Zombie movies are unique within the horror genre. They can be dark and disturbing like 28 Days Later, or make us wheeze laughing a lá Shaun of the Dead. Over and over again, the undead have provided filmmakers with the perfect vehicle to impart social commentary if one cares to look just under the gory veneer.
In her new comedy-horror film, Queens of the Dead, director Tina Romero takes the zombie genre into a new setting: the gay bar. On the night of a giant warehouse party, zombies overtake Brooklyn, and an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids, and frenemies are forced to put aside their drama and use their unique skills to fight against the brain-thirsty, scrolling undead.
The cast is chock-full of familiar faces including Katy O’Brian, Margaret Cho, Jaquel Spivey, Nina West, Jack Haven, Cheyenne Jackson, Dominique Jackson, Riki Lindhome, and Tomas Matos. Bringing such a diverse cast to the project allows the film to reflect queer life in the Big City more realistically. The audience is treated to an array of genders, races, and sexualities on screen, and no character is a monolith.
At one point, Cho’s butchtastic character, Pops, declares that “women, enby, and family only” can take part in her escape plan before Nina West’s Ginsey defiantly looks around the club and proclaims, “That’s all of us.” The connection between different factions of the LGBTQ+ community in Queens of the Dead is refreshing; this isn’t a movie catered to any one specific group. It’s not a sapphic romance. It’s not a party experience for the boys. It’s not a story of transition. This isn’t a film about differences. Instead, Queens of the Dead is a story of community, for community, created by community.
The movie is silly, but in the best way. It takes realistic relationships and puts them in a fantastical setting to create humor and spark meaningful growth. Clearly influenced by her father, legendary film director and “father of the zombie film,” George A. Romero, Tina Romero confidently guides viewers through the zombie apocalypse from an angle we haven’t seen before. From lesbians in crop tops and party kids popping pills, to a cis-het makeover montage and jokes about Subarus, Queens of the Dead is a love letter to the different faces and experiences within the LGBTQ+ community.
If you’re looking for a fun outing this spooky season, see Queens of the Dead as it claws its way into theaters October 24.