Reviewed By: Flickman
As a huge fan of Dawn of the Dead, I figured I’d give Queens of the Dead a shot. Mostly because it was made by Tina Romero, daughter of George A. Romero himself. But after watching the trailer and reading the description, I knew right away this wasn’t going to be good… and shocker, I was absolutely right. There was nothing good about this. Michael Jackson’s Thriller is scarier and probably funnier, and that has dancers in red jackets doing zombie jazz hands. This movie wouldn’t even scare a 3-year-old girl holding a nightlight and a stuffed unicorn.
What really grinds my gears is when I read completely ludicrous reviews acting like this thing is some hidden gem, a cult classic, or overflowing with zombie carnage. This idiot from the Washington Blade clearly watched a different movie or got paid in coupons and praise to pretend they did. Note to self, never trust anything this guy recommends.
Let me make one thing clear: I have nothing against drag queens or crossdressers. People should do whatever makes them happy. Truly. But that doesn’t automatically mean every genre needs to be a runway show. There’s a time and a place, and a zombie flick, especially one with the Romero name floating anywhere near it, might not be the right setting. I wasn’t expecting Night of the Living Dead levels of gore, but I was expecting at least something with teeth. Instead… nothing. Barely even a nibble.
Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded the drag-queen theme at all if the movie itself had been good. But sadly, it wasn’t. The acting was rough, the effects were rougher, and the makeup looked like it came from the clearance bin at a party store. Some of the zombies looked like someone literally scribbled on them with graphite or slapped on cheap Halloween masks without bothering to blend anything. And the zombies we did get were the slowest, most sluggish creatures I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen snails with more urgency. The whole thing felt less like a horror movie and more like a slice-of-life drag scene… with occasional background zombies who were late for their cues.
I’m not sure how much money they had for this production, but whatever it was, it must have been found between couch cushions. Honestly, the directing and camera work were the only remotely decent things in the entire film. Which is probably the only reason I managed to sit through all of it without fleeing.
If you’re wondering what the plot is, buckle up for disappointment: a group of drag queens try to have a party, and zombies show up for no explained reason. That’s it. No origin story, no buildup, no “chemical spill” or “strange radio waves,” nothing. They just appear like they’re lost and looking for snacks.
The only memorable parts were the nods to George Romero—and the TV news announcer flat-out saying this wasn’t a George Romero film, like the movie wanted to distance itself from its own family tree. The only comedic part I will say was “Pops”, and that’s only because the character reminded me of Ken Jeong from The Hangover. It was like watching someone’s eccentric aunt attempt stand-up.
If this had been done properly with a bigger budget, real scares, actual makeup, and zombies that don’t look bored, it might have been fun. Instead, I’m left here mourning the 1 hour and 40 minutes I will never get back.
So that’s the movie in a nutshell. I’ve seen worse, so I won’t call it flaming garbage, but it definitely wasn’t for me. If you love RuPaul’s Drag Race, you might get something out of this. If you don’t, avoid this like they avoided the scares.
Overall Verdict: Unless you're a fan of RuPaul's Drag Race, you should probably avoid this. You won't get any classic Romero vibes from this film.
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