Prom queen dies and so does the plot: a toothless tribute to '80s horror

BERNELEE VOLLMER

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A LITTLE bit of nostalgia can be a sweet escape, but not when it's served cold and bland.

Fear Street: Prom Queen, Netflix's latest addition to the Fear Street franchise, tries to blend '80s camp with teen slasher horror but ends up limping somewhere between laughably corny and painfully dull.

Set in 1988, the film follows Lori Granger, played by India Fowler, a shy outsider at Shadyside High with dreams of winning the coveted prom queen title.

Haunted by a vicious rumour tied to her family, Lori believes that if she can snag the crown, she'll finally shake her bad rep and change her destiny.

She’s tired of being the town’s punchline, so in a bid to reclaim her narrative, she signs up to compete against the usual suspects: the mean girl, the influencer, the try-hard, and the token rebel.