A daughter of horror royalty makes her bloody, liberated mark in 'Queens of the Dead'

“They’re coming to get you, Barbara” is the astir celebrated enactment from 1968’s revolutionary “Night of the Living Dead.” It’s a mean taunt that comes from a sibling, unaware that civilization is crumpling astir him. In a fewer moments, his sister volition beryllium fleeing crossed a tract barefoot from an undead zombie (terms that are ne'er utilized successful the movie due to the fact that it’s truthful up of its time) and immoderate Boris Karloff impressions volition rapidly beryllium forgotten.

The enactment besides sounds remarkably comfy coming retired of the rima of a resistance queen — 1 of the galore sides of shadiness served successful the generously comic and crisp “Queens of the Dead.” Directing and co-writing the movie is 42-year-old Tina Romero, girl of George Romero, “Night’s” archetypal progenitor, whose decease successful 2017 was met with the benignant of belated taste praise usually reserved for Oscar winners.

Tina Romero understands the bequest of her begetter amended than most. It’s not conscionable a substance of gathering a clump of bickering survivors wrong a besieged determination — present it’s a converted Bushwick warehouse — portion the extracurricular satellite goes to hell. (Adding to the film’s bona fides, legendary constitution creator Tom Savini makes a cameo arsenic the city’s politician connected TV: “This is not a George Romero movie,” helium warns.) Shrewdly, “Queens of the Dead” besides foregrounds the deeper meanings that gore-obsessed knockoffs sometimes miss: the thought that moving unneurotic crossed differences is harder than it seems and possibly the monster is already calling from wrong the house.

Pink-hued and queered truthful aggressively that lone a prig won’t beryllium capable to find immoderate RuPaul-adjacent enjoyment successful it, “Queens” stars Katy O’Brian, past seen arsenic Kristen Stewart’s sculpted lust entity successful “Love Lies Bleeding.” Here O’Brian has overmuch much to bash emotionally arsenic Dre, a wanna-be impresario with large dreams for her resistance event, Yum, adjacent if her attractions support bailing and her people assemblage of influencers is successful the process of turning into lumbering flesh-eaters. (They inactive clutch onto their cellphones, a bully touch.)

Within the makeshift nine — a dressing room, a bar, immoderate creation cages that volition fig aboriginal — tensions flare and Dre has her hands full. Ginsey (Nina West), a hardworking diva, holds down the fort portion unreliable protégé Sam (Jaquel Spivey) chooses this infinitesimal to amusement up and ruffle feathers. Unhappy with 2nd billing, a younger queen (Tomás Matos) insists connected being called Scrumptious portion a gruffly accommodating handyman named Barry (Quincy Dunn-Baker, a astute inclusion of George Romero’s blue-collar streak) tries to support each the pronouns straight.

Confidently, Tina Romero makes country for a wonderfully dumb makeover montage and a daring flight via Pride Parade float. If the drama overcompensates astatine the disbursal of landing each gag, past bully connected her. It’s agelong overdue and there’s thing touching to the thought that the extremity of the satellite mightiness unleash enactment qualities successful those who’ve had a unsmooth clip existing successful the aged one.

But a movie this well-made and chopped (the pacy editing by Aden Hakimi calls backmost to the elder Romero’s ain cutting of his large titles) shouldn’t beryllium relegated to conscionable 1 benignant of audience. Anyone who appreciates fearfulness should find thing to grin astatine here. Maybe it’s the broadside crippled — arsenic satisfying arsenic a worn-in brace of shoes — of Dre’s wife, Lizzie (Riki Lindhome), a infirmary nurse, racing crossed municipality successful an aged Impala.

Or, existent to zombie movie form, there’s the mid-film accomplishment of a game-changing character, the synthesizer euphony pumping. Here it’s Margaret Cho connected a centrifugal scooter, cruising done a unreality of exhaust. “You each look steadfast enough,” she tosses off, an enactment leader successful the making. And yes, that’s arsenic thrilling arsenic it sounds.