Fear Street: Prom Queen STOLE This From An ’80s Slasher?!

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⚠️ HEED THIS ADVICE: The ensuing piece reveals significant plot details for both “Fear Street: Prom Queen” and “Prom Night”. If you’re yet to watch these horror films, remember my cautionary words. Enjoy responsibly!

It’s quite tough to come up with a new and exciting take on slasher movies, given their extensive history within the horror genre. Yet, I find myself struggling to identify how Fear Street: Prom Queen, now streaming on Netflix, differentiated itself from its more established counterparts in the genre.

After finishing the latest horror film adapted from R.L. Stine’s famous book series other than “Goosebumps”, I felt compelled to give a 1980s slasher movie set in a doomed school dance, titled “Prom Night”, a try for the first time. The striking similarity between this new Netflix production, which is also set in the late ’80s, and the 1980 cult classic was evident to me. In fact, at times it felt as though the 2025 movie was almost an exact replica, and here are three key reasons why. Let me elaborate…

The Protagonists Are Haunted By A Past Crime

In both horror films, the central character, often referred to as the “Final Girl,” is mourning the loss of a beloved family member. Specifically, in “Fear Street: Prom Queen,” it’s Lori Granger (India Fowler) who lost her father, while in “Prom Night,” the protagonist, portrayed by Jamie Lee Curtis as Kim Hammond, is still grappling with the death of her younger sister Robin, which happened six years ago.

In addition to their shared traits, it’s worth noting that in both movies, the initial culprit for the past crime in each film turns out to be someone else. For instance, Lori’s mother was falsely accused of murdering Lori’s father, but it was actually Tiffany Falconer, the popular prom queen candidate (played by Fina Strazza), and her parents, Chris Klein and Katherine Waterston, who were responsible. Similarly, Robin’s death was initially blamed on a known child predator, but it was actually four of Kim’s classmates who fell victim to the masked killer, revealed to be Kim’s own brother, Alex (portrayed by Michael Tough).

Instead of awarding points to Prom Queen, I feel it would’ve been more convincing if she emulated the motivations of the Prom Night killer, rather than focusing on winning a trivial high school dance contest for the sake of victory.

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Two Main Characters Fight Over The Same Boy

In the latest movie, Lori’s intense competition with Tiffany isn’t solely driven by their contrasting pasts and the quest for the crown. An intriguing love triangle unfolds when Lori develops feelings for Tyler, who happens to be the boyfriend of her school bully. It soon becomes evident that Tyler prefers Lori, but his character is less than admirable, leading him to a tragic end involving a knife in his skull. Unfortunately, this affair doesn’t have a substantial impact on their rivalry since it ends rather dramatically.

In addition, a complicated yet shallow love triangle plays a key role in the movie “Prom Night”. Nick (played by Casey Stevens), Kim’s boyfriend, previously dated Wendy (Anne-Marie Martin), who is known for her snobbish behavior at Hamilton High. She tries unsuccessfully to win him back during the dance, not only because she ultimately suffers a tragic fate, but also for other reasons.

In a fresh twist on typical romantic rivalries, the Prom Queen storyline puts the Final Girl in pursuit of the snob’s boyfriend, yet this originality only scratches the surface of its feeble effort to stand out from the norm.

Heads Roll

This is significant: the instance that solidified my belief that “Fear Street: Prom Queen” transcends typical slasher movie tropes that had grown stale even when “Prom Night” was first released 45 years ago. Remarkably, both movies share a scene featuring a rolling decapitated head in the gym, causing sheer terror among the prom-going teenagers.

Without a doubt, every instance is portrayed uniquely in various scenarios. In the recently premiered movie, the head isn’t genuine but rather a clever trick concocted by Lori’s rule-breaking best friend, Megan Rogers (Suzanna Son). However, in Prom Night, the head is authentic and belongs to school tormentor Lou Farmer (David Mucci), serving as a chilling warning that a murderer is among us.

Independent of the fact, the creators of the movie “Prom Queen” should have been aware that comparisons to “Prom Night” would be unavoidable due to their similar themes. Despite this, they chose to include a scene strikingly similar to one of its iconic moments from “Prom Night”. While some may view it as an homage, I find it rather shameless.

If you found yourself enjoying the Netflix movie “Fear Street: Prom Queen”, I’m genuinely thrilled for your enjoyment, but to be honest, I didn’t share the same sentiment. This isn’t simply because it doesn’t quite measure up to the excellent 2021 Fear Street trilogy, which ranks among the best horror movies on Netflix. On a personal note, I also found “Prom Night” less appealing compared to its sequel, “Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II”, from 1987. In this film, Hamilton High is haunted by a vengeful and possessive spirit of a student. If you’re in the mood for some generic slashers that could use a palate cleanser, I’d recommend checking out similar movies on your Amazon Prime or Shudder subscription.

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2025-06-01 18:09