The familiar dread of Shadyside is creeping back onto screens, as Netflix has officially dropped the first trailer for Fear Street: Prom Queen. Following the unprecedented success of the Fear Street trilogy event in 2021, which captivated audiences with its interconnected timeline and genre-bending horror, expectations are sky-high for this new installment. The trailer teases the highly anticipated return to the blood-soaked cinematic universe inspired by R.L. Stine’s iconic horror novel, this time setting the story in 1988 and focusing on the deadly politics of Shadyside High’s prom season. The trailer’s launch officially kicks off the countdown to more retro-slasher mayhem, confirming Netflix’s commitment to expanding one of its most celebrated original film franchises.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Fear Street: Prom Queen plunges viewers into the vicious social hierarchy of Shadyside High as prom season gets underway. As the trailer shows, the school’s dominant clique, the “It Girls,” is engaged in its typical ruthless campaign for the prom queen crown. However, the status quo is shattered when an outsider unexpectedly finds herself nominated for the court. This nomination coincides with the chillingly mysterious disappearances of other candidates, turning the anticipated night of celebration into a desperate fight for survival for the class of ’88. This standalone story adapts Stine’s 1992 novel The Prom Queen, bringing one of his specific high school horror tales directly to the screen, a slight shift from the original trilogy, which synthesizes multiple of Stine’s stories.
[RELATED: R.L. Stine Confirms Even More Fear Street Movies Are on the Way (Even After Prom Queen)]
Directing Fear Street: Prom Queen is Matt Palmer (Calibre), working from a script he co-wrote with Donald McLeary. The film features a robust cast ready to face the terror, led by India Fowler (TV’s Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), and Ariana Greenblatt (Ahsoka). Adding veteran presence are Chris Klein (American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range), and Katherine Waterston (Babylon).
How Fear Street Became Netflix’s Unlikely Horror Franchise Hit
The anticipation for Fear Street: Prom Queen is a direct result of the original trilogy’s breakout success in the summer of 2021. At the time, Netflix employed a novel release strategy, dropping Fear Street Part One: 1994, Fear Street Part Two: 1978, and Fear Street Part Three: 1666 over three consecutive weeks. This event-style rollout proved incredibly effective, generating sustained buzz and turning the interconnected films into a genuine cultural moment for horror fans. The trilogy also earned significant critical acclaim for its ambitious storytelling, impressive production values, and skillful blend of different horror subgenres across distinct time periods.
Historically, Netflix has excelled at building television empires thanks to hits like Stranger Things and Wednesday. However, its movie franchise efforts have seen high-profile projects like Bright or 6 Underground fail to launch the enduring series the streamer hoped for. Fear Street stands as a notable exception, its success demonstrating that the streamer can deliver a cohesive, multi-part cinematic experience that resonated with both critics and audiences. Prom Queen‘s approach, adapting a specific R.L. Stine book rather than creating a wholly original narrative tied directly to the Sarah Fier curse, represents an evolution for the franchise. This allows the franchise to explore different corners of Shadyside’s history and tap into the vast library of Stine’s source material, providing a model for future standalone installments alongside returns to the main curse narrative.
Fear Street: Prom Queen is scheduled to premiere exclusively on Netflix on May 23, 2025.
Are you ready for another deadly prom night in Shadyside? Let us know your predictions in the comments!
Most Viewed
-
20th Television Animation -
Image Credit: Universal Pictures
