[Film Review] Queens of the Dead (2025)

“This is not a George Romero movie. There is no such thing as a zombie, okay?” No girl, this is a Tina Romero movie! Funny, fabulous and unapologetically queer, Queens of the Dead is the debut feature from Tina Romero. 

Yes, Tina is the daughter of one of horror’s greatest directors, George A Romero. But in Queens of the Dead, Tina stands firmly on their own two feet. Tina’s loving take on the zombie genre keeps it reverential to her father’s work and the greats before her, while offering a fresh perspective on the walking dead. 

The film centres around YUM nightclub in Brooklyn, which is gearing up for a big Easter weekend party when a zombie outbreak threatens what could be their final club night. The drag queens and club kids must put aside past differences and slay… in more ways than one. 

The zombies of Queens of the Dead follow some of George A Romero’s zombie tropes – groaning, shuffling and eating the flesh of the living. As well as being drawn to feed, they stagger their way to dance at the clubs they frequented in life and still clutch at their phones – tuning in to live streams and taking calls. It’s a modern spin on the consumerist zombie trope and, to this perpetual doomscroller, it definitely gives food for thought.

Queens of the Dead is a refreshingly authentic movie when it comes to queer representation. Tina spent years DJing in the queer scene in New York, so the cast of characters that frequent the YUM nightclub feel real and relatable. A queer person herself, Tina has co-written and directed a beautiful, diverse chosen family. The loving way the characters bitch and bicker with each other feels true to life and reminds me of my own circle of friends.

Not one of the characters felt like a token inclusion (other than, perhaps, the straight dude, who was actually wonderful!), or a hyperbolised caricature. Each character had depth, had growth through their arc and felt genuine. The representation of queer, trans and non-binary people is important, especially when horror is so inherently queer. It is so very validating to see a wide range of queer characters, with a broad spectrum of personalities, races and backgrounds. Queens of the Dead is a perfect film to show to young queer people, with positive role models of not only characters on the screen, but actors with lived experience. 

As the parent of a queer, non-binary tween, I can’t wait to show them this film as I want them to see people like them on screen. I think it will be amazing to point at the characters and say “they are queer and non-binary in real life!” and “he’s a trans man in real life!” and see their little face light up, knowing it’s not just straight, white cis people who get their stories told on screen. And I think that giving hope and a sense of being seen to young (and old!) queer people should be what people think of when they think of Tina Romero. 

The cast are incredible, with a lot of recognisable faces from both mainstream TV and films and queer, cult faves. Stand-outs were Jaquel Spivey who played Sam, Eve Lindley as Jane and the incredibly magnetic Katy O’Brian as Dre. If you were a fan of O’Brian as the beautiful, ripped Jackie in Rose Glass’ Love Lies Bleeding, there’s a lot for you to like here too. A “soft butch” O’Brian in a sleeveless shirt, DJing? Thank you Tina Romero!  We also get brilliant performances from queer culture staples Jack Haven, Margaret Cho, Nina West, Cheyenne Jackson and Dominique Jackson. 

Again, nobody feels like a token inclusion. As famous and recognisable as many of these faces are, none of them feel like an IMDb credit to boost the film. Casting queer and trans people in these roles adds to the authenticity. It never feels like anyone is “acting”. While a zombie outbreak in New York is unlikely to happen any time soon, the rest of the film feels like a group of queer folk just existing as themselves. Each of their characters brings something to the YUM community and all really feel like (chosen) family.

As scares and gore go, Queens of the Dead is fairly tame. But what we do get is very well done. SFX legend Greg Nicotero worked on the prosthetics and there’s some great practical effects and puppetry used. The attention to detail is worth noting. I can’t remember the last time I saw a zombie bite into someone and bring a mouthful of fabric away with the flesh. And while he didn’t work on the SFX, make-up maestro Tom Savini has a cameo performance as the mayor of New York. The inclusion of Nicotero and Savini feels like a huge stamp of approval for Queens of the Dead, as George A Romero’s long-time collaborators and friends.

If it’s not already considered so, Queens of the Dead will be a sure-fire cult classic. Every second is as fun and fierce as you’d hope. There are loving references to George A Romero’s movies, pop culture, and lines and characters that are surely going to become quotable moments themselves. 

Queens of the Dead deserves the Rocky Horror treatment – late night screenings, dressing up as the characters and shouting at the screen. It also has a bangin’ soundtrack that makes the film feel like a fun night out with your friends. It’s a fantastic gateway horror to introduce teens or non-horror fans to the genre, especially with the queer representation. An absolutely glorious …of the Dead movie and one of the most enjoyable “traditional zombie” films I’ve seen in a very long time.

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