Glitter, Guts, and Found Family

Read Time:5 Minute, 23 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
Queens of the Dead
–

Genre: Horror, Comedy
Year Released: 2025
Runtime: 1h 39m
Director(s): Tina Romero
Writer(s): Tina Romero, Erin Judge
Cast: Katy O’Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Tomas Matos, Nina West, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Jack Haven, Cheyenne Jackson, Dominique Jackson, Margaret Cho, Riki Lindhome, Eve Lindley, Becca Blackwell, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Julie J
Where to Watch: in theaters October 24, 2025

RAVING REVIEW: QUEENS OF THE DEAD is a battle staged on a dance floor, where identity, community, and performance are all turned up to eleven. Tina Romero positions the film inside a Brooklyn warehouse party, then detonates it with a zombie surge that scrambles drag rivalries, backstage politics, and romantic hang-ups into a makeshift survival crew. That hook alone would be enough to carry a standard horror-comedy, but the surprise is how much sincerity lives under the glitter. Even when jokes land wide and the gore is a bit laughable, the movie keeps circling back to what matters: chosen family and the work it takes to remain one when everything outside is trying to split you apart.

The ensemble is stacked, and it matters. Katy O’Brian brings an intensity that gives the story a spine; she handles the quieter emotion with clarity, letting the film pause without losing momentum. Jaquel Spivey is the spark plug, pivoting from shade to solidarity in ways that feel true to nightlife friendships under stress. Tomas Matos, Nina West, Jack Haven, Dominique Jackson, and Cheyenne Jackson each get moments to show how very different flavors of performance become survival strategies. Margaret Cho and Riki Lindhome drop in with comic precision. At the same time, Shaunette Renée Wilson and Eve Lindley add register-shifting notes that keep the film from tipping into sketch-comedy territory. The chemistry is the point: when this squad is bickering, the humor lands; when they’re caring for each other through the mess, the movie finds its heart.

Romero’s approach is proudly pop—music-video energy, bold, and confident, with neon-friendly production design. That clarity helps the film commit to its tone. The zombies are an entertaining mix, slow enough to allow choreography and sight gags, dangerous enough to force real stakes. The kills are inventive without being exploitative, and the set-pieces show a director who understands where to put the camera when bodies, sequins, and stage lights collide. The result is a party vibe; the camera’s always looking for character first, gag second.

Two design choices elevate things. First, the depth of space inside the warehouse—green rooms, catwalks, makeshift barricades—turns the venue into an almost interactive map. It’s fun to watch this crew re-imagine a performance space as a fortress, with props and costumes becoming tools. Second, the sound design/music supervision wavers between banger and bedlam; cues are infectious but give way to tension when needed, and the mix doesn’t drown dialogue (a common sin in genre comedies).

The makeup and costuming are a treat, but the zombie design occasionally leans a little flat in its color palette. The “warehouse gray” look sells scale and keeps setups efficient, yet a bolder range of textures and looks among the undead would add iconic looks to match the cast’s charisma. Conversely, the film nails practical blood and bite gags—never mean-spirited, always just grisly enough—and the cinematography keeps faces readable even when strobes and haze enter the chat.

Romero mixes social commentary without scolding. The film glances at phone addiction, misinformation, and the numbing throb of a culture that won’t stop performing even when it’s bleeding. But it handles those ideas with subject-appropriate irreverence. A satirical swipe at civic leadership lands because the script keeps its focus on the ground, where friends risk themselves for friends. It’s sharper to watch a character choose compassion in chaos than to hear a monologue explaining why systems failed—this movie knows that, and its best scenes operate at a human scale: a look, a grip of the hand, a decision to turn back for someone you love.

QUEENS OF THE DEAD centers LGBTQIA2S+ characters without making them symbols. Their humor, desire, and conflict are the core engine. That matters because the genre has long turned queer bodies into punchlines or warnings; Romero flips that script, letting survival be community and fabulous without trivializing the danger. The final moments land on an unabashedly hopeful note that still acknowledges loss. Hope is earned through effort, compromise, and the recognition that families—especially chosen ones—survive by labor as much as love.

The film is funny and affectionate, intermittently disheveled in construction, and clear about its mission: to make you cheer for a crowd too often asked to shrink. With more discipline in pacing and a touch more depth for two or three supporting arcs, this could have climbed a notch. As is, it’s an easy recommendation for anyone who wants their horror fizzy, their comedy blood-splattered, and their finale emphatically about showing up for each other—a lively, crowd-pleaser that wears its heart on its sleeve and its guts on its lashes.

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[photo courtesy of SHUDDER, IFC]

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