Tina Romero And Erin Judge’s ‘Queens Of The Dead’ (Tribeca/ IFC Films) Non-Spoiler Review – A Miracle Slay From Dusk Till Dawn Of The Living Dead

Pride Month will never die, even if the Living Dead attempts to let it. Despite the world being an awful place as of late, it is times like these that we, as human beings, must not forget who we are and what we are capable of. I have had my fill of this year’s Tribeca Film Festival material for some time now, dipping mainly into short films for the first time and revisiting them after days or even some weeks. Yet, one of several feature films that caught my attention is Queens of the Dead. Seriously, this horror comedy film is a revival of George A. Romero’s legacy in zombie movie-making.

Both the post-apocalyptic world and the reality we live in are out of control. However, time and time again, Romero has reminded us that we can have fun in creativity to make sense of current events. Taking the reins of that legacy—hopefully permanently—is Romero’s daughter, Tina Romero. I am beyond exhilarated for what new Living Dead—or generally, Romero-esque projects—are being cooked in the kitchen. As the first feature film that I will be covering at Tribeca this year, my confidence that storytelling in filmmaking will not be diminished during such a crucial period in history continues to be reinforced.

Queens of the Dead is written by producer Tina Romero along with Erin Judge, and is directed by Romero.

In this review, I will discuss Queens of the Dead. As this article’s title suggests, no spoilers will be present.

Tribeca’s Queens of the Dead Logline

According to the Tribeca website, here is the official synopsis for Tina Romero and Erin Judge’s horror comedy feature film, Queens of the Dead.

The stage is set for a wild night inside a Brooklyn warehouse party boasting drag queens, a fully stocked bar and loud music. But things start off rough with feuding performers, last-minute drop-offs and a highly stressed-out party organizer (Katy O’Brian) who’s struggling to hold everything together. She couldn’t account for the evening’s biggest problem, though: a sudden onslaught of flesh-eating zombies. As if trying to work together to execute a party wasn’t difficult enough, now a motley crew of big personalities and eccentric characters must put their bickering aside and stave off the walking dead outbreak. And then maybe, just maybe, if they can live long enough, it’ll finally be time to party.

Tribeca

Discussion

First and foremost, Romero and Judge’s screenwriting is impressive work. The character developments are all over the place, so it’s tough to say that everyone in the main character roster has their time to shine. Rather, the feasibility depends on the individual focus. Some are fleshed out during the hundred-minute runtime. Others, are, well…merely present for convenience’s sake, but that isn’t detrimental to the narrative in any way. Normally, films with this big a cast have trouble balancing out side stories. By comparison, Queens of the Dead has everyone sharing the spotlight as if to say they are all getting some love tonight. All that to say with utmost pride that there are so many characters of whom I have grown fond.

The film is also entirely gay, from the first frame to the final one. If you aren’t as intolerant to this type of material, then this is not for you. It does feature a seemingly straight couple—Misti (Sarah Coffey) and Turtleneck (Kimball Farley)—and a brother-in-law character, Barry (Quincy Dunn-Baker). However, their depictions are not believable. Turtleneck sucks on a phallus-shaped pastry inside of an extravagant photobooth; and Barry changes his right-leaning attitude towards non-heterosexuals overnight. Queens of the Dead gives that spotlight to a woman in the middle of taking estrogen, some sapphic couples, and a few other memorable characters.

A Semi-Perfect Cross-Genre Flick

The horror comedy film is authentically dramatic to the benefit of its genre and genuinely funny due to people’s clever quips, surprising ironies, and silly actions. I had too many moments of laughter or shock wherein I questioned if I should overlook a few minor flaws, including the tricky editing. For example, the opening scene features an almost golden standard in horror. That is, “Oh, here is the first of the body count.” Some details in the narrative work, such as a few beats surrounding exposed space in the wall. Though, others can be awkward.

Fans of the Romero legacy will find delight in Tina Romero working with a few of her late father’s collaborators. Gaylen Ross and Tom Savini both make cameos, while Greg Nicotero is credited as a prosthetic makeup fabricator. The story itself feels like a cross between Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s From Dusk Till Dawn and Zack Snyder and James Gunn’s Dawn of the Dead remake. I don’t mind this at all as a cinephile of niche subgenre filmmaking.

As a zombie movie, Queens of the Dead isn’t violent just to be violent. Instead, the audience is urged to wonder what the living dead’s purpose is here. Night of the Living Dead is cited as an allegory for racial strife during the Civil Rights era, as well as war-related affairs. Land of the Dead, by comparison, is a transparent metaphor for classism. Queens of the Dead intelligently follows in the Romero political commentary, not just in its concentration on drag queens and other members of the LGBTQIA+ community. The film also concentrates on their day-to-day struggle in a capitalist environment, aiming to escape Brooklyn, New York, to cross over to Queens.

Workers in the Western Mega-Machine

Like Land of the Dead, Romero and Judge’s film examines the daily pursuits of proletarians making a living. The screenplay consists of little discussions in areas about working for tips, wasting investments on cryptocurrency, but more so, how people define a “job”. Primarily, characters at the Yum Party club struggle with getting cash flowing into their venue. This adds to the ongoing conversation of the human experience, that their circumstances are always a matter of “life or death”. It speaks to the emphasis of what is “essential” in times of crisis. Although they have less screen time than others, a nurse named Lizzy (Riki Lindhome) travels through the city with a hospital patient, Jane (Eve Lindley). It’s quite admirable, then, to see how much ground is covered in this aspect.

Additionally, there’s even a reference to Disney adults in the opening act. This feels like a critique of wage-earners feeding their bills into a billion-dollar mega-machine. That is, one that has sparked controversy for underrepresenting and/or failing to defend queer characters and their stories, e.g. Strange World, as well as Pixar’s Lightyear and Inside Out 2. Ironically, announcing a “first [x or y] character” doesn’t count as Disney coming out. The most recent of these issues is Disney pulling a transgender storyline from a Pixar streaming television program, Win or Lose.

Smartphones and Digitized Imagery

Moreover, Queens of the Dead looks at a post-modern world wherein cellphones, social media, and the overall digital sphere affect everyone. For example, there’s a tiny subplot involving a (seemingly) heterosexual couple profiting from a drag queen’s social media presence. In the FAANG (i.e. Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google) corporate mega-machine, which now also includes the “X”, more and more people are concerned with garnering attention with a checkmark status. Verification for recognized persons used to be gained naturally, but for reasons that only benefit the affluent, that has become a badge to be paid for.

In his critical text, The Death Algorithm and Other Dilemmas, German scholar Roberto Simanowski writes about the dangers of technology such as cellphones and self-driving vehicles. In Chapter 2, “Smartphone Zombies”, he discusses the petrification and dull-mindedness of the human race. He writes: “Smombies are … the mentally absent who leave their bodies behind”, whereas “[t]he smartphone transforms surrounding space into a place that really doesn’t exist for people who, engrossed by cyberspace, don’t register the cultural specifics of their environment” (22-23, 25). In a political sense, Simanowski suggests that smartphone zombies embody the silence of a voice that pushes for politics of the street advocating for public action.

Meanwhile, in Chapter 5, “Cannibalism and New Media”, he writes of sexualized bodies as causing “enraptured, defenseless gazing”. He states: “[People] want to be stared at, hypnotically, as people do when they gaze upon a waterfall or a naked body, from which they can’t avert their eyes” (90). While Romero and Judge don’t dip into the parasocial, much can be said here about social media fans and followers and macro- or micro-celebrities.

Vivisection of the Dead

What I love about this Pride Month indie film is that it pulls off a fair production with its limited resources. Cinematographer Shannon Madden shoots solid frames of footage in what could otherwise be a poor horror flick. Dre (Katy O’Brian), Jimmy (Cheyenne Jackson), and Barry’s faces during one jump scare are an actually priceless sight. Then, there’s another jump scare soon after that might leave viewers gasping. Likewise, editor Aden Hakimi has some clever cuts from scene to scene. Going from one character live-streaming on social media to promote their business to somebody in the next scene watching that live-stream can be a seamless transition. I also enjoy the interesting small sequence revolving around a dancer named Jax (Samora la Perdida) before the chaos ensues.

Aside from zombies’ weaknesses, the soundtrack is also mind-blowing. Blitz//Berlin’s hip scoring as Dre first meets her colleagues is lovely. Next to that, I love the techo-pop music as everyone in Yum Party settles into their circumstances a bit more following the arrival of new guests. The “HOT TO GO”-like score as the characters map out an escape route is flat-out wonderful. The twilight scoring during one character’s moment of panic is surreal. Then, there’s the music that plays during a montage wherein the group eventually does stand up to the zombies—it’s just awesome.

This independent film might not feature Lady Gaga, but it includes another important iconic electropop sensation, one who’s made a comeback from hardship with cathartic music and a viral Wendy’s selfie. Bizarre Inc. and Angie Brown’s “I’m Gonna Get You” remarkably plays into the idea of what it means to celebrate pride amidst a zombie outbreak. There are other appealing song choices in here, but I will let the viewers discover that on their own.

A Feast for the Eyes

Production designer Holly Trotta and her team do neat work on the various set pieces, such as the exterior streets and alleyways of Brooklyn, a hospital interior, and the Glitter Bitch VIP Lounge. However, a larger chunk of the horror comedy film is situated inside the Yum Party. Gaffer Andre T. Bonk has different levels of lighting for the set pieces. Whereas Glitter Bitch is lit up, Yum Party’s atmosphere is dimmer. Fortunately, the outfits and the set decorations are outlined incredibly—with colors popping—no matter the setting.

Learning that costume designer David Tabbert made outfits for the music videos to 3OH!3’s “Don’t Trust Me” and Boys Like Girls’ “Love Drunk” is news to me just now. It’s interesting to see how he graduated from those clothing to the costumes in Queens of the Dead. I love Sam’s (Jaquel Spivey) colorful tie-dye hospital scrubs, Nico’s (Tomás Matos) pink cowgirl dress, and Ginsey Tonic’s (Andrew “Nina West” Levitt) yellow drag get-up. More so, I am amazed by Dre’s dark “PAYBACKS ARE A BITCH” tee with the sleeves cut off, as well as Piper “Pops” Callaghan (Margaret Cho) and her associates’ uniforms.

Again, while the film isn’t as visually violent as other zombie media, the production crew does a fine job of putting on a show. I love the special effects makeup team’s creation of an axe wound. To add, the zombies themselves appear more glamorous than what’s seen before.

The Crew Behind Queens of the Dead

Shannon Madden (Ramy, Kevin Can F**k Himself) serves as the director of photography.

Spencer Pazer serves as the still photographer. Andre T. Bonk serves as the gaffer.

Aden Hakimi is the editor.

Blitz//Berlin serve as the music composers for the film.

Maggie Phillips (The Innkeepers, Creep, Moonlight, Ingrid Goes West, Creep 2, The Gifted Season 1, The Umbrella Academy Season 1, FX’s Legion, The Dropout, Rosaline, Our Flag Means Death, Red White & Royal Blue, Y2K, FX’s Adults) and Kristen Higuera (The Dropout, Rosaline, Snowfall, Red White & Royal Blue, Our Flag Means Death, FX’s Adults) serve as the music supervisors.

Matt Davies serves as the sound designer, co-supervising sound editor, and re-recording mixer. Owen Granich-Young serves as the co-supervising sound editor and dialogue editor.

Allison Twardziak serves as the casting director.

Hilary Greer is the extras casting director. Katherine Filaseta is the extras casting assistant.

Drew Leary serves as the stunt coordinator. Brandon Smith serves as the additional stunt coordinator.

Aesthetics

Holly Trotta serves as the production designer.

Beau Tepper and Lauren Nester serve as the art directors.

Hanna Woltz serves as the set decorator. Christopher Kelly is the assistant set decorator.

David Tabbert (Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Hunt, Werewolves Within, Fire Island, Class of ’09) serves as the costume designer. Valerie Webster serves as the assistant costume designer.

Christina Grant serves as the makeup designer. Mitchell Beck serves as the hair designer.

Erin Acker serves as the key makeup artist.

Michael Clifton (Orange Is the New Black Season 5, tick tick…BOOM!, West Side Story, The Other Two, Dead Ringers) serves as the makeup artist. Guy Smith, Allison MacPherson, Elizabeth Piper Schlitt, Margie Durand, and Jen Delica are the additional makeup artists.

Lindsay Gelfand serves as the key special effects makeup artist.

Ingrid Okola and Stella Sensel are the special effects makeup artists. Lisa Forst, Todd Kleitsch, Phil Harrah, and Greer Gillespie are the additional special effects makeup artists.

Josh Turi/ Designs to Deceive and Greg Nicotero (Evil Dead II, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, The People Under the Stairs, In the Mouth of Madness, New Nightmare, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, From Dusk Till Dawn, Scream, Scream 2, The Faculty, Feardotcom, Kill Bill, Land of the Dead, Deadwood, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, Grindhouse, The Mist, Drag Me to Hell, Jennifer’s Body, Predators, Piranha 3D, Django Unchained, Texas Chainsaw, The Hateful Eight, Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen, The Walking Dead television franchise, Werewolf by Night) are the prosthetic makeup fabricators.

Monique Gaffney serves as the key hairstylist.

William Edmonds, Michael Buonincontro (Happy! Season 2, West Side Story, Westworld Season 4, The Other Two, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin Season 2), Judy Lawrence (Monster, A Different Man), Jasmine Kelly, Champagne Lawrence, and Vanessa Anderson serve as the additional hairstylists.

The Cast of Queens of the Dead

Jaquel Spivey portrays Sam, a former fixer at Yum Party and an orderly at a local hospital.

Katy O’Brian (Black Lightning, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 7, The Mandalorian, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Love Lies Bleeding, Twisters, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning) portrays Dre, a producer and promoter at Yum Party club.

Tomás Matos (Fire Island, Fantasmas) portrays Nico, a new drag queen at Yum Party.

Andrew “Nina West” Levitt portrays Ginsey Tonic, an older drag queen at Yum Party.

Jack Haven (Bill & Ted Face the Music, I Saw the TV Glow) portrays Kelsey, an intern at Yum Party.

Quincy Dunn-Baker plays Barry, Dre’s brother-in-law.

Dominique Jackson plays Yasmine, a popular drag queen.

Margaret Cho (Face/Off, Sex Appeal, The Flight Attendant Season 2, Fire Island) portrays Piper “Pops” Callaghan, Kelsey’s fiancé.

Riki Lindhome (Another Period, Under the Silver Lake, Knives Out, Wednesday, Afraid) portrays Lizzy, Dre’s wife. Eve Lindley plays Jane, a patient on Lizzy’s hospital floor in the middle of transitioning.

Cheyenne Jackson (Glee Season 2, 30 Rock, American Horror Story, Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen, Werewolves Within) plays Jimmy, a bartender at Yum Party.

Becca Blackwell and Shaunette Renée Wilson (Black Panther, Into the Dark: Treehouse, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny) play Twiz and Tiger, associates of Pops, respectively.

Secondary Roles

Julie J plays the ZombiQueen.

Samora la Perdida plays Jax, a dancer at Yum Party.

Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead, Maniac, From Dusk Till Dawn, Planet Terror) appears as the mayor.

Brian Morabito plays Brian the Cop. Karan Brar (Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series, Jessie, Hubie Halloween) plays Officer Trayvis. Bryan Burton plays Officer Brandt.

Sarah Coffey and Kimball Farley play Misti and Turtleneck, wannabe social media influencers, respectively.

Gaylen Ross (Dawn of the Dead, Creepshow) appears as a stern doctor.

John Michael Lyles plays a go go boy at Yum Party.

Ahmad Maksoud appears as a Skinz dating app zombie.

Character Developments and Performances

Again, it’s challenging to determine which are the better actors and characters, so it helps to further break things down. O’Brian assumes the leadership position as Dre, portrayed more as a fighter than a lover. With a friend in Sam and a family figure in Barry, the character works through some decent dynamics. She is a potent parallel to Callaghan, whose impression of Dre is spot-on. Their specific dynamic is intriguing, given their differences in fields of interest. With the past couple of years that she has had, O’Brian’s momentum acting in film does not look to be stopping. My only problem with Dre is that I wish to see her fight and love more, but the leader part only does so much.

Dunn-Baker performs well as Barry, a male figure who is unsure of his beliefs. On the one hand, he represents the uninformed citizens who often assume what is real based on the media. At times, he also comes off as the stereotypical old-fashioned New Yorker with the accent, the outfit, and the mindset. Barry is initially an outlier to the Yam Party party, but on the other hand, he subverts expectations to be had as that kind of character. When it comes to lipstick and homemade drag outfitting, it’s nice to just see him around.

Iconic Characters in the Making

Matos has a great role as Nico, a newer drag queen at Yum Party who goes by the name “Scrumptious”. The character has issues with identity outside the venue. Their disagreements with Sam are not resolved properly. With how Queens of the Dead ends, I would imagine that closure is implied, but that moment probably happens off-screen. Matos portrays Scrumptious as the sassy person in the group. Their scene with a couple of others during a run-in with law enforcement officers is executed successfully. Yet, I wish there were more for them to offer afterward.

Spivey turns in one of my favorite performances in this Pride Month horror film, if not the best one. Like Scrumptious, Sam is a hilarious character challenged with certain identity issues. His dynamics with Dre and with Scrumptious are good, but I’m particularly invested in his friendship with Ginsey Tonic. This is a dynamic that we need to see more: human beings supporting other human beings. It gets to a point where Sam must learn that he isn’t alone in his experiences. Spivey solidifies a place in a film with heart-shattering delivery, especially in the final act. Romero and Judge earn their roses for their writing of this character alone. Ultimately, Sam teaches the audience that one’s inner self must be embraced.

For a different reason, Haven performs dramatically as intern, Kelsey. They portray the stereotypical dumb blonde damsel-in-distress character often present in films of this genre. Underneath that personality, there might be something intelligent about Kelsey, e.g., incorporating astrology to explain why the nightclub. Haven delivers as if a helpless scream queen, the kind in peril with the back of their hand to their forehead. This film has many characters to fall in love with, and to me, Kelsey is pure of innocence.

Final Thoughts on Tina Romero and Erin Judge’s Queens of the Dead

Drag is not life or death; it’s fun!

Ginsey Tonic (Andrew “Nina West” Levitt)

At the end of the day—technically, the characters must survive by sunrise—, this is a horror movie wherein the absence of queer trauma can still prove to effectively drive the narrative. This concept is also true for, say, Tim Story, Tracy Oliver, and Dewayne Perkins’ The Blackening, another horror comedy film wherein actors and their characters are simply having a good time without their trauma being a major factor in the narrative. If anything, Queens of the Dead is a reminder that I need to re-attempt a marathon of the Night of the Living Dead franchise as well as everything zombie-related that it has inspired, including remakes and Shaun of the Dead.

Like Zelda Williams and Lisa Frankenstein, Tina Romero is another woman and daughter of a well-respected name in Hollywood looking to put queer horror out into the world. This film rightfully deserves to be distributed in theaters after its Tribeca release because what it aims to say is hard-hitting material.

4.5/5 stars

Tina Romero and Erin Judge’s Queens of the Dead is now playing at the Tribeca Film Festival and is expected to release widely later via IFC Films and Shudder!

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