In Queens of the Dead, drag queens and club kids face a Brooklyn zombie apocalypse, but it’s Margaret Cho and Jack Haven who steal the show with their campy chemistry and butch-femme energy. The horror-comedy, directed by Tina Romero, balances brains, blood, and queer heart with a killer ensemble cast.
“I liked being in the genre. I haven’t done that much horror, so it was really amazing to work with Tina because she’s obviously from the horror dynasty of George Romero,” Cho said. “Everybody’s so great in this. It was just so exciting to work with so many amazing people. Everybody is a star. It really is like an all-star cast, so I was star struck the whole time.”
The cast is packed with familiar faces, including Katy O’Brian (Love Lies Bleeding), Jaquel Spivey (Mean Girls), Tomas Matos (Fire Island), Nina West (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Dominique Jackson (Pose), Cheyenne Jackson (Call Me Kat), Riki Lindhome (Wednesday), Eve Lindley (Dispatches from Elsewhere), Becca Blackwell (Ramy), Shaunette Renée Wilson (The Resident), Quincy Dunn-Baker (Only Murders in the Building), and Julie J (High Maintenance). Together, they bring a mix of camp, chaos, and charisma that makes Queens of the Dead as funny as it is freaky.
For Haven, who plays Kelsey, the blonde bambshell who finds herself on the wrong side of an ax, the fun was in going full glam. “I wanted to look like a super slut,” he laughed. “Right from the beginning. I wanted huge jugs and the mini-est skirt possible, so I felt really good choosing the outfit.”
Though he looked incredible on-screen, it definitely wasn’t the most practical outfit for surviving the apocalypse. “I would say by day three I was like, can I maybe put on some sweats? But seeing it back worth every minute.”
Cho, who plays the brave and loyal Pops, loved how their characters contrasted. “It was like that perfect bombshell, so it allowed me to be more masculine,” she explained. “I was trying to take care of Kelsey, so it was like this thing of getting to really play that butch femme dynamic, which I am so old school. I love a butch fem relationship. It’s very 1950s.”
Haven couldn’t agree more. “Yeah, you were such a powerful butch, but also so elegant,” he told Cho. “She’s a lawyer.”
They also affectionately call each other Pops and Sweet Angel, with Cho riding in to the rescue on an electric scooter. In case you needed another reason to watch.
Zombies Are Coming. What Do We Do Now?
Shudder Release.
When the apocalypse hits, the movie’s humor and social satire really take over. “I think the relationship to phones is very real,” Haven said. “Everybody immediately pulling out their phones to check what they should do, even though you know what you should probably do, which is secure the premises.” Cho added, “Also, the infighting and squabbling. I think that’s totally what, that’s always very natural in any kind of a disaster film. You have petty fights, which I think make for a really fun journey.”
There are so many fun characters and storylines in this film, it’s hard to choose a favorite. We have Drag Queens coming back to the stage, pregnancy announcements, annoying straight brothers, the works. Asked which role they would swap for, Cho didn’t hesitate. “I think I would like to switch places with Tomas. I was always changing my physicality to really emulate Tomas. This is something that they and I have done every, we’ve done our second film together, so we always do. We find a synchronized dance that we do.”
Haven chimed in, “You two had major chemistry, you and Tomas, and I feel like everyone on set was in love with and is in love with Tomas. Tomas just becomes the space.” After some thought, he added, “Yeah, it would be Dominique. I just realized. Yeah, I mean, spiritually, I would want to change places with Dominique just for five minutes, just to elevate a bit.”
Romero, the daughter of legendary filmmaker George A. Romero, grew up surrounded by the world of horror her father helped define. Known as the godfather of the modern zombie, George A. Romero created classics like Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, and Day of the Dead, blending gore with sharp social commentary that changed the genre forever.
Now, with Queens of the Dead, she’s putting her own bold, queer spin on the genre he made famous. “My whole life, I’ve wondered how I could carry the Romero torch in a way that felt authentic to me,” Romero said. “Queens of the Dead is it. My first feature, true to me and my dad’s legacy as can be.”
Queens of the Dead is now playing in select theaters.
