Netflix is diving back into the world of R.L. Stine's Shadyside with Prom Queen's story is set in 1988 and revolves around a group of high school seniors vying for the titular title, only to find themselves targeted by a vicious killer.

Fowler, fresh off of a ing turn in Paramount+ with Showtime's The Agency with Michael Fassbender, leads the new Fear Street cast as Lori, one of the Shadyside High's outcasts due to a dark chapter in her family's past, but unexpectedly becomes the favored underdog to win Prom Queen. This further incites the rivalry between her and Tiffany, played by Paper Girls alum Strazza, the school's It Girl who lives across the street from Lori and frequently bullies her.

In anticipation of the movie's release, ScreenRant interviewed India Fowler and Fina Strazza to discuss Fear Street: Prom Queen. The duo reflected on how they were first introduced to Stine's franchise, and how they worked with co-writer/director Matt Palmer to discover how their characters fit into the world of Shadyside. They also discussed how their friendly love off-screen made it easier to film their more tense scenes with each other, particularly during the movie's ending.

Warning: Some SPOILERS lie ahead for Fear Street: Prom Queen!

Lori & Tiffany's Vicious Rivalry Had As Much Love As It Did Hate

"...Myself And Fina Have A Very Physically Affectionate Relationship."

The story of an emotionally troubled outcast and an overly confident mean girl is one of the most common dynamics in high school-set stories, with the previous Fear Street trilogy featuring a similarly tense relationship between Sadie Sink's Ziggy and Chiara Aurelia's Sheila. Coming into Prom Queen, Lori and Tiffany prove to come fairly close to the prior pair, with the latter often chastising the former for her mother having supposedly murdered her father, and for being of a lower financial standing than her family.

Despite the on-screen animosity between the two characters, including some very choice words for each other, Strazza and Fowler's off-screen dynamic was far from being that of their characters', with the former expressing that the two "love each other very, very much". She went on to recall how the first day they met was the rehearsal for the movie's dance-off scene between Lori and Tiffany, in which the actors "had to force ourselves to make fools of one another, and of ourselves", which also "opened us up very quickly" and allowed them to get "very close, very fast".

Strazza also opined that "there's a very fine line between love and hate", and that because they had the former kind of chemistry off-camera, that "translated when you put us on screen". The star also explained that the "great foundation" of trust that she and Fowler built with one another during rehearsals allowed her to take "my liberties" with some of their scenes in which they're physically close to one another, laughing as she recalled "touching her face" and making the stand-offs "even more sickly".

Fowler agreed that this love was key to building the hateful relationship between their characters, also reflecting on how the two have "a very physically affectionate relationship", with time spent between filming scenes together seeing them "always holding on to each other, or hugging each other". "I think that that was really helpful in then not feeling like we were crossing any lines when it came to acting like there was this horrific energy," Fowler explained. "Because, like Fina says, there's such a fine line between love and hate, it was important to have that base level of closeness in order to get close in a bad way, in a negative space too."

Fowler points to one scene in particular, in which Tiffany chastises Lori for her hopes of winning the Prom Queen title, going so far as to stroke Lori's hair in the middle of her speech. The star describes the scenes as feeling "weirdly intimate", but also explains that it "adds to the grossness and the horrible nature of Tiffany", and that it was "especially good that we love each other", as it made the scene "very easy" to film.

Fowler & Strazza Were Introduced To Fear Street Through The Original Trilogy

Strazza, In Particular, Used To Be "A Little Afraid" Of Horror Movies

While the author may be better known for his Goosebumps series, the Fear Street book franchise began before the other anthology horror series, offering a more young adult tone compared to the younger demographic of the former. However, thanks to the TV show that ran through the mid '90s, Goosebumps quickly outshone its sister series, with Netflix's trilogy of horror movies being many people's first introduction to the world of Fear Street.

Two such people were those of Fowler and Strazza, who recall when Netflix released the trilogy of films over the course of three weeks in Summer 2021. Fowler recalls the original movies being "super exciting" and being part of the fanbase who "was really invested and loved it" as they waited for each new installment. She did also it that she "sort of moved away from them" in the years since, only to be reinvigorated when Prom Queen came along, as she "thought it'd be so exciting to enter the Fear Street universe".

Strazza similarly confessed she "wasn't particularly familiar" with Fear Street prior to the original trilogy, though also shared that she "was always a little afraid" of Goosebumps when she was younger, chuckling as she noted her "love for horror didn't really foster until I was in my early teen years". Unlike her younger years, though, Strazza now "can't get enough" of the horror genre, and loved that the original trilogy of films "opened up the Fear Street world for me", while also being impressed at how the simultaneous production and release of them made for a "very clear vision of their story".

I was excited to see Sadie Sink in the trilogy, as well. We have always kind of been a little intertwined. Her brother and I worked on Broadway together when we were younger, so I've always loved to watch her soar. But yeah, I was excited that this iteration was inspired by one of R.L. Stine's books, because I don't think the trilogy was, in the same way, based off of a specific story.

Playing Lori & Tiffany Offered Very Different-Yet-Satisfying Experiences For The Stars

They Also Praise Matt Palmer For His Vision Of The Characters

While the movie certainly delivers plenty of gory thrills for horror genre fans, there are also some more emotional beats in Fear Street: Prom Queen's character work. For Lori, Fowler, who its to feeling somewhat intimidated being a slasher heroine, recalls her and director/co-writer Matt Palmer finding it "was important for us to keep her integrity as a real human-like character in this space", particularly when compared to the "elevated personalities" that populate Shadyside High throughout the film.

"Tiffany, for example, has this kind of classic mean-girl energy that you find in a lot of those teen films," Fowler explained, "and I think that something that he wanted to see in Lori and Megan's friendship is that sort of integrity of real relationships, and real friendship, and real honesty. So, it was definitely intimidating, the idea of having that journey followed. But Matt made it really easy, and was very communicative about her journey and her arc, and how she's feeling in those moments of madness."

A core part of Lori's journey, as well, is that of her best friend Megan, played by Red Rocket alum Suzanna Son, a fellow outcast who has an affinity for all things horror and, much like Kiana Madeira's Deena in the original trilogy, embraces her life in Shadyside. In reflecting on building the dynamic between the two, Fowler praised Son as being "wonderful" while also humorously describing her as being "like this fairy elf" and "a beautiful little sprite that you find in a tree".

Fowler also went on to explain that she and Son "without even thinking" were able to naturally find Lori and Megan's friendship, having "tapped into the kind of movement" and "the waves of how it felt to have a relationship, and a friendship, with somebody that you've clearly had for a very longtime". The star also expressed her belief that, because "Megan is especially made to feel like an outcast", it's something that "Lori ires" about her friend.

"I think that she's very envious of Megan's ability to express herself," Fowler explained. "So, I think that there's a mutual respect there, mutual love there. And it was nice with Suzanna to just carry that through the moments where we're in terror. And I think that, because of who she is, and because of how there was a lot of ease going into those scenes together, it was so lovely to just present that with her on screen."

When it comes to playing a vitriolic character like Tiffany, some actors find the experience to be liberating in not having to hold back any kind of morals or personal opinions, while others can find it daunting to embody such a ruthless figure. For Strazza, she found it "truly just quite exciting", while also denoting that because she doesn't "share so many similarities with Tiffany", it "makes it easier when you're allowed to have these moments that you don't have in real life, and really lean into these outbursts, and that outlandish absurdity" her character has.

Tiffany's Emotional Final Speech Has Multiple Layers To It

Strazza Was Also Inspired By One Of The Slasher Genre's Most Iconic Villains

After a hefty body count is amassed, and it's revealed that one of Fear Street: Prom Queen's killers is that of Chris Klein's Dan, Tiffany's father, she and Lori ride back to the former's house together in a police escort while her mom, Katherine Waterston's Nancy, stays behind to answer police questions. During the ride, Tiffany confides in Lori the pressure she's felt from her parents to become Prom Queen, indicating it's been part of the reason behind her bullying behavior towards the heroine.

However, when Nancy returns home and begins attacking the pair, Tiffany reveals herself to be a third killer, trying to stab Lori while hiding with her in a closet. In reflecting on her emotional conversation with Lori, Strazza expressed her belief that it was "a little bit of both" Tiffany being sincere and trying to lure the heroine into her house for the attempted kill.

"I think she's speaking the truth with kind of ulterior motives behind it," Strazza opined, "but that genuine nature, that sadness, also probably came, because that was the very last scene we ever shot in the movie. India and I were a little bit like, 'Oh man, this is the end,' and feeling like, inside, it's all nothing, because we're going to be separated 3000 miles apart."

One way in which Strazza found she was able to effectively deliver this ambiguous conversation was that she "thought a lot about Scream" during production, as she "really loves" the classic slasher franchise. Particularly, Strazza found inspiration in Skeet Ulrich's performance as Billy Loomis, denoting that even though he's "so obviously the killer" on rewatches of the film, and "is so crazy the whole time", he's also "so genuine in everything that he says", to the point that viewers "think he might be joking" and express "that's far too obvious for you to be a murderer".

But I just love how, because he's so genuine in every scene, it kind of steers you away from him, and from any suspicion. So, I think with every scene, I just wanted to bring that genuine nature to it, and then see how it all got put together, and see how it worked out.

More About Fear Street: Prom Queen

Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider puts herself in the running, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.

Stay tuned for our other Fear Street: Prom Queen interviews with Suzanna Son, David Iacono, Ariana Greenblatt, Ella Rubin and Rebecca Ablack!

Fear Street: Prom Queen is now streaming on Netflix.

Source: ScreenRant Plus