Reviews
[REVIEW] ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ It’s Not Great…
I was obsessed with Fear Street as a kid. I still have my collection of the popular YA horror detailing the murder and mayhem in Shadyside. These books have moved around the country with me. I even secretly hope to adapt a few of them for the screen someday. So, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I have to tell you that Fear Street: Prom Queen is a strong contender for the worst movie to hit streaming (so far) this year. Here is our review of Fear Street: Prom Queen.
I felt Netflix’s 2021 Fear Street trilogy, helmed by Leigh Janiak, was okay. We had some great kills, it added intersectional lead characters as canon, and the soundtrack was a banger. Did it feel more like a project that was moved to Fear Street rather than an adaptation of any of my beloved books? Yes. Was it the worst thing that could have happened to the beloved series? No.
However, I could not help getting more excited for this fourth installment. Mainly because the title Fear Street: Prom Queen is so close to Fear Street: The Prom Queen. It gave my nerd heart hope that we would finally see one of the actual books on screen. However, we rarely get what we want in life.
A Disappointing 1988 Vibe
Fear Street: Prom Queen does take place during prom season. It does have a group of high school girls who want the crown for various reasons. We even eventually get around to some underwhelming murders. However, this 1988 moment left a lot to be desired. When it opens with the synth music and the 1980s high school, giving us Stranger Things vibes, I knew it would be different than anything that came before.
I quickly made peace with that and gave the first act grace, even when it started to experience turbulence. Not only is this installment bad, but it also undoes all of the goodwill the first three movies built with the audience. The characters feel one note, the pacing never finds the gas pedal, and by the time it got to the reveals…I wanted to take a nap.
Fear Street: Prom Queen and its One Dimensional Cast
We follow Lori (India Fowler), an outcast at her school who has been nominated for Prom Queen. As our narrator, she gives us the one-dimensional descriptions of everyone else. This includes her best friend Megan (Suzanna Son), who Lori tells us is a stoner and horror nerd.
We quickly realize Megan is also a Queer sidekick as this movie will not be following in the predecessor’s footsteps. There will be no queer Black characters at the front this time. Anyway, part of Lori’s deal is the town hates her mother because of mysterious events that transpired at her prom while she was pregnant with Lori.
This wild speculation and gossip has become the gospel that haunts Lori. It is also ammunition for her bully and prom queen competition, Tiffany (Fina Strazza).
Tiffany is one of the many characters that could be more interesting. However, the writing and direction will not let her be great. Each time she corners Lori to torment her with an exposition-filled monologue in whispered tones, I wondered if this was really the best option.
The way Tiffany runs her squad and twists the verbal knife into her bestie’s heart gives glimmers of a more interesting villain. Sadly, Fear Street: Prom Queen forces her also to be one-dimensional.
The project also wastes Lili Taylor as Vice Principal Dolores Brekenridge. A woman who demands law and order in her school but is just a stock character. However, at least it allows the actor to stop the whole affair from being a complete flatline.
My fellow millennials will also get a kick out of seeing Chris Klein as Dan Falconer. Dan is a teacher at the high school who happens to also be Tiffany’s dad. He might also have the silliest character arc of anyone in this situation.
Lackluster Kills with No Tension
One of the things Fear Street (the books and the first three films) has going for them is the kills. Not only do teens die, but also the rest of the teens have to carry on as their classmates get turned into charcuterie.
Fear Street: Prom Queen opted out of all of that. The first kill is an uninspired axe to the shoulder. There was no fight, no struggle or chase. Just a whimper of a weapon going into someone’s back while they look off into the night. That aspiring prom queen is a drug dealer, so a few people ask about her, but no one really looks for her. Any hope that Christy’s (Ariana Greenblatt) whimper of a death scene would not set the tone is dashed at the prom.
Matt Palmer’s direction never allows for any tension building. This would not necessarily be a bad thing if Fear Street: Prom Queen ever found a rhythm. Or at least picked up the pace during the kills. However, they are all as slow and uninspired as the rest of the movie. Co-writers Palmer and Donald Mcleary never gave any of the characters a chance to have texture.
So, none of the deaths have weight on top of the killer just appearing next to the victims as if by magic. They also never got out of their way long enough to let the story do anything interesting or avoid being so formulaic. So, the few times they think they are surprising the audience falls flat.
Formulaic Storytelling and Flat Reveals
Each killer reveal was somehow equally ridiculous, expected, and underwhelming. This makes Lori’s fight for survival too tepid for us to root for her when she gets her final girl moment.
I tried to gaslight myself into saying the movie was going for camp. After all, Tiffany and Lori have a weird dance-off to Gloria (a 1982 anthem) during the prom when things get too heated. However, as the entire runtime felt like a rehearsal instead of a performance, I might never know what the tone was supposed to be.
Sadly, I stopped trying to understand the mess and endured because that is my job. I finish things and tell people what I saw, and if I think it is worth watching. With great displeasure, I must tell you that Fear Street: Prom Queen feels like CW and Tubi had a baby behind a Radio Shack in hell. Not in a fun and chaotic way. More like the people didn’t understand the assignment and assumed their audience does not have standards.
A Letdown for Fear Street and Slasher Fans
I did not have a good time with Fear Street: Prom Queen and would like my time back. I love slashers and the books the movie is allegedly inspired by. So, I hate that it fails in both lanes. It especially hurts because the Fear Street books are right there in all their fun glory.
While this did not capture any of the thrills of my favorite parts of the series, it did force me to find even more ways to appreciate the 2021 Netflix trilogy. It was not the Fear Street of our youth, but it got a few things right. Also, it at least gave horror fans something to talk about.
So, it really sucks to see this one campaigning for a spot at the bottom of the discount bin.
Fear Street: Prom Queen is now available on Netflix.
Most people find that stretching their dollar still barely gets them by in today’s economy. I am very particular about what I spend my spare money on regarding extracurriculars. And no one likes to feel like their money is wasted. Madame Morbid Trolley Tours wasn’t an experience I had been familiar with. Maybe that’s because I’m chronically offline for most of my life. So this leads to the perfect question: in today’s turbulent economy, is Madame Morbid Trolley Tours worth the price? The short answer is unquestionably, yes. But it’s more than just a simple yes.
My wife and I arrived at the designated meeting point 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time. A handful of minutes later, a gorgeous, e-candle-lit trolley pulled up to the side of the road. We were greeted by impeccably on-brand Allison Chase, our tour guide, and trolley driver ‘Mad’ Matt Zaller. The wonderfully cheery duo invited us on the trolley, and the tour was set to begin.
400 Years of Death, Destruction, and Infrastructure
After a welcoming video intro from someone who knows a thing or two about busting ghosts, we set off on the inaugural Madame Morbid Trolley Tour in its ninth year of operation. From the Brooklyn Naval Yard all the way to Dumbo, and more, this tour magnificently chronicles 400 years of history, the good and the bad, expertly. No matter how much you think you may know about Brooklyn history, I can bet there will be something new learned within the first 15 minutes of the tour. From the first-ever plane crash to one of the worst theater fires in history, this tour covers tragedies that the greatest horror writers couldn’t conceive.
The Deadly [Charming] Docent
Allison Chase led the fascinating tour in character from the moment we stepped on the trolley until our departure. But Allison’s character was not forced or fake; you could feel Allison’s passion for not just morbid history, but the accuracy of it. Some of the stories we heard were steeped in historical context, and it was not boring for a single second. The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour is not your standard full-talking tour. It’s a mixed-media adventure of some of Brooklyn’s darkest moments.
During “downtime” (the times between locations), we were edutained by mini documentaries (that were quite funny). Some of the “downtime” was filled with traffic trivia (I won a needle pen!). And other times were show-and-tell-like, with objects passed around for us to examine. But there was never a moment of silence that wasn’t purposeful. All in all, Allison’s knowledge and passion shone like the luminosity of a full moon.
Is Madame Morbid Trolley Tours Worth It?
The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour was not just a fun night out for my wife and me, but it was a delightfully dark night of edutainment. It should also be noted that ‘Mad’ Matt’s driving skills were fantastic. There was a time when I had become enamored with how Matt handled the narrow streets of Brooklyn before realizing that I needed to refocus my attention on Allison. The Madame Morbid Trolley Tour is an exceptionally fun evening of horror and history that will make you think twice next time you walk down the streets of Brooklyn. It is worth the money, and then some. There’s no better activity for a cold, dark October night than the Madame Morbid Trolley Tour.
For more information on Madame Morbid Trolley Tours, and to get your tickets, click here!
I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I should have watched the Stephen King adaptation Cujo a million years ago. First of all, I was a voracious King reader in middle school. The other thing I was obsessed with during those years was Friends. You know, the show that hinges a major episode’s subplot on Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) watching Cujo for the first time. Whatever the reason was, I never got around to it, but I’m rectifying that oversight now.
What is Cujo About?
Cujo tells a relatively simple story. Donna Trenton’s (Dee Wallace) a housewife who’s cheating on her husband Vic (Daniel Hugh-Kelly) with local handyman Steve (Christopher Stone). There’s no accounting for taste, because Vic is 10 times hotter and Steve doesn’t own a bed frame. Look, Donna. I know Vic has that awful David Hasselhoff hair, but I promise the 1980s will end sooner or later. It’ll be OK.
Donna’s attempted termination of this affair ultimately leads to its discovery. Amid this drama, her car breaks down at a mechanic’s isolated farmhouse, trapping her and her son, Tad (Danny Pintauro). You see, the mechanic’s dog, Cujo, freshly christened with rabies, is patrolling the area and attacking everything in sight.
Dee Wallace Is Cujo’s Not-So-Secret Weapon
It would be impossible to start a worthwhile review of Cujo without praising Dee Wallace. The woman is a genre icon, naturally. Think about this: She had only appeared in seven theatrical movies before starring in Cujo. Four of those movies are The Stepford Wives, The Hills Have Eyes, E.T., and The Howling. But this woman didn’t become an icon simply by accidentally stumbling into some iconic titles. She is simply terrific as Donna, using her darting eyes and taut expression to deliver oodles of subtext. You instantly get the sense of how trapped she feels by marriage and motherhood without her uttering a single word.
A good performance is vital, here. Because there’s a hell of a lot of drama to get through before she’s trapped in that damn car. But Wallace instantly shoves you into Donna’s perspective, whether you like it or not. This makes it all the more potent when she is menaced by Cujo. Her desperate attempts for survival, also impeccably performed, have true weight because she seems like a real person. She is also given an incredible scene partner in Danny Pintauro. The future Who’s the Boss? star, who was only six when shooting Cujo, has a perfect everychild quality. His innocence heightens the peril. But so does that fact that he is just as irritating as every six-year-old you’ve ever met.
This movie truly captures how annoying it must be to be stuck in a life-and-death situation with a child. This is a compliment, I swear! Donna is worn down by every aspect of the situation, including her own son’s inability to cope with it. And this ratchets up the tension even further, to an almost unbearable degree.
Cujo Is a Mixed Bag, But Worthwhile Overall
The movie doesn’t work if Cujo himself doesn’t work, and at first I was real worried that he wouldn’t. In the first half, the St. Bernards that play Cujo onscreen are often shown to be wagging their tails in delight. Which kind of undercuts the reality of the situation, I’d say. But the editing and the special effects step in to fix what animal training couldn’t. The attack scenes in the second half are constructed with quick cuts that never let you get too much purchase. It’s a good approach for keeping viewers off-kilter.
Also, Cujo becomes less and less recognizable as a cuddly canine the further the movie gets. It’s a simple trick, really. He ends up getting coated with more and more slime. Saliva, pus, blood, and what have you. This is good for making him feel like a true movie monster. Plus, it’s a good mirror for the sliminess inside the car as it gets covered in sweat, blood, and grime.
The second half of the movie ultimately works like gangbusters. It’s a shame that Cujo is too cowardly to get Donna and Tad in the car before the halfway point. This decision is somewhat faithful to the book’s structure as I remember it. However, it diminishes the weight of the long days that they spend in the car. We really need to feel that crushing stretch of time, and we don’t. When Tad is suffering from dehydration, it’s not a gut punch. Honestly, I just found myself asking, “Already?” It’s good that they gave the movie a happier ending, because the classic grimdark Stephen King finale wouldn’t have landed.
Is Cujo Worth Watching in 2026?
At the end of the day, Cujo is a solid movie and I’m glad I finally watched it. However, it’s not such a stone-cold classic that I’m not at least a little intrigued by that upcoming Netflix remake…
