and scream, you’re dying to find something new to scratch (or should that be slash?) your itch for this genre. For me, Fear Street: Prom Queen was an effective synthesis of ideas, effectively updating the old-school slasher formula while throwing in a few modern twists and turns. The result is a movie that feels both familiar and refreshingly new, and it’s especially enjoyable for viewers who grew up reading R.L. Stine.
Will you decide that Fear Street: Prom Queen should take home the crown, or would you rather drop a bucket of blood on your TV before watching it again? The only way to find out is to stream these screams on Netflix today. It’s not for everyone, but I’m confident this modern slasher will appeal to anyone who grew up watching Jason, Freddy, and Ghostface and who wants some fresh meat as part of their cinematic diet.
