My watching of “Fear Street: Prom Queen” came directly after a jam-packed day at Comic-Con in London, crashing out in bed exhausted, in desperate need of comfort and relaxation (yes, my go to genre for relaxing is horror). I’d also had my love for the genre reaffirmed (not that that’s really necessary) by attending an event where I got to hear authors talk about their latest horror novels and the inspiration behind them. I was especially excited to hear one or two refer to some of my old favourites such as “Scream” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” It got me thinking about how even years later, these films continue to inspire and excite authors and screenwriters alike, with a huge resurgence in the slasher genre overall.
I don’t know what it is exactly about the subgenre that draws me in. When you think about it, there isn’t much to a slasher film. You know what you’re going to get from the offset and let’s be honest; they’re hardly the most complex or highly developed of films. But I think it’s the formulaic structure, the set of rules that they must adhere to, that brings me comfort. I enjoy identifying the familiar themes and tropes whilst appreciating the variations in setting and character and the ways in which different writers play around with the genre.
A Simple Slasher Offering
And this is why, whilst it’s not up there in my top horror films of 2025, I think “Fear Street: Prom Queen” serves as a reasonable, albeit simple, offering of a slasher film. If I was to describe it in one sentence, I’d probably say it provides a gentle introduction to the slasher film for a younger audience and/or for someone new to the genre, who wants to dip their toes in to see what it’s all about. It certainly conforms to the slasher rules. It reminded me of the classic slasher films “Prom Night” and “Scream,” with some strong gory kills and character showdowns.
Based on the 1992 book by R.L. Stine—and number 15 in Stine’s young adult “Fear Street” series—the film centres around high schooler Lori Granger (India Fowler), who is running alongside the school’s most popular girls, the ‘Wolfpack’, for Prom Queen. Lori serves as the perfect slasher heroine, undeniably inspired by “Scream’s” Sidney Prescott. Like Sidney, Lori is set apart from her peers, carrying the heavy weight of family trauma and disaster. She’s a tragically beautiful and solitary young woman who doesn’t yet know her own strength or potential (nothing like a few good killings to bring that out).
Lacking Some Deeper Treasure
And she certainly needs all the strength she can get when facing the venomous Tiffany (Fina Strazza), Shadyside’s most popular ‘it’ girl who, with the backing of her equally ferocious mother (Katherine Waterston) will do almost anything to become Prom Queen. However, what the girls all don’t know is that there is a masked killer taking out the girls one by one, with some admirable and truly brutal slasher style kills along the way.
At only an hour and 30 minutes running time, it’s hardly the most complex or developed of movies. In some ways, it would have been good to have had a little more context or insight into Lori’s family background and to get to know a few of the characters a little better. And I do think that the masked reveal of the killer was a little disappointing. Interestingly, the killer’s identity is different to that of the killer in R.L Stein’s version, as the writers wanted to give viewers a surprise ending. However, in my opinion, it felt a bit predictable.
For Slasher Nostalgia Lovers
However, it’s important when watching the “Fear Street” series to remember the target audience. These films are mostly aimed at mid to late teens (if that) and serve as more of a ‘quick fix’ watch for those wanting a bit of gore and fun as opposed to anything on a deeper level. And as director and co-writer Matt Palmer states in an interview, “I wanted to make a movie that was under 90 minutes because I love horror movies that come in and then do it and get out quickly… hopefully it opens the door a little bit for the fans to link it to the first movies or potentially come up with theories for what this might mean.”
So, for the younger viewers out there who want a bit of gore, or who are new to the genre, this one’s for you. And for those slightly older viewers who love a bit of slasher nostalgia and want something a bit simple and easy to watch, then I’d equally recommend it.
