The Writers Were Having The Story Evolve

Warning: The following article contains SPOILERS for Fear Street: Prom Queen.Fear Street: Prom Queen star David Iacono reveals that one major death almost never happened. The slasher, based on the work of R. L. Stine, premiered on Netflix following the success of the 2021 Fear Street trilogy. Occurring six years before Fear Street Part One: 1994, the latest movie features another chain of gruesome murders, as a masked assailant begins targeting candidates for Shadyside High prom queen. Iacono portrays Tyler Torres, a popular student and boyfriend of Tiffany Falconer, who is killed directly in front of the final girl, Lori Granger.

During an interview with ScreenRant‘s Grant Hermanns, Iacono revealed that his character was not murdered in the original draft of Fear Street: Prom Queen. As he explained, “the writers were having the story evolve,” which eventually resulted in his character’s death. However, Iacono considered it “a better end for Tyler’s journey,” because of how alarming his character was behaving moments before the killer appeared. Read more of Iacono’s comments below:

Yeah, I think initially, in the first draft of the script that I read, he didn’t die. And then, as time went on, the writers were having the story evolve, and that is what ended up happening. It felt like a better end for Tyler’s journey, because at the very end, in that scene with him and Lori on the stage in the auditorium, you kind of see this creepy dark side of him that has been hinted at throughout the movie subtly, and it finally rears its head, and then for his head to then be stabbed. It felt very perfect, and circular, and I think it made sense, and it was also pretty gruesome.

What This Means For Fear Street: Prom Queen

The Movie Might Have Been Very Different

While script changes are not uncommon for movies, having Tyler originally survive prom night suggests that Fear Street: Prom Queen could have ended differently. The film, leading up to his murder, raises suspicion around Tyler, especially when it reveals a second masked killer is wreaking havoc at Shadyside High. After taking Lori to a dark, and empty, school theater for intimacy, as bloodshed occurs seemingly everywhere beyond the gym, Tyler abruptly grabs her hand when she tries leaving, only to horrifyingly fall victim.

Fear Street: Prom Queen Cast & Character Guide

The cast of Fear Street: Prom Queen includes a fantastic group of talented up-and-coming actors who bring Netflix’s deadly fun horror movie to life.

As Iacono mentioned, that final moment between Lori and Tyler demonstrates another side of his character, but he is killed merely seconds later, making it one of the more shocking deaths in Fear Street: Prom Queen. Because of his fate, audiences will not see any more of Tyler, and while his potentially bad nature might have been timely for his own murder, it also means that he can not be explored any further. If he had made it through the movie, it would have been interesting to see where Iacono’s character went next and how he and Lori progressed.

Our Take On Tyler Dying In Fear Street: Prom Night

His Death Makes Sense For The Killer Reveal

The Killer stands in a locker room in Fear Street: Prom Queen

It is worth wondering how much of Fear Street: Prom Night underwent rewrites because, while Tyler dying may have been a change, it ultimately makes sense once Tiffany and her family are revealed to be responsible for the mayhem. Throughout the evening, Tyler appeared unhappy around Tiffany and his encounters with Lori made Tiffany and her mother visibly aggravated. Had Tyler survived, though, having him learn about who was targeting the Shadyside High students could have made for an interesting reaction.