Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Review – An Excruciating Return to Shadyside

Published 3 hours ago 

on May 28, 2025

By Bazza 

TRuthless yet inspired kills, expansive lore, and spirited personality made Leigh Janek’s Fear Street trilogy, based on the novels by R.L. Stine, the summer horror event of 2021. New standalone entry Fear Street: Prom Queen, nestled chronologically between Fear Street: 1978 and Fear Street: 1994, features none of that. Instead, the 1988-set slasher opts for shallow pastiche, bland kills, and a grating cast of characters. It makes for an excruciating return to the cursed town of Shadyside.

A quick recap reminding viewers of Shadyside’s penchant for cranking out masked serial killers kicks off Prom Queen before settling into introductions to the roster of prom queen candidates that’ll be targeted by the latest villain. Meek outcast Lori Granger (India Fowler) hopes to escape her family’s tarnished reputation by winning the coveted prom queen crown, but she has stiff competition with The Wolf Pack, the clique of mean girls led by vicious bully Tiffany (Fina Strazza), who will stop at nothing to win. Class rebel and wild child Christy (Ariana Greenblatt) is also in contention, but barely. Greenblatt’s credits designate her character as the first to fall, and the uninspired death sets the stage for the latest bloodbath.