Director Leigh Janiak and the Netflix streaming service brought us a really fun horror event back in the summer of 2021 with the Fear Street trilogy. Three films that were filmed back-to-back-to-back and then released over the course of three weeks – those films being Fear Street Part One: 1994, Fear Street Part Two: 1978, and Fear Street Part Three: 1666. It was an instant franchise, and had the potential to lead to many more films… because, after all, author R.L. Stine has written over 100 books that have been published under the various Fear Street banners. A couple months ago, Scott Stuber, the head of Netflix Film, said they were developing a new standalone Fear Street project. Now Stine has taken to social media to reveal that the fourth Fear Street movie is going to be based on his 1992 book The Prom Queen!
While Janiak’s trilogy wasn’t directly based on any specific Fear Street book, the new movie will apparently be telling a version of this story: A spring night… soft moonlight… five beautiful Prom Queen candidates… dancing couples at the Shadyside High prom — these should be the ingredients for romance. But stir in one brutal murder — then another, and another — and the recipe quickly turns to horror. Lizzie McVay realizes that someone is murdering the five Prom Queen candidates one by one — and that she may be next on the list! Can she stop the murderer before the dance is over — for good?
Stine told his followers on X, “Movie News: I can finally announce that a new Fear Street movie is about to go into production for Netflix. It’s based on my Fear Street book, The Prom Queen. Good news!”
Back in 2022, we heard that Chloe Okuno, who recently made her feature directorial debut with the thriller Watcher, would be directing the next Fear Street movie, but it’s not clear if she’s still involved with the project. It’s also not clear whether or not Janiak will have any involvement with the new Fear Street movie. When her trilogy was released, she said, “The stories within R.L. Stine’s books are centered around the idea of infinite repeatability. Every story takes place in this town called Shadyside and focuses on a different person who lives on Fear Street, but the films aren’t a direct adaptation. The spirit of the books is definitely infused throughout — it’s embodied in our story, our characters, and the overall craziness that ensues.“
What do you think of Fear Street 4 being based on The Prom Queen? Let us know by leaving a comment below.