The following contains spoilers for Queens of the DeadQueens of the Dead is a fun riff on the classic zombie movie tropes, building to a perfectly ambiguous ending for the remaining survivors of the plot. Focusing on the eclectic cast of drag performers, their co-workers, and their loved ones, Queens of the Dead brings a brash and proudly open LGBTQ perspective to the horror sub-genre.
For the most part, the film follows many of the archetypal plot beats that a zombie movie entails, with plenty of heartbreaking deaths and desperate struggles to survive. This gives the film’s largely bittersweet ending a touch of optimism — at least until the final shot reveals that the heroes might not be out of danger yet.
Queens Of The Dead’s Survivors And Casualties, Explained
As befitting any zombie movie, Shudder’s Queens of the Dead kills off several characters — but a surprising number actually survive to the end. Set during the early hours of a zombie outbreak, Queens of the Dead focuses on the employees of a popular drag bar and their loved ones as they try to survive the chaos of the evening.
While club owner Dre, her brother-in-law Barry, bartender Jimmy, intern Kelsey, and performers Sam, Ginsey, Nico, and Jax are stuck in the bar, Dre’s wife Lizzy and her patient Jane try to reach them from a nearby hospital. Others who make it to the bar are the popular performer Yasmine, Lizzy’s fiancé, Pops, and her friends Tiger and Twiz.
Early on, Jax is revealed to be infected. However, the others can’t bring themselves to kill their friend after he turns and instead lock Jax into a go-go cage to monitor the progression of the virus. Jimmy is killed not long after, when Yasmine makes it to the club but fails to warn them about the zombies in time.
Two of the film’s most heartbreaking fatalities are Pops and Ginsey. Pops is caught by a swarm of infected rats while helping bring power back to the bar, using an electrical wiring to kill herself and the rats before they can reach the others. Meanwhile, Ginsey saves Sam from the undead while they’re looking for a truck, but is swarmed.
While the rest of the cast lures the horde into the club using music as a distraction, they make their escape and reach the boat that Pops had arranged to save her and Lizzie. However, an infected Tiger elects to remain behind and hold back the horde. Tiger’s fate is left ambiguous, but is implied to also die.
Queens of the Dead is more of a character dramedy than a pure horror movie, speaking to character dynamics over the mechanics of the zombie plague or overt gore. This has the benefit of making each death hit with more dramatic weight, especially Ginsey and Pops. It also makes it more rewarding when the others escape with their lives.
Queens Of The Dead Introduces A New Origin For The Zombie Virus
The origins of the zombie virus in Queens of the Dead isn’t fully explained, but there are lots of clues that it has something to do with a tainted supply of party drugs that have been introduced into New York City. As a dealer, Nico possesses some of the contaminated supply, raising the risk of the infection spreading.
Tragically, this makes Nico inadvertently responsible for exposing Jax to the virus when they take some drugs ahead of their planned Halloween show. This plays into Nico’s overall arc in the film. A young performer with an ego to match their confidence, Nico is also revealed to be in a relationship with Jane and a close friend to Jax.
Jax’s infection is a painful wake-up call for Nico, especially as they speak to the zombie and he tearfully discovers that Jax’s mind is gone. This sets up Nico’s big emotional beat during the third act, where they almost give into despair while surrounded — only to be saved when Dre and Sam lure the undead away and save them.
Queens Of The Dead’s Final Shot Doesn’t Bode Well For The Survivors
The final shot of Queens of the Dead reveals that Dre, Lizzy, Sam, Nico, Barry, Kelsey, Jane, Yasmine, and Twiz make it to the boat out of an infested New York City. However, it’s revealed in the final shot of the film that Nico took the drugs, as they open their eyes suddenly and seemingly transform into a zombie.
Best case scenario, the other survivors are awoken by the sudden transformation and can respond in kind, keeping themselves alive even if Nico isn’t. However, there’s a chance that Nico’s infection isn’t recognized until after the boat has made it away from Manhattan Island, allowing the infection to spread ot the mainland.
It’s a tragic final note for the film, given how the audience has come to love the scrappy survivors. Even Barry and Yasmine, the film’s most purposefully unlikable characters, grow throughout the experience and fight to save the others. The idea that none of them make it out of the film is a tragic final note for the film.
Queens of the Dead carries on a zombie movie tradition. Going all the way back to Night of the Living Dead, the sub-genre has iconic finales where the entire cast is dead or left with ambiguous fates. Queens of the Dead’s final moment bears some similarities to the final beat from the 2004 Dawn of the Dead remake, specifically.
The True Meaning Of Queens Of The Dead
Queens of the Dead is more of a found-family comedy than a pure horror movie, and that is very much by design. The central theme of the movie is about refusing to give in to one’s fear and being your true self. This is most prevalent with Sam, who serves as the emotional crux of much of the film.
A former performer, Sam bailed on Dre at a crucial show due to insecurities. Their lingering feud fuels much of the drama for both characters, only exacerbated by the situation and Lizzy’s efforts to reach the club. It takes Ginsey’s sacrifice to convince Sam they need to let their true self loose, leading Sam to bring back their drag persona.
Doing so sees Sam finally embrace their true self, notably saving Dre when they are briefly cornered by the undead. It also coincides with Barry and Yasmine taking the stage and fighting the horde as well, bringing together rivals and bullies to ensure the survival of the group as a whole amid all the chaos.
Queens of the Dead underscores the power of the collective by having so many characters escape on a Pride float, speaking to the film’s parallels with members of the LGBTQ community overcoming adversity in countless forms by sticking together. It gives Queens of the Dead a strong moral core amid all the black comedy and zombie attacks.
Release Date
October 24, 2025
Runtime
99 minutes
Director
Tina Romero
Writers
Tina Romero, Erin Judge