There’s a lot to love about Tina Romero‘s Queens of the Dead. In fact, the list is almost as long as the receipt for the sequins and shoes purchased by the costume department. That’s written in playful jest, but the number of topics that present themselves in her feature length debut deserve a round of applause for boldness, cohesion, conviction, and execution (in story and in zombie kills).
What sounds like a ludicrous idea on paper turns out to have a lot of heart, and the relationships in Tina‘s film are just as strong as those in her legendary father’s work nearly sixty years ago. The set up is unconventional, but it’s set in a modern world and for a modern audience. Sure, there’s a lot of vocabulary, attitudes, and ways of life that can be seen as foreign to some viewers. Yes, I will lump myself in that category, but the film succeeds because of multiple attributes.
First and foremost is character. QotD gives us players and personalities who, while set at distant locations and coming from different walks of life, band together and inspire each other to get through this ultra hairy mess – whether that hair is extensions, a wig or the ones on the back of your neck varies widely. There’s an old saying that “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” And so this unlikely group becomes the support each other needs even if, many times, they hear advice or criticism that they don’t want. Sometimes, however, just hearing the words “I need you” or “We need you” can fill a hole in your soul.
Next is tone and story. Whereas Romero prime’s objective was to make a biting commentary on culture of the time – racism, then consumerism, then government control before moving to class structure and found footage and so on – Tina’s prime focus here is on modern human rights: attitude as well as general acceptance throughout the LGBTQIA+ community, whether accepted, or fighting for that right. In what can only be described as horror poetry, drag queens and club kids check their egos to dispatch the lumbering threat – they fight the undead social masses, while facing social issues, and mocking social media. Hat trick, Tina!
Now add style to that, and in the slightest of twists, and one absolutely essential to this effort, this is a Trojan horse about friendship under the guise of a horror comedy. The horror is the appetizer, and the comedy (which works splendidly) is the main course. It also works in multiple formats be it visual, conversational, jump scares or zombie bites. You’ll kind of wish you had a remote in the theater just to go back and quickly enjoy what you just watched, or make sure you caught it right.
All in all there’s a lot of laughs to be had, and Tina‘s cast of misfit children become something akin to The Goonies of this generation. These characters are not fighting to keep from having their homes bulldozed, but they are trying to hustle and squeak out a living in Bushwick – either on stage, as influencers/promoters, or a more established (but dream-killing) profession. Through it all, despite the petty fights and snappy retorts, they have each other’s back and that’s important.
The real standouts are Katy O’Brian, Jaquel Spivey and Nina West who bring the perfect amount of charisma and emotion to every scene. It’s also nice when characters have arcs in ways you don’t see coming and most of them are about seeing eye to eye with one another. What is impacting is, whether it’s about different ways of life or the same, something as simple as adopting vernacular unites them in a steadfast bond. Combine that with jabs at how closely we are tied to our devices, and those, in Romero fashion, speak volumes.
G-S-T RULING:
The film is light on zombie kills, and that is smart but it’s also kind of the point. It’s about the people, not the gore. There are also some well played callbacks to the landmark ’68 film (and a super fun cameo!!) which are a delight. This Romero gives her story a spin with flair that propels the narrative; interactions with zombies bring the laughs, interactions with the living get the desired emotional reaction, and the juxtaposition of the two bring it all home. The film is an odd fit at first, then it feels comfortable all the way through, just like a pair of 9-inch heels. Combine that with some really sharp editing, an effective small-scale setting, an exceptional synth-heavy soundtrack, and you’ll wanna come back for seconds. Period.
Queens of the Dead is produced by Vanishing Angle. The film is currently on the festival circuit, but we’ll let you know once this has a wider release.
