June 23, 2025
by Carla Hay

“Queens of the Dead” (2025)
Directed by Tina Romero
Culture Representation: Taking place in New York City, the horror comedy film “Queens of the Dead” features a racially diverse cast of characters (white, African American, Latin and Asian) representing the working-class and middle-class.
Culture Clash: People fight to survive a zombie invasion during a warehouse nightclub hosting a show for drag queens.
Culture Audience: “Queens of the Dead” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of horror comedies and queer-oriented horror movies.

“Queens of the Dead” serves up a campy mix of zombie horror and LGBTQ culture. In this sometimes-uneven comedy, a zombie invasion causes terror and sassy reads for people at a drag queen show in a warehouse. Tomás Matos gives a scene-stealing performance.
Directed by Tina Romero (who co-wrote the “Queens of the Dead” screenplay with Erin Judge), “Queens of the Dead” is Romero’s feature-film directorial debut. Romero happens to be the daughter of George A. Romero, who created the “Dead” zombie franchise that began with the 1968 classic “Night of the Living Dead” and includes 1978’s “Dawn of the Dead.” “Queens of the Dead” had its world premiere at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, where the movie won the Audience Award for Narrative Features.
“Queens of the Dead” takes place over the course of a 24-hour period in New York City, where the movie was filmed on location. The opening scene shows an unnamed drag queen who’s listed in end credits as ZombiQueen (played by Julie J) going into an empty church and putting some money in a donation box. ZombiQueen glances at a statue of the Virgin Mary and says, “Sorry, girl. I know what it’s like to work for tips.”
ZombiQueen gets a text from a potential hookup date and goes in the church’s back office. Unbeknownst to ZombiQueen it will be her last day alive. A silver-bodied zombie attacks and bites ZombiQueen, who shows up later again in the story. It won’t be the last zombie attack.
Meanwhile, at a warehouse in New York City’s Brooklyn borough, preparations are under way for a drag queen show at a warehouse that has been converted into a nightclub. The show’s promoter is Dre (played by Katy O’Brian), who is also the venue manager. Dre is under a lot of stress because the star performer Yasmine (played by Dominique Jackson) has canceled her appearance to do a better-paying performance at a place called Glitter Bitch.
Dre’s wife Lizzy (played by Riki Lindhome) is a hospital nurse and has a co-worker nurse named Sam (played by Jaquel Spivey), who used to be a Beyoncé-inspired drag queen performer named Samoncé. Sam quit doing drag as Samoncé because his drag queen career was going nowhere. One of Lizzy’s patients is a transgender woman named Jane (played by Eve Lindley), who is in the hospital because she’s recovering from an OxyContin overdose.
Dre’s perky intern Kelsey (played by Jack Haven, the actor formerly known as Brigette Lundy-Paine) is helping as a stage manager and overall coordinator. Also working that night at the event is Lizzy’s very heterosexual brother Barry (played by Quincy Dunn-Baker), who is a security staffer/bouncer. Cheyenne Jackson has a supporting role as wryly observant bartender Jimmy, who is much older than most of the nightclub’s employees and patrons.
Because of Yasmine’s cancellation, Dre is thinking about having the nightclub’s androgynous dancers fill in on short notice. The egotistical leader of these dancers is Ginsey (played by Nina West), who wants her moment to shine. Nico (played by Matos) is a talkative go-go dancer who calls himself a Bushwick baby queen. Nico’s drag queen name is Scrumptious. Nico’s close friend is needy Jax (played by Samora la Perdida), who also works as a dancer.
Dre tells Lizzy about her predicament of not having a headlining performer for the show. Sam is recruited to bring his Samoncé persona out of retirement and replace Yasmine. Sam is reluctant to do so, but he likes Lizzy and wants to help Lizzy and Sam with this problem of getting a last-minute replacement. Meanwhile, Lizzy has a secret: She’s pregnant, which is something that she and Dre have wanted to happen for quite some time.
The zombie invasion doesn’t happen all at once but increases as more people get infected and become zombies. It reaches a point where the people inside the warehouse have to barricade themselves inside for safety. Lizzy, Jane and Yasmine end up being among those trapped in the warehouse. Margaret Cho has a hilarious cameo as Kelsey’s fiancée Pops, also known as Poppy, who has a hero complex. Pops makes an unforgettable entrance and exit.
The zombie kills aren’t particularly inventive but they’re not boring either. What sets “Queens of the Dead” apart from most other zombie flicks is how the characters react to the zombies. In true diva fashion, someone in “Queens of the Dead” is likely to make cutting remarks about a zombie’s decrepit appearance and shout out some makeover advice in the midst of a zombie attack.
Nico out-divas everyone with non-stop quips and head tosses that let the zombies know that the zombies aren’t the only ones who came to slay. Spivey (the Tony-nominated leading actor for “A Strange Loop” and a standout in 2024’s “Mean Girls” movie musical remake) also gives a memorable performance as lively Sam, who is not going to let a pesky zombie invasion prevent his comeback as Samoncé.
The visual effects and zombie makeup in “Queens of the Dead” are adequate for this low-budget film. The movie has jump scares and gore that are intended to make viewers laugh more than to make viewers truly frightened. Because most of “Queens of the Dead” takes place only in a few locations, the world is fairly insular in this zombie invasion. “Queens of the Dead” has jokes that occasionally fall flat, but overall it’s an entertaining romp of queer-friendly horror that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
UPDATE: Independent Film Company and Shudder will release “Queens of the Dead” in U.S. cinemas in 2025, on a date to be announced.