Plot: Miya (Nia Roam) is not thrilled with her current life situation, as she is about to start at a new school and thanks to a tragic situation, her mother Julie (Zoe McLellan) is one of her teachers. Julie’s presence at the school is because her friend has disappeared and is presumed dead, with most thinking it was a suicide. But Julie knows that can’t be the case, so she wants to look into the situation and see if she can find some kind of answers. Meanwhile, Miya struggles with her new school and lifestyle, but finds a friend in Amy (Allie MacDonald). As she is one of the popular girls, Miya is excited to be part of her social circle and Amy is a supportive friend, at least at first. Soon Miya starts to realize that Amy’s obsession over being Prom Queen has consumed her, perhaps even to the point that she’d do anything to get that tiara…
Entertainment Value: This is a fun one, a Lifetime movie with ample melodrama, but also one that keeps things reeled in just enough to appeal to those who don’t appreciate the insane, over the top style the network sometimes indulges in. The narrative is just what you want from this kind of thriller, an obsessed mean girl on the warpath and she’s not going to let anyone or anything stand in her way, which means drama and twists all around. Psycho Prom Queen benefits from a terrific, over the top turn from Allie MacDonald as our psycho, but the movie has more to offer than a wild villain, as it hits a lot of the Lifetime beats. The film jumps right into the narrative and never feels drawn out, thanks to a quick pace and a script that keeps the twists and turns rolling at a nice clip. The drama is also consistent, so there’s fun, over the top exchanges and humorous, oblivious moments, all of which ensure Psycho Prom Queen never drags or feels drawn out in the least. The potential to rocket into total melodramatic craziness is here and I wouldn’t have minded that at all, but the movie keeps a good balance to reel in Lifetime fans of all preferences, I think. In the end, this is a fun, fast paced, and drama filled Lifetime thriller, recommended.
I’ve said it time and again, but it still holds true, the villain in these Lifetime thrillers can make or break the entire movie. In this case, we’re fortunate to have Allie MacDonald and she embraces the craziness as our psycho, making the movie so much fun to watch whenever she is on screen. She amps up the drama and has some wild freak outs, but also keeps the melodrama and scene devouring reigned in, so the performance never goes all out bananas. I think she could have reached hall of fame Lifetime psycho levels if the material let her loose, but she still delivers a terrific and memorable effort, just a little toned down at times. The rest of the cast is fine and no one disappoints, but there weren’t any other standouts for me. That’s not a knock, as they turned in good Lifetime style work, I just think MacDonald was the star here and her scenes proved to be the movie’s best moments. The cast also includes Zoe McLellan, Nia Roam, and Anana Rydvald.
Marc Fusion 