‘This is the new Shadyside…’
While the original Fear Street trilogy was a prime example of diminishing returns, there was enough there to recommend it – particularly in the first entry. Fear Street: Prom Queen exists in the same universe as those films (as confirmed by a clumsy post-credit scene), but we have a new director in Matt Palmer (Calibre) and a new writing team. The resulting sequel lands with a disappointing thud…
In 1988, Shadyside High School is preparing for senior prom. Four popular girls (nicknamed the “Wolfpack”), led by ruthless queen bee Tiffany (Fina Strazza), dominate the lead up to the event, but the narrative focuses on outcasts Lori (India Fowler) and Megan (Suzanna Son). Inevitably, a masked assailant appears and starts murdering people. Will everyone survive until prom night? Who is behind the murders? Does any of this matter? Absolutely not.
Fear Street: Prom Queen is not an incompetent movie. The young cast are good. The editing and cinematography are fine if a little bland. But there is absolutely no soul here. At least if you asked AI to create a generic slasher movie it would have some weird quirks like girls with six fingers or a killer with two mouths. Instead, this is the epitome of filmmaking-by-committee. There is no authorial voice here. The plot is an amalgamation of Mean Girls, Carrie and every other high school movie released in the last forty years. There is not a shred of imagination or originality here. It’s lazy, uninspiring and utterly forgettable.
This fourth entry in the Fear Street franchise is not offensively bad, it doesn’t take enough risks to be offensive, but it is a notable step down for a franchise that wasn’t all that great in the first place. Yawn.
