Queens of the Dead
| Queens of the Dead | |
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Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Tina Romero |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Shannon Madden |
| Edited by | Aden Hakimi |
| Music by | Blitz//Berlin |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $113,123[1] |
Queens of the Dead is a 2025 American zombie comedy film written and directed by Tina Romero. It stars Katy O'Brian, Jaquel Spivey, Riki Lindhome, Jack Haven, Cheyenne Jackson, and Margaret Cho.
Premise
The film follows a group of drag queens, club kids, and frenemies who must put aside their personal dramas and use their unique skills to fight the flesh-thirsty undead when a zombie apocalypse breaks out on the night of a giant warehouse party.[2][3]
Cast
- Katy O'Brian as Dre
- Jaquel Spivey as Sam
- Riki Lindhome as Lizzy
- Jack Haven as Kelsey
- Cheyenne Jackson as Jimmy
- Margaret Cho as Pops
- Shaunette Renée Wilson as Tiger
- Eve Lindley as Jane
- Karan Brar as Officer Trayvis
- Nina West as Ginsey
- Tomas Matos as Nico
- Quincy Dunn-Baker as Barry
- Becca Blackwell as Twiz
- Dominique Jackson as Yasmine
Production
Deadline reported in July 2024 that the film was in the works from a script by director Tina Romero as well as Erin Judge, with Jaquel Spivey, Katy O’Brian, Margaret Cho, Jack Haven, and Cheyenne Jackson set to star.[4][5] The film was also reported to feature Nina West, Tomas Matos, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Becca Blackwell, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Dominique Jackson, Riki Lindhome, and Eve Lindley. It was produced by Natalie Metzger and Matthew Lee Miller for Vanishing Angle and financed by Creativity Capital. It was later reported that IFC Films, Shudder, and Flexibon Films would also help produce the film, with Charades acquiring the international sales rights to the film and filming had taken place on October 25, 2024, with a first-look image being released.[6]
Release
The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 7, 2025.[7]
In July 2025, Independent Film Company and Shudder, both of which helped co-finance the film, acquired North American distribution rights to it.[8] The film was released in the United States on October 24, 2025.[9]
The film was screened in non-competitive section 'Freestyle' of the 20th Rome Film Festival in October 2025.[10]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 92% of 48 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Setting the stage to slay all day, Tina Romero's feature debut is a glowing zombie-fest filled with humor and heart, proving that there's more than enough room in the genre for these Queens of the Dead." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
References
- ^ "Queens of the Dead". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 14, 2025.
- ^ Goodfellow, Melanie (2024-10-25). "Charades Boards Tina Romero's Drag Zombie Comedy 'Queens Of The Dead' – AFM". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
- ^ Robledo, Jordan (2024-10-28). "Queens of the Dead: Here's your first look at Tina Romero's LGBTQ+ zombie comedy". GAY TIMES. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
- ^ "Meet the cast of the upcoming queer zombie movie we're already obsessed with". www.out.com. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
- ^ Maskell, Emily (2024-10-28). "Drag Race, Pose and Fire Island stars slay in queer zombie film Queens of the Dead". PinkNews. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (2024-07-18). "Jaquel Spivey, Katy O'Brian, Margaret Cho, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Cheyenne Jackson & More To Star In Tina Romero Zombie Pic 'Queens Of The Dead'". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
- ^ "Queens of the Dead | 2025 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (2025-07-10). "Tina Romero's 'Queens Of The Dead' Acquired By Independent Film Company & Shudder". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2025-07-11.
- ^ Squires, John (September 3, 2025). "'Queens of the Dead' – Tina Romero's Zombie Movie Claws into Theaters This October [Poster]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
- ^ "Festa del Cinema di Roma 2025, il programma completo (diretta)" [Rome Film Fest 2025: Full program (live)]. Ciak Magazine (in Italian). 19 September 2025. Retrieved 19 September 2025.