Synopsis:
Drag queens and club kids battle zombies craving brains during their drag show in Brooklyn, putting personal conflicts aside to utilize their distinct abilities against the undead threat.
Directed by: Tina Romero
Written by: Tina Romero, Erin Judge
Starring: Katy O’Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Margaret Cho, Riki Lindhome, Tomás Matos, Nina West, Jack Haven, Cheyenne Jackson, Dominique Jackson, Eve Lindley
My Edition:
Theater. Don’t ask me why, but it was my local Drafthouse again. I wish they either didn’t have such a great selection, or that they were just a better run theater. -_-
My Thoughts:
First off, I want to get one thing out of the way – to the people who think that this movie is Tina’s attempt at “following in her father’s footsteps,” get a fucking grip. I don’t for a second think that she’s trying to mimic anything George did, beyond making a movie with zombies in it. I do, however, think that Queens of the Dead is absolutely an homage to her father. And in that respect, I think she has done something pretty cool. She is the daughter of the King of the Zombies (my title, probably not his), so she made a zombie movie. Her dad’s movies were rife with social commentary, hers is as well. The difference is that Tina’s zombie movie is absolutely drenched in club kid/party/drag culture. She made something reminiscent of Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave, but good. So if you ever saw that trash-fest and found yourself wishing it hadn’t sucked so hard, Tina Romero has got your back. Queens is like if you took all the idiots from that movie and replaced them with a group of LGBTQ+ folks that you actually want to root for (as opposed to Rave to the Grave where I think you immediately decide none of those dumbshits can die fast enough). In fact, now that I’ve dug this deep, I think the only thing that ties these two movies together is zombies, drugs, and partying.
Look, I loved this movie. I laughed a lot. I genuinely liked several of the characters and wanted good things for them. I got sad when some folks didn’t make it (not a spoiler – it’s a zombie movie – it’s inevitable that not everyone survives). I love the aggressive use of Ke$ha. I love Katy O’Brian. I love Dre and Sam and Pops and Lizzy and Scrumptious and Ginsey. I love, I love, I love.
If you don’t want to see a zom-com, probably don’t watch Queens of the Dead. If you want it to be a copycat George Romero movie, don’t see it. It’s its own thing. You need to accept that. Tina doesn’t live to be a vessel for the artistic vision of her late father. She’s her own person who clearly has her own artistic vision. Grow up. That being said, there are several nods to her father and his work in Queens of the Dead. Some are blink-and-you-miss-it, some are much more overt. But there are quite a few.
Rating:
I hope to see much more from Tina in the future!
Queens of the Dead
Directed by Tina Romero
US Release Date: October 24, 2025
IFC/Shudder
Rated R
101 Minutes
Official Website
