The Fear Street trilogy of 2021 was a fun and irreverent tribute to slasher films of different eras as well as the YA book series of R.L. Stein. We now have another instalment, this one only loosely connected to the others (same small town setting, post-credit scene which hints at a larger connection). Prom Queen is an 80s style horror about of group of candidates for the titular honour, being hunted down one by one on prom night.
The Fear Street movies are both self-aware (in how they pay tribute to their inspirations) and fully earnest (in how they don't spoof or deconstruct their inspirations a la Scream). These films embrace the genre cliches without a wink and a nod, more with a loving embrace. This is about revisiting what made those films so fun, not about getting into our heads about them. This light take makes them very entertaining even if they are being a bit silly.
Prom Queen gets to some pretty cartoony violence and gore. Perhaps this is a way of keeping them accessible. There are times you want to laugh more than wince at the blood. But it's all in good fun. The film also does pay tribute to the 80s with a killer soundtrack (pun intended) and delightful fashion without pushing that envelope too hard.
So in the end this is another successful, if sleight, entry into a series that aims to be fun, referential horror for teens and the teens in all of us.
Fear Street: Prom Queen
Starring: India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza, Chris Klein, David Iacono, Ella Rubin, Ariana Greenblatt, Lili Taylor, Katherine Waterston
Director: Matt Palmer
Writers: Donald McLeary, Matt Palmer
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