Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025) Spoiler Free Review
A night to remember … is you survive. Fear Street: Prom Queen is a 2025 American slasher film directed by Matt Palmer and co-wroted with Donald McLeary, based on the novel The Prom Queen (1992) by R. L. Stine from the Fear Street book series. Fear Street: Prom Queen was released on Netflix on May 23, 2025.
When the “it” girls competing for prom queen at Shadyside High start to disappear, a gutsy outsider discovers she’s in for one hell of a prom night.
Film synopsis
The cast includes India Fowler as Lori Granger, Suzanna Son as Megan Rogers, Fina Strazza as Tiffany Falconer, David Iacono as Tyler Torres, Ella Rubin as Melissa Mckendrick, Chris Klein as Dan Falconer, Ariana Greenblatt as Christy Renault, Lili Taylor as VP Dolores Brekenridge, Katherine Waterston as Nancy Falconer, and Brennan Clost as Gerald.
When you live in Shadyside and experience the horrors that unfold without explanation, a part of you knows nothing will ever change. But for Lori Granger, becoming prom queen can be the beginning of a change. Ten years after the Camp Nightwing massacre, Shadyside dresses in glitter to celebrate the class of 1988. But a masked killer has set his sights on the prom queen candidates, and nothing will stop him.
After a four-year wait, the Fear Street film series returns to Netflix, but this time it isn’t receiving the same kind of reception from the audience. Perhaps the original trilogy created overly high expectations, but this new installment doesn’t even feel like it’s part of the same universe. Based on the novel of the same name by R.L. Stine, this adaptation takes several creative departures while retaining only a few elements. So, if you’ve read the novel, the plot twist won’t surprise you.
But the truth is, you don’t need to have read the novel to guess who’s behind the mask and why. In the first 10 minutes, the film tells you clearly; you just have to pay attention to small details about the characters. This makes the revelation and plot twist feel anticlimactic, something that doesn’t happen in the novel, as it manages to present more than one possible suspect, creating intrigue and doubt in the reader.
The cast’s acting isn’t a positive addition; those whose faces are more familiar and more experienced stand out. The characters are boxed into their respective stereotypes, leaving much to be desired and depriving them of the opportunity to truly surprise the audience. The costume design and music prove to be the film’s best elements. The production design, on the other hand, fails to be as immersive in the decade as the original trilogy.
The biggest mistake this sequel makes is not taking advantage of the world already built by the original trilogy, which revolves around Sarah Feir and the curse of Shadyside. Here, there are only crumbs of it and a small nod that could have been explored in depth, giving this film the direct connection it needed to what was already established.
Fear Street: Prom Queen is ideal for those who enjoy slasher films for teens or who want to watch horror movies without getting too scared. If a fifth film comes in the future, let’s hope it’s better than this one.
Fear Street: Prom Queen is now available on Netflix.