Fear Street: Prom Queen Review: A Bloody Disappointment

In the summertime of 2021, Netflix unleashed the ambitious “Fear Street” trilogy with charming outcomes. Based mostly (loosely) on the YA horror sequence by “Goosebumps” maestro R.L. Stine, the three movies have been slasher pastiches that appealed to these of us who grew up haunting the video retailer horror part for “Friday the thirteenth” sequels and the unique “Scream.” Below the steerage of director Leigh Janiak, who additionally co-wrote the movies, the three “Worry Road” movies — “Worry Road: 1994,” “Worry Road: 1978,” and “Worry Road: 1666” spun a sprawling, detailed mythology set within the fictional, cursed city of Shadyside, the place unhealthy issues occur regularly.

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The three movies have been intelligent, enjoyable, and gave us a profitable forged of likable characters. Greater than that, they left room for extra. The groundwork was laid for Netflix to return to Shadyside for added tales of YA terror. And but, it took the streaming service an unusually very long time to move again to “Worry Road.” Sadly, now that we’re in Shadyside as soon as once more, the outcomes are solely disappointing. Not one of the ingenious power on show within the earlier three movies is seen in “Worry Road: Promenade Queen,” a gory misfire that underwhelms even because it sheds copious quantities of blood.

“Worry Road: Promenade Queen” half-heartedly mentions some occasions from the earlier trilogy (notably the summer time camp slaughter seen in “Worry Road: 1978”), however then strikes on to inform its personal stand-alone story, ignoring the curse of Sarah Fier that was so important to the trilogy. And that is fantastic. But, “Promenade Queen” is up to now faraway from what got here earlier than that it begins to really feel like a sequel in identify solely. There’s, after all, loads of precedent for this, particularly within the horror style (simply have a look at the utterly weird “Hellraiser” franchise). However I had a lot enjoyable with the unique trilogy, and so little enjoyable right here, that I am unable to assist however assume that one thing went mistaken.

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Maybe issues would’ve labored out higher if Leigh Janiak had returned. As an alternative, Matt Palmer helms this entry (Palmer additionally co-wrote the script, with Donald McLeary), and the flat, moderately low cost look of the movie does it no favors. This film is not simply unhealthy, it seems to be unhealthy, as if the manufacturing solely had the finances to shoot in a single mounted spot. That is such a pointy distinction to the earlier three movies, which felt uniquely large.

In “Promenade Queen,” it is 1988, and the scholars of Shadyside Excessive are gearing up for the promenade. We be taught that there are a number of candidates gunning for the coveted prize of Promenade Queen. The seeming shoe-in is wealthy imply lady Tiffany Falconer (Fina Strazza), who has a whole clique of imply ladies additionally hoping to be queen.

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Then there’s the wildcard, Lori Granger (India Fowler). Lori is a little bit of an outcast in Shadyside, largely because of the truth that city gossip has lengthy accused Lori’s mother of murdering her dad (and getting away with the crime). Lori inexplicably thinks that if she wins the crown of Promenade Queen, all her social and monetary issues shall be solved, which I suppose is the kind of confused logic that works while you’re an adolescent caught in a cursed, dead-end city.

Whereas Fowler is ok working with what she’s given right here, Lori is unfortunately a bland, uninteresting last lady. There’s simply not a lot to the character, save for the truth that she’s finest pals with the horror-loving Megan (Suzanna Son), who likes to make bloody props and spends all her free time studying problems with “Fangoria.” It is roughly implied that Megan has an enormous crush on Lori, however the movie would not actually appear concerned with exploring that. Moreover, Lori has a crush of her personal, on Tyler (David Iacono), who simply occurs to be Tiffany’s boyfriend — though it is fairly clear that this highschool energy couple would not actually like one another.

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“Promenade Queen” rushes by means of its fast runtime, dropping us on the promenade nearly instantly as a masked killer begins bumping off the sexy teenagers one after the other, working his (or her?) method although the Promenade Queen candidates and their boyfriends with admittedly ugly outcomes. If “Promenade Queen” has one factor going for it, it is that it would not draw back from bloody kills, and it seems nearly all of them are achieved with sensible make-up results moderately than weightless digital gore. However after some time, even that begins to lose its appeal.

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Not serving to issues is a severely lackluster script that fails to inject something of substance. “Promenade Queen” is neither humorous nor scary, and it positive looks as if it ought to’ve no less than tried to attempt to be a type of issues if not each. At one level, bitter enemies Lori and Tiffany interact in a dance-off within the middle of the promenade, a second shot and executed so poorly that I am unsure what the final word objective is. Who thought this was a good suggestion?

As a big fan of the original trilogy, I stored ready (and hoping) for “Worry Road: Promenade Queen” to win me over. But the movie stays curiously lifeless, and never even the presence of reliable, proficient individuals like Lili Taylor and Katherine Waterston (sporting appropriately enormous ’80s hair) can save such a disappointing affair. After the unique “Worry Road” trilogy, I used to be itching to return to Shadyside. It was not definitely worth the wait.

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/Movie Score: 4 out of 10

“Worry Road: Promenade Queen” is streaming on Netflix Could 23, 2025.