The only thing you have to fear is ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ itself

Slashers. While a subgenre of horror, most people probably think of slasher staples when they think of horror movies, whether it be the looming Jason Voorhees or the wisecracking Freddy Krueger. While their popularity has waned over the years, they’re never truly gone.

If you want good slasher movies all-year round, there’s plenty of streaming platforms: Shudder, Screambox, or some of the usual services like HBO Max, Peacock or Netflix, especially in October.

The problem comes when streamers make their own original movies because they can be really hit or miss. Lookin’ at you, Netflix.

To be fair, Netflix released the Fear Street trilogy, a series of supernatural slasher films, in July 2021, to positive reviews and a cult fandom. Loosely based on the book series by R.L. Stine, the films follow Deena Johnson, her friends and her girlfriend as they strive to unravel the mystery of Shadyside’s infamous Fier Witch.

The trilogy is paced well enough, and while not the best slashers you’ll watch, they’re fairly serviceable. But fans were asking, what’s next?

Apparently, a standalone fourth movie.

Released in May of this year, “Fear Street: Prom Queen” is the fourth and newest entry into the franchise. And honestly, it’s just not that great.

The problem with “Prom Queen” is it's too generic. It’s far from the only prom centered horror movie, and it’s clear it wants to be a modern “Carrie” or “Prom Night.” But what it lacks is the heart that makes those movies, and other ‘80s teen slashers, work.

Like a lot of slasher movies, this movie doesn’t take the time to develop its characters, much less make you care about them. Even in the opening monologue, the main character feels like just another generic teen in a horror flick.

And the kills, while fun, are not as memorable as I’d hoped they’d be. They simply don’t stand out enough. There’s nothing memorable that you haven’t seen before, unlike its predecessors, which feature a particularly memorable bread slicer kill.

And yes, while it’s true that a lot of slashers don’t particularly tend to have memorable kills, when your franchise included one so gnarly in recent memory, it puts expectations on you.

Along with a generic plot and character types, the final twist in “Prom Queen” makes no absolutely no sense. The killer is someone you see in the background approximately one time, and the motivation is weaker than jelly.

And let’s not even talk about that attempt to spring a surprise killer on you in a baffling execution of the trope. It makes no sense for the killer to be someone you don’t know, and unlike in this year’s stunning “Heart Eyes,” it’s not a one off joke because you’ll meet those killers later. The reveal is poorly handled, and the further twist just makes it worse.

And for the cherry on top, there’s a post credits scene that wants to set up a sequel, but the logistics of it are so goofy, it’s really hard to take it seriously.

This movie might as well not have the Fear Street name. There are no references to the events of the previous trilogy, no returning characters, nothing to connect it to the lore other than the names of Shadyside and Sunnyvale. It’s not even connected to the Fier Witch, making this movie a random “Prom Night” rip-off that just so happens to bear the name.

I didn’t enjoy much of it. And I enjoy slashers. It felt a little too paint-by-the-numbers to be unique, too bland to stand out, and just too Netflix-y to be any good. Not to discredit Netflix's good original series and movies, but this one falls into the camp of the bad ones.

“Fear Street: Prom Queen” is currently boasting a measly 28% on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer, and audiences liked it even less with a 24% on the Popcornmeter. Letterboxd sits at a 1.7, with ratings skewing towards two stars.

FINAL VERDICT: Two out of Five stars.

“Fear Street: Prom Queen” can be streamed on Netflix.

Adrien Coakley is a writer who not only enjoys horror movies, but every aspect of movie making.