Katy O’Brian is crowned a scream queen in Queens of the Dead (2025), IFC Films
Dawn and Day of the Dead director George Romero may have passed on but his legacy is rising again. His daughter, for example, is carrying on his work in a new zombie film made for modern audiences (with everything that entails in mind). Tina Romero is ready to unleash the next chapter in her dad’s undead lineage, and it’s for the gays.
George Romero speaks with the eponymous host of George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight (2020), CBC
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly (via ComicBookMovie), Tina Romero discussed the motivations for making Queens of the Living Dead. “The zombie apocalypse is such a rich sandbox to play in when it comes to social commentary. I can’t be my dad’s daughter without making an attempt at saying something with zombies,” she said.
“I did want this to be a film in which I am paying homage to the world and the monster he created, but I’m also introducing my own voice. It’s very much not a film he would make, but it is using his vocabulary and is playing by his rules. As far as the queer element, on one hand, I just feel like the gays need a zombie film. It’s time that we get to have a big gay zombie movie,” Romero continued.
George Romero’s daughter, Tina Romero, unveils ‘Queens of the Dead,’ showing a first look at her ‘big gay zombie movie.’ https://t.co/c0WF0xJajI
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) June 2, 2025
“I am his kid. There’s no denying it. And he has influenced me greatly,” she said when addressing homages to her father in the film. “And this is his monster, this is his genre. I had fun doing my little Romero nods throughout the film, and we have some good ones.”
Her father’s work and influence will probably never die with the never-ending hordes of zombies that keep coming to eat our brains through the cinematic medium. Each of Romero’s Living Dead installments has either been remade, ripped off, reimagined, or paid tribute in some way over the last 50 years.
There is no stopping what comes out of the grave even if we’ve seen it a dozen times already. A new Night of the Living Dead is also in production from Turn: Washington’s Spies writer LaToya Morgan, Nanny director Nikyata Jusu, and Romero’s widow Christine Forrest Romero
Queens of the Dead stars Katy O’Brian of Love Lies Bleeding, Margaret Cho, and Jack Haven (Brigette Lundy-Paine) of I Saw the TV Glow. Here’s the synopsis: “a zombie apocalypse breaks out in Brooklyn on the night of a giant warehouse party, where an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids, and frenemies must put aside their drama and use their unique skills to fight against the brain-thirsty undead.”
The zombie “queens” unleash on October 24th.
NEXT: Bounding Into Halloween Night 1: ‘Night of the Living Dead’ And ‘Dawn of the Dead’
Writer, journalist, comic reader, and Kaiju fan that covers all things DC and Godzilla. Been part of fandome since … More about JB Augustine
Mentioned In This Article: George A. Romero Horror Katy O’Brian LGBT Night of the Living Dead Queens of the Dead Tina Romero Undead Zombies
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