Previously on Fear Street: What to Know Before Watching Prom Queen
Back in 2021, Netflix dropped a little summer surprise in the form of a three-part slasher saga that made horror fans sit up and pay attention. Fear Street wasn’t just a nod to the R.L. Stine paperbacks we devoured in middle school — it was a full-fledged, blood-soaked celebration of horror through the decades, all wrapped up in one cursed town: Shadyside.
With Fear Street: Prom Queen set to rip into Netflix, it’s the perfect time to revisit the trilogy that started it all. The new film may be a standalone story, but it lives in the same cursed universe — nestled right between two of the trilogy’s bloodiest chapters.
Whether you’re rewatching or diving in for the first time, here’s what you need to know.
Fear Street Part One – 1994
Neon lights. Mall rats. A killer with a skull mask and a wickedly sharp blade.
This first entry throws us into the heart of 1990s teen horror. It opens in a familiar place — a bookstore, a mall, a late-night shift — and wastes no time reminding us that Shadyside is not safe.
The killer? A masked ghoul with a knife and a taste for chaos.
The town? A place where death has been part of the culture for generations.
Beyond the bloodshed, the story focuses on Deena and Sam, two exes navigating heartbreak, identity, and a threat that makes their breakup look like the least of their problems. Their love story becomes the backbone of the trilogy — a rare anchor in a sea of slashers.
Listen to our full review of Fear Street Part One: 1994 (2021)
Fear Street Part Two – 1978
We jump back in time to a summer camp massacre that looks a lot like Friday the 13th with a shot of Sleepaway Camp energy.
Camp Nightwing is where the myth of Shadyside gets its teeth. Ziggy and Cindy Berman are sisters caught in the middle of a generational curse that turns a fellow camper into a relentless killer.
What sets this chapter apart is its focus on survival and trauma. It’s not just a story about getting out alive — it’s about what comes after. One survivor makes it, but they don’t exactly live. They carry that grief into the 1994 storyline, becoming a living reminder of both what’s at stake, and what happens when Shadyside’s horrors go unchecked.
Listen to our full review of Fear Street Part Two: 1978 (2021)
Fear Street Part Three – 1666
Finally, we go back to where it all began — and where everything gets turned on its head.
This chapter breaks the format. The familiar faces of 1994 return, recast in colonial roles, as the story of Sarah Fier — the witch who cursed Shadyside — finally unfolds…but nothing is as it seems.
This isn’t just a “burn the witch” tale. It’s a story about injustice, power, and legacy.
The back half of the movie jumps back to 1994 for the trilogy’s big finale. What follows is a bold, fast-paced climax that brings every thread together — from the town’s bloody history to the characters’ personal battles.
There’s a showdown that flips the power dynamic, a reversal that reframes everything we thought we knew, and some well-earned catharsis that finally gives Shadyside a fighting chance to break the cycle.
Listen to our full review of Fear Street Part Three: 1666 (2021)
Why the Fear Street Trilogy Still Works
Fear Street doesn’t just remix horror tropes — it remixes horror eras. Each chapter brings a distinct tone, a different kind of fear, and a unique emotional core. And yet, they all speak to the same thing: the people horror forgets.
The outcasts.
The cursed.
The kids who live on the wrong side of the tracks.
Our leading ladies aren’t just final girls. They’re angry, flawed, resilient. They don’t just survive — they fight for a future that’s been denied to them for generations.
If you’re watching for the kills, you’ll get your fill...but if you’re watching for heart? You’ll find that too.
Where Prom Queen Fits In
Fear Street: Prom Queen is set in 1988, ten years after the Camp Nightwing massacre and six years before the events of the mall killings in 1994. It adapts R.L. Stine’s 1992 novel of the same name and leans into classic high school slasher territory. This time, the horror isn’t tied to Sarah Fier’s curse — it’s tied to status, secrets, and the deadly politics of popularity.
The film centers on Shadyside High’s Prom Queen race, which — as we can expect — turns deadly.
It’s a new chapter in the Fear Street universe — one that shows just how haunted this town really is.
Listen to our full review of Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025)
What’s Next?
Fear Street: Prom Queen drops on Netflix on Friday, May 23rd, and we’ll be covering it in full on next week’s episode of Hack or Slash. If you’re looking to watch along with other horror fans, we’re hosting a live Watch Party on our Discord server Friday at 8:30 PM ET.
If you haven’t watched the original trilogy yet — now’s the time. Shadyside’s waiting. Just don’t go alone.
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