The Fear Street franchise finally continues with the release of Fear Street: Prom Queen. The question is whether this one is a horror movie to watch with the kids.
Some slashers out there are just a lot of fun. Some take it to graphic and gory levels, though, and it’s not always easy to figure out which way a movie will go when it comes to the promotional trailer. Fear Street: Prom Queen is a little darker and gorier than the original trilogy on Netflix.
It’s 1988 at Shadyside High, and the running for prom queen is about to take a ghastly turn. As underdog Lori does everything she can to be crowned, murders start happening as her competition is taken out by a masked killer.
Fear Street: Prom Queen age rating: Explaining the R rating
Sex & nudity: While the movie doesn’t show any graphic sex content, there are mentions of it throughout. Various characters talk about masturbation, oral sex, and much more, and they can go into some detail at times. There are also some rather questionable conversations, but I don’t want to spoil the movie for you! Just keep in mind that you’ll shiver from the idea of the conversation.
Violence & gore: This is where the movie really earns its R rating. Fear Street: Prom Queen is focused on a serial killer, so it shouldn’t be too surprising to find out that there is gore as people are killed. There is one scene where a teen is disembowled, and you can see them trying to hold the injury in. Fortunately, not too long is spent on the actual injury, so nothing too graphic is shown.
There is also a scene with a man having his hands cut off by a paper cutter, and the bloody stumps are clearly visible on the screen. He doesn’t last long, as his head is then bashed in, and this movie holds nothing back on the blood splatter on show!
However, I will point out that you can tell that most of the gore and blood is done through graphics. It puts a bit of humor into the slasher flick, similarly to the first three movies.
Language: The F-bomb is the worst of the words, and it’s uttered multiple times.
Alcohol & drugs: There are a couple of scenes of a character smoking cigarettes and weed. On one occasion, a punch bowl is spiked, which seems like such a stereotypical 1980s thing to do at prom!
Overall verdict: Who is Fear Street: Prom Queen appropriate for?
This is one of those movies that I’d watch alone first — and I’m glad I did as someone with a teen who loves horror movies. It does get graphic and dark at times, and while the blood is clearly CGI to us as adults, not all children are going to think that.
The gore in this makes Fear Street: Prom Queen earn its R-rating. This one is for the adults or the older teens if they’re used to movies like Final Destination and Saw.
This Netflix movie is officially rated R, and it’s probably for good reason. There is a lot of gore, nudity, and language thrown in throughout, and all of this together is likely to make it uncomfortable viewing for teenagers. It’s definitely not for the younger children in the house.