My quick rating - 5.1/10. Queens of the Dead is exactly what you'd expect from a zombie movie directed by Tina Romero. Yes, that Romero except don’t go in expecting anything close to her father’s brand of razor-sharp social commentary or bleak, creeping dread. Instead, this one plays out like a high-energy warehouse party that accidentally stumbles into a zombie apocalypse and just decides to roll with it. The film follows an eclectic mix of drag queens, club kids, lovers, enemies, and everything in between as they try to survive one wild night in Brooklyn. And yes, Tom Savini shows up as the mayor to remind everyone, “This is NOT a George Romero movie,” just in case the vibe wasn’t clear. Tina has some jokes in her.
The setup is fun, even if the movie occasionally trips over its own platform heels. At the center of the chaos is Dre, played by Katy O’Brian, who naturally falls into the role of group leader—strong, capable, and the only one who seems remotely prepared for the “scrolling undead.” Riki Lindhome plays Lizzy, the nurse and Dre’s partner, trying her best to keep things grounded between bursts of drama. The standout duo, though, is Pops (Margaret Cho), a total badass who storms the warehouse like an extra from John Wick to rescue her girlfriend Kelsey (Jack Haven). Their dynamic adds the closest thing this movie has to a couple I wanted to see survive.
But I'll be honest: the plot feels less like a survival story and more like several threads of relationship drama that just so happen to be interrupted by zombies every now and then. At times it feels forced, like the film really wants to be about love and community but keeps remembering it’s supposed to have undead carnage too. The zombies take a back seat so frequently that you start to wonder if they even realize they’re in the movie. Case in point: the five-minute dance break. Yes, really. It’s fun in a midnight-movie way, but it absolutely derails whatever tension was trying to build.
That said, the production value is solid. The warehouse setting looks great, the makeup is decent, and the music fits the party-apocalypse tone perfectly. The comedy, however, is hit or miss. Some jokes land, others feel like they were written at 3 a.m. after a long night out. Gorehounds will be disappointed by the relatively light splatter, though Romero does use a musical performance as an excuse to stage some zombie kills—points for creativity.
Ultimately, Queens of the Dead is a fun, queer-powered zombie comedy that has its heart in the right place, even if it doesn’t commit hard enough to either the comedy or the horror. It honors George Romero’s legacy mostly through vibes and family lineage rather than thematic depth, and while it’s enjoyable, it’s nothing special. If you’re looking for a serious zombie flick, keep walking. If you want camp, color, and chaos? Step right in.
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