{"id":51000,"date":"2025-12-19T15:00:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T20:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=51000"},"modified":"2025-12-12T13:47:18","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T18:47:18","slug":"queens-of-the-dead-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/19\/queens-of-the-dead-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Queens of the Dead [2025]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Zombies descend upon a drag show in Queens of the Dead from Tina Romero, daughter of George. The good-enough zombie comedy is now on Shudder.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Tina Romero is the daughter of Zombie Master George A. Romero, who created the subgenre in 1968\u2019s Night of the Living Dead, and continued across five other films (Day of the Dead, from 1985, is my personal favorite zombie film). Following in her father\u2019s shambling footsteps, Romero has chomped into the zombie subgenre with Queens of the Dead, now on Shudder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t expect quite the same from Tina as from George. She\u2019s playing in her father\u2019s sandbox but but she plays by her own ways: far less cynical, more hopeful and comedic, and switching that sand out for heaps of glitter. Queens of the Dead, co-written by Romero with Erin Judge, has a sense of goofy fun, playing with the expectations of genre with a new set of wonderful characters, fun turns of set up, and heaps of make-up: both on zombies and the people they\u2019re descending upon. It\u2019s not often we have films, especially horror films with a predominantly LGBTQA+ cast, especially in such a positive way. I love the inclusion and diversity among the set as well. There is a sense of large personalities and a wonderful back and forth. As can be expected with drag kings and drag queens, there is an overflow of charisma.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Romero makes a fun and loose film, flying through the expectations of most DTV zombie movies: setting up the characters, something is wonky outside, more people act strangely, bites are hidden, people shift, hospitals get overwhelmed, and the characters have to figure out how to get to safety and\/or loved ones.\u00a0 Romero works with the cliches in a glam new manner. The characters are all fun and funny, and they have enough depth to them, even if slightly falling into tropes. There\u2019s a goodwill, midnight-moving crowd-pleasing energy. There\u2019s a level of knowing camp, but one that is sincere and that goes a long way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The zombies look great, a simple throwback to the make-up of Tom Savini (who, of course, has a cameo) in 1978\u2019s Dawn of the Dead. Since Queens of the Dead takes place on Halloween, there is joy in seeing Dawn-style costumed zombies. Additionally, Romero and X use George\u2019s social satire, especially Dawn of the Dead\u2019s hardwired actions, but shopping is replaced with modern Gen Z behaviors. For blood wanters, there\u2019s enough chomping and gore, but that\u2019s not the focus.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, for as much as it works, we can\u2019t ignore the gaping, biting wounds on the arm. If we do, we become review zombies ourselves. For all the fun and tensions of the characters, Queens often looks cheap; the small number of under-designed locations and bland look betray the budget, leading to an awkward atmosphere. <\/span>It spends so much of the time spinning on the pole while the plot happens outside, and one often waits for the push to go forward. Folks, you know what’s going on – act on it! On a similar note, the dread that comes from zombie movies, of the looming hordes and sadness of it all, doesn\u2019t appear. The threat feels no more than a bad storm outside. Zombies become secondary to the characters\u2019 bits and the comedy.\u00a0 One wants more to come from it, especially with the name attached.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But there is more than enough goodwill built up to pave over those rough patches, and one can see the love coming through, but it can be frustrating. Especially with such a stacked cast. Film fans should be in with one name: Katy O\u2019Brian. I love the Love Lies Bleeding (watch that NOW) star in everything, even if the movie is less than, like Ant-Man: Quantumania and The Running Man. She\u2019s always intensely watchable and solidly grounds the film as the lead. Other recognisable faces are Rickki Lindholm of Wednesday,\u00a0 30 Rock’s Cheyenne Jackson, and none other than Margaret freakin\u2019 Cho, wonderful at chewing the scenery as a bad-ass lawyer with a scooter, who takes no shit from anyone, whether it be drag kings or zombies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The real standout is Jacquel Spivey. He\u2019s only been in the Mean Girls musical remake, as Damian, and this, but he\u2019s a star waiting to be born.\u00a0 Also, much love to Jack Haven, another great up-and-comer who you may know as Maddy in I Saw the TV Glow and as Billie in Bill and Ted Face the Music.<\/span><\/p>\n

Queens of the Dead is a little messy, but still a fun romp through a zombie movie. People may expect more with the legacy of the name, but tempering to a newer filmmaker trying a different tack on the genre would be a boon for enjoyment. Highly entertaining, with good makeup, big characters, and more than enough drag dazzle, Queens of the Dead doesn\u2019t fully work, especially compared to the name recognition, but it’s a few inches of high heels above a standard zombie movie of the week.<\/span><\/p>\n

Queen, slay.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Check it out on Shudder, streaming now.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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