When it comes to franchise-bound films, Netflix has become infamous for spending a fortune on popular directors and familiar faces only to produce something that boosts its subscriber count. That's how we got Zack Snyder's Army of the Dead and the Rebel Moon duology. The Russo brothers made The Gray Man and The Electric State. Ryan Reynolds made 6 Underground, The Adam Project, and Red Notice.
Jennifer Lopez made Mother and Atlas. So, amidst all these bloated, overpriced filmfests, it was quite surprising to see the streaming giant hand the keys to a Fear Street trilogy to Leigh Janiak, who had directed episodes of Scream, Outcast, and Panic. And boy did it deliver. Not only did those three films pay homage to horror classics like Scream, Friday the 13th, and The Witch, but they also managed to stand alone in their own right through storytelling, visual effects, and performances. Anyone in their right mind would have directed Janiak again, especially for a Fear Street sequel (or interquel), but Netflix thought otherwise.
Director: Matt Palmer
Writers: Matt Palmer, Donald McLeary, R.L. Stine
Stars: India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza
Matt Palmer's Fear Street: Prom Queen, adapted by Palmer and Donald McLeary from R.L. Stine's The Prom Queen, is set in 1988 and follows Lori Granger, the loser of the titular contest. The other students in the running are Christy Renault, the members of the Wolfpack (Melissa, Debbie, and Linda), and their "alpha," Tiffany Falconer. As the "girl of the moment," Tiffany is poised to win the tiara. Christy is just there for the fun of it. And no one expects Lori to get anything, not even support votes, due to her sordid past, where her mother, Rose, supposedly murdered her father in cold blood.
The only person who has her back is her good friend, Megan Rogers. Not only does she agree to go shopping with Lori for prom, but she also agrees to be her date because, apparently, no one else will. Although Lori seems too busy with her job at the local restaurant and the weight of her mother's actions to think about anything else, she quietly hopes that winning the title of "prom queen" will change her future. However, given that there's a killer destroying the contestants in this pageant, Lori should probably reflect on whether or not it's all worth it.
Fear Street: Prom Queen is like a giant hamburger with no content. It has nothing interesting to say. It has no interesting characters. It has no unexpected twists. And that makes me wonder, what's the point of this film? I mean, Janiak's trilogy, which she co-wrote with Phil Graziadei, Zak Olkewicz, and Kate Trefry, clearly wanted to talk about classism, homophobia, drug addiction, corruption, generational trauma, abuse, and much, much more.
Meanwhile, Palmer and McLeary say, "You've seen Carrie and Prom Night. Well, we'll bring you the watered-down version. Don't ask for anything else." Even when they need to leverage Janiak and his co-writers' foundation, specifically the rivalry between Shadyside and Sunnyvale or the lack of initiative on the part of the police, they mention it in passing and move on. Move on to what? The most bland, empty, and shallow drama you've ever seen. Why? I don't know. Do Palmer and McLeary think they've created the first throwback to an '80s slasher? If so, they should watch all the nostalgia-fueled nonsense Netflix has produced since Stranger Things.
Visually, Prom Queen strays so far from the standard set by Janiak and his team that it's both deeply depressing and hilarious. Even if you don't like the storytelling in those films, you have to admit that the cinematography, production design, art direction, costume design, and editing are all excellent. They look like real movies, ones you could project on a giant screen without thinking for a second that they were only meant for the small screen. Palmer's film is barely visible on the small screen, so I wouldn't even dare see it on the big screen. Interestingly, this sequel or interquel has the same mainstream appeal as direct-to-DVD sequels to popular films, such as Candyman 3, Children of the Corn 3, Darkman 2, and I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer. It has some familiar elements, like gore, a retro feel, and a high school setting. But it seems like most of the film's budget and attention went into buying the rights to all the popular '80s songs. I mean, it's supposed to be a horror movie, right? Where are the scares? And this is coming from someone who is incredibly forgiving of horror movies that at least have some substance.
Since this article already compares the Fear Street trilogy to Prom Queen, I'd better expand it to the performances. Ashley Zukerman, Olivia Scott Welch, Kiana Madeira, and all the supporting cast were relatable and memorable. Sure, they had the guidance of talented writers and a great director, but everyone did their best to elevate the material. Sadly, India Fowler, Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza, Ariana Greenblatt, Davia Iacono, Ella Rubin, Rebecca Ablack, Ilan O'Driscoll, and the rest of the young actors have virtually nothing to work with. What's worse is that Palmer brought Katherine Waterston, Lili Taylor, and Chris Klein onto his team and wasted their talents for reasons only he knows. Seriously, the way he's directed this entire project gives the impression that he did it out of obligation rather than something he was passionate about. And these are the people worried AI will take their jobs. I mean, if your cinema is at this point, you might as well hand the reins over to a program or a robot.
Look, I don't want to take for granted what happened behind the scenes between the end of the Fear Street trilogy and the pre-production of Prom Queen. I don't know if Leigh Janiak and her writing team would have been able to turn R.L. Stine's story into something entertaining. But it always saddens me that a horror director doesn't get as many opportunities to direct the next big project after making something genre-defining. Jennifer Kent made The Babadook, The Nightingale, an episode of Cabinet of Curiosities, and then nothing.
Michelle Garza Cervera made Bones, and then nothing. Prano Bailey-Bond made Censor, and then nothing. And now it seems Leigh Janiak has also joined this endless list. That's why I'm not shy about talking about the works of Rose Glass, Julia Ducournau, and Coralie Fargeat, even when I don't fully understand their films, in the hope that it will reach someone who does, thus opening more doors for them. I'm not saying men haven't made good horror films. I'm just saying that when you have a female director with legitimate credentials and a story about women that deserves to be told from a female perspective, maybe you should give her the first chance instead of opting for a man more interested in the paycheck than the story at hand.
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