You don’t make a zombie movie when your last name is Romero without raising expectations. But Queens of the Dead, directed by Tina Romero — daughter of the late George A. Romero — doesn’t try to live up to the legacy. Instead, Tina throws glitter on it, tosses it on the dancefloor, and dares you not to have a good time.

Set during a drag show in a Brooklyn warehouse, the film kicks off when a zombie outbreak interrupts the party. What follows is part RuPaul’s Drag Race, part The Return of the Living Dead, part messy community theatre with a really fun budget. Club kids, drag queens, and assorted nightlife characters must drop the drama and band together to survive the night. Personal feuds, unspoken crushes, and a musical number (yes, a musical number) all share screen time with gut-chomping ghouls.

The cast is a mixed bag, but some performances hit the mark. Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding) plays Dre, a grounded bouncer trying to keep everyone safe while reconnecting with her pregnant partner Lizzy (Riki Lindhome, Knives Out) who is working the night shift at the local hospital. O’Brian feels like she’s playing it straight — sometimes too straight — in a movie that thrives on camp, but she gives the film a needed emotional anchor. Lindhome is a bit underused but sweetly earnest, while Jaquel Spivey (Mean Girls) starts slow but grows into a surprising standout. By the finale, they’re the heart of the film.

Then there’s Margaret Cho, who shows up as Pops, ready to kick zombie ass and deliver one-liners with the force of a shotgun blast. Nina West (from Drag Race) is a delight as the club’s glam queen and headliner — think sequins, sass, and survival instincts. Not every performance works — Jack Haven (I Saw the TV Glow) and Tomas Matos crank their characters up to eleven and never look back — but when the movie leans into its weirdness, it works.

You can feel Romero’s affection for both horror and queer nightlife throughout. She’s not spoofing either — she’s blending them. The script, co-written with Erin Judge, doesn’t always land the jokes, and the dramatic beats can feel thin. But the spirit? Infectious. This isn’t a cynical cash-in. It’s made by someone who grew up on monsters and dance music and wanted to make a movie that celebrates both.

The technical craft is scrappy but often charming. Shannon Madden’s cinematography is fine — nothing flashy — and some scenes definitely feel more lit for YouTube than a big screen. But the effects team makes the most of their budget. The zombies look great, the gore is creative and satisfying, and there’s real effort behind the practical makeup. Bonus points for a Tom Savini cameo, which horror fans will clock immediately.

What the film lacks in polish, it makes up for in purpose. Queens of the Dead joins a growing wave of queer horror that doesn’t just include LGBTQ+ characters — it centers them. And it does so without reducing them to punchlines or tragic backstory machines. The film never explains its politics because it doesn’t have to. The existence of a story where drag queens get to fight back against the apocalypse is the politics.

Is it perfect? Not even close. But it’s fun, chaotic, and occasionally heartfelt — and sometimes, that’s enough. Tina Romero doesn’t try to match her father’s career. She does her own thing. If this debut is any indication, she’s got something to say, and a wild way of saying it. I’ll be there for the next round. Just give me more Cho and maybe fewer scream queens stuck on one note.