Fear Street: Prom Queen debuts with a disappointing RT score compared to previous franchise entries

Fear Street: Prom Queen is the latest chapter from the Fear Street movie series that made waves in 2021 on Netflix. They were supposed to be released in theaters, but due to the pandemic, they ended up online. Regardless, they quickly rose to the popularity charts on the streamer and received mainly positive reception. The audiences appreciated it, and the critics praised it, which led to its fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating. However, the latest entry in the franchise might not reach the same highs, according to the early consensus.

Fear Street: Prom Queen currently holds a 48% score on Rotten Tomatoes based on the 23 reviews it has received so far. The Popcornmeter score, based on nearly 50 ratings, is also rotten at 56%. This marks a stark departure for the franchise, which earned a fresh rating for all the chapters directed by Leigh Janiak. They received 88%, 84%, and 89% scores based on the critics' reviews, while 81%, 63%, and 76% scores based on the audiences' ratings. Unfortunately, that's not the case with the new Matt Palmer directorial.

What does Fear Street: Prom Queen's Rotten Tomatoes score mean?

Rotten Tomatoes score represents a consensus based on the reviews from a number of reviewers and critics. So, it doesn't directly indicate the quality of the movie, but it does reveal what percentage of the positive response it received from the Rotten Tomatoes-approved critics.

Similarly, Fear Street: Prom Queen's RottenTomatoes score indicates that it has received 48% positive reviews so far. However, the rating is updated a few hours after its release on Netflix. It's disappointing RT score is based on early reviews.

It is important to note that this rotten score is based on 23 reviews, while the fresh consensus for the earlier franchise entries was based on more than 100 reviews. As a result, more reviews will likely affect its overall rating for better or for worse.

So far, The Wrap's William Bibbiani gave a positive response, saying:

"Fear Street: Prom Queen' is not the best 'Fear Street” movie. But to be fair, it’s probably the third best 'Prom Night.'"

However, his quote doesn't exactly spark joy for the Fear Street fans. The same seems to be the case with the other critics, including Nick Schager from The Daily Beast, who said,

"Cartoonishly gory and drearily unoriginal and predictable, it’s a collection of tired devices and shout-outs that plays like training wheels slasher cinema."

Similarly, Chris Evangelista from Slash Film gave a scathing response by saying,

"This movie isn't just bad, it looks bad as if the production only had the budget to shoot in one fixed spot. This is such a sharp contrast to the previous three films, which felt uniquely big."

What is Fear Street: Prom Queen about again?

A still from Fear Street Prom Queen (Image via YouTube/Netflix)

Per IMDb, the official logline for Fear Street: Prom Queen reads:

"When the "it" girls competing for prom queen at Shadyside High start to disappear, a gutsy outsider discovers she's in for one hell of a prom night."

It is based on R. L. Stine's 1992 novel The Prom Queen, and it arrived on Netflix on May 23, 2025.