Fear Street is back, and it’s looking bloodier than ever. A new IGN teaser gives fans a first look at Fear Street: Prom Queen, the latest entry in R.L. Stine’s horror franchise. The clip opens inside a dimly lit library, where a severed hand searches through shelves of books before settling on a familiar title from the Fear Street collection. Stine then appears, delivering a chilling monologue that immediately sets the tone. “Most people would say that killing teenagers is not a good thing,” he muses, before welcoming audiences to another chapter of Fear Street.
The new film transports viewers to 1988, where the battle for prom queen takes a deadly turn. Contestants take centre stage in the school gymnasium, decked out in brightly coloured dresses, hairspray-fueled volume, and the best music of the era blasting through the speakers. The celebration, however, quickly spirals into chaos. A reflection of an axe glints in the disco ball, screams echo through the venue, and blood splatters the dance floor. Fear Street: Prom Queen follows a string of disappearances among prom queen candidates, and it appears Shadyside’s latest nightmare has only just begun.
The teaser promises that a “new era” is dawning for the franchise, with a fresh director behind the camera and an all-new cast stepping into the cursed town’s ongoing horror. Matt Palmer (Calibre) takes over directing duties from Leigh Janiak, who helmed the trilogy released in 2021. Comparisons to Fear Street Part One: 1994 are inevitable, as Prom Queen appears to lean heavily into the high school setting. The original film featured some of its most memorable sequences inside Shadyside High, and the new instalment looks to take full advantage of that atmosphere.
Suzanna Son (The Idol), India Fowler (The Agency), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls), Ariana Greenblatt (Borderlands), Lili Taylor (The Conjuring), Chris Klein (American Pie), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Brennan Clost (Tiny Pretty Things), and Katherine Waterston (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) round out the new cast is stepping into the horror. Given the trilogy’s history of actors returning for different roles, there’s a possibility that some of these performers could reappear in future instalments.
Netflix has struggled to establish a successful horror movie franchise, but Fear Street has proven to be an exception. The first three films were well-received by critics and audiences alike, making a strong case for the platform’s ability to build an ongoing cinematic universe. If Prom Queen manages to capture the same energy that made its predecessors successful, it could open the door for even more Fear Street stories in the years to come.
Fear Street: Prom Queen arrives on Netflix on 23 May, promising a prom night to die for.
Natalie is a big fan of anything related to movies, TV shows, and anime — you name it. When she’s not reading or being a dedicated cinephile, she’s probably playing gacha and tabletop games, or daydreaming of Caleb from Love and Deepspace.
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