“We’re never ready. That’s how it always starts. Open the doors.”
“Shelter in place begins with cocktail hour.”

Story: It’s party time, but where to go? Yum has a great lineup of regulars and is hoping for a big night, but the party pop-up Glitter Bitch is snapping up Yum’s clientele. Then everyone starts getting snapped up when a zombie virus breaks out. Happy Easter, Brooklyn?

Genre I’d put it in: Party Zombies
Release Date: 2025
Remake, Sequel, Based-On, or Original: Part of the Night of the Living Dead universe.

Gotta say: Two of my favorite things are horror movies and fun drag. Dead has both. I’ve been waiting for so long to catch this, and now that it’s hit Shudder, I’m so happy.

Writer (along with Erin Judge)/director Tina Romero – yep, George’s daughter – comes out swinging with her first feature film. Themes of inclusivity, chosen family, what it means to be queer, are all over the place, but it’s shown rather than shoved. This is the world of Our Gang, and it’s glorious.

Dead‘s story is a bit messy, with the action bouncing between Yum, Glitter Bitch, and the hospital where Sam and Dre’s wife both work. Subplots are dropped like a bad habit, probably because there are way too many of them. Honestly, the entire Glitter Bitch rivalry subplot could have been scrapped, with a focus on Yum/Dre’s wife and her patient getting out of the hospital and to the club. That would easily have been enough story. Have the outbreak start on the street instead, and we could have focused on the core characters at Yum a little more.

Still, the award for Best Use Of A Photo Booth goes to that Glitter Bitch party. (Looks like this Romero also has an eye for the details.) But Yum has everything. Wigs. Cocktails. Axes. And best of all? The power of friendship. And a killer – I can’t help myself, this bitch loves a pun – cast of characters that fight amongst themselves, but come together once their club family is threatened.

Cast? Oh momma. We’ve got AHS’s Cheyenne Jackson, Margaret Cho, Riki Lindhome, and the incredible Katy O’Brian as Dre, the beleaguered owner/DJ at Yum. As with most zombie films, the cast works as an ensemble, but I’ve gotta give my special shout-out to Jaquel Spivey as Sam/Samoncé. He’s a nurse that used to be a Big Deal drag queen in the past, until “demons” (possibly extreme anxiety) ruined a promising career. Sam is our everyperson, trying to make do and make it through. Dead is overstuffed with characters, as most zombie movies are. Who’s gonna die if they cast is too small? It feels like a few folks were added in just because they’re awesome IRL (Margaret Cho, Tom Savini). I’m not mad, I’m just overstimulated.

Speaking of FX legend Savini, the zombies here aren’t grey or green, they’re a glittery sliver. And they’re still very attached to their phones. I love how one queen doesn’t realize that someone is a zombie because she’s so used to drag. And there’s some truly great drag here, along with some fun zombies. Drag zombies. Bunny suited zombies. Priest zombies.  Not too shabby. The bloody FX is extremely light, probably due to a budget that didn’t allow for splash. But the talented cast more than makes up for the lack of the red stuff by delivering their snappy dialogue with just the right amount of  sass.

The prepping for the showdown gets things together; who doesn’t love a well done finale montage? Our Gang is getting ready to throw down while being fierce as hell, the zombies are genuinely creepy, and we finally get to see Samoncé in all her glory. You can’t not give her to us, that’d be an abuse of Checkov’s Samoncé.

Things wrap up nicely, tying in the social media obsession the club goers had into a sort of Deux Ex TikTok that’s just silly enough to work for this zom-com. The final scene could play out as sequel bait or just a quick wink at the audience. I’m up for either.

#Protip: The soundtrack is epic, mixing club, bar, and scene bangers. But it’s the end credits “Akswünd” by Blitz//Berlin that lands on top. Be sure to stay through the credits long enough to give it a listen. Then go beg Spotify to put it on the app. I did.