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Cowabunga, Queers!: Charles Busch’s ‘Psycho Beach Party’ (2000)

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Psycho Beach Party is delicious. 

Originally a 1987 stage play by Charles Busch, a drag performer and PBP screenwriter, Psycho Beach Party is the quintessentially queer horror comedy satire and parody of the early-2000s, and we don’t talk about it enough. This could be due to the popularity of another horror comedy parody of the same year: Scary Movie (2000). However, while Scary Movie has queer characters, they are marred by extremely pervasive stereotypes that have persisted in film, especially horror, for decades. Psycho Beach Party, on the other hand, has more to offer horror queers than Scary Movie. It was created by a queer individual and satirizes 1950s/1960s conservatism and family values. This campy summer flick that draws from films like Psycho (1960) and Surf Party (1964) deserves more recognition for its creativity and proud queerness.

Central to Psycho Beach Party is camp. Much like Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999), Jawbreaker (1999), and …But I’m a Cheerleader (1999), this film has a sinister sparkle that makes it a delightful, nostalgic summer watch for millennials and Gen-Z Y2K-enthusiasts. It flirts with traditionally queer subversive subtext while making itself accessible to new viewers who love the early-aughts style as well as love the familiar faces of several actors. Psycho Beach Party falls into the subgenre of horror-comedy spoof, parody, and/or satire. Ask anyone about early-00s horror comedies, and the Scary Movie franchise would be frequently mentioned. Bridging the gap between the first horror spoof comedies Saturday the 14th (1981) and Student Bodies (1981)Scary Movie found its audience in horror and the mainstream, thanks to the wildly-popular Wayans Brothers. 

There is not much satire to be found in Scary Movie, unlike Psycho Beach PartyScary Movie suffers from an overuse of harmful queer stereotypes, while Psycho Beach Party uses queer characters and themes to analyze 1950/1960s-era misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia. Scary Movie digs itself into society’s deep-rooted history of homophobia and transphobia while presenting audiences with a fun mashup of horror’s most beloved films. As a result of its popularity, the franchise would continue to perpetuate negative queer stereotypes in popular culture, further entrenching them in pop culture discourse. A prominent example is Ms. Mann, the girls’ gym coach in the franchise’s first installment. Ms. Mann, in a matter of just a few minutes of screentime, divulges to protagonist Cindy that she essentially transitioned (MTF) to gain an athletic edge (a dangerous myth within past and current right-wing circles), then proceeds to sexually harass Cindy. Scary Movie writers had the nerve to slip in just one more harmful myth perpetuated in Hollywood films for decades: Ms. Mann has a Nazi S.S. uniform hanging behind her desk.

Psycho Beach Party, thanks to screenwriter and creator Charles Busch, does not take the film in such a toxic direction. PBP feels targeted at queers with an appreciation for the horror genre and camp sensibilities, and there is a certain tenderness in how it treats its queer characters. Unlike Scary Movie’s predatory gays, the queers of PBP are not malicious, nor do they fall into the cliche of getting knocked off by the end of the film. PBP reclaims tired horror queer stereotypes from films such as Psycho while introducing new possibilities for the genre, including having a drag queen be a police captain in a 1960s beach town (the John Waters-Divine connection is not lost on me). There is even a queer history callback to Christine Jorgensen, one of the first transgender public figures, having surgically transitioned with the help of a doctor in Denmark in 1952, receiving worldwide media attention.

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Now, let’s grab our surfboards and drop into this wacky, campy, and totally nectar 2000s flick!

Psycho Beach Party is a classic who-done-it. Teenage Florence Forrest (Lauren Ambrose), desperately seeks the approval of the cool surfers down by the beach, particularly the popular Starcat (Nicholas Brendon) and Kanaka (Thomas Gibson), a mythic beach fixture that hangs out with high schoolers and surfs massive waves via green screen. Florence, dubbed Chicklet by her new surfer chums, exhibits symptoms of multiple personalities just around the time murders begin in her town. Chicklet; her bookish, horror-obsessed best friend Berdine; her new flirtatious acquaintance Marvel Ann (played by the wonderful Amy Adams, giving us another fabulous iteration of her horny cheerleader character from Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)); her ragtag team of surfer bros; her secretive mother; and an aging B-horror movie star are all under the surveillance of Police Captain Monica Stark.

Meet the cast and Capt. Stark’s prime suspects:

Character: Florence “Chicklet” Forrest 

Played by: Lauren Ambrose (Can’t Hardly Wait, Yellowjackets) 

Surf Status: Total grommet.

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Red Flags: the classic horror film affliction of multiple personality disorder.

Character: Captain Monica Stark

Played By: Charles Busch (Addams Family Values, Die, Mommie, Die!)

Town Gossip: She has a past with the legendary Kanaka!

Red Flags: A cop.

Character: Marvel Ann

Played By: Amy Adams (Drop Dead Gorgeous, Enchanted, Sharp Objects)

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Surf Status: None, groupie

Red Flags: Too horny

Character: Berdine

Played By: Danni Wheeler (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch)

Town Gossip: she reads far too into cheesy horror films for feminist and queer subtext…

Rainbow Flag: yes.

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Character: Starcat

Played By: Nicholas Brendan (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer)

Surf Status: the insufferable Leader

Red Flags: a big-headed psychology major who knows way too much…

Characters: Yo-Yo & Provoloney

Played By: Nick Cornish (Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Dawson’s Creek) & Andrew Levitas (writer and producer)

Surf Status: two bros who love waves and chicks and oily beach wrestling 

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Rainbow Flags: yes.

Character: Kanaka

Played By: Thomas Gibson (Dharma & Greg, Criminal Minds)

Surf Status: A GOD.

Red Flags: exclusively hangs out with high schoolers.

Character: Rhonda

Played By: Kathleen Robertson (Beverly Hills 90210, Scary Movie 2)

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Town Gossip: None, starts it all.

Red Flags: definitely uses antigay slurs.

Character: Ruth Forrest

Played By: Beth Broderick (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Sharp Objects)

Town Gossip: lover of the Armed Forces…

Red Flags: questionable parenting choices.

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Character: Lars

Played By: Matt Keeslar (Waiting for Guffman, Scream 3)

Town Gossip: None, beloved quiet foreign exchange student.

Red Flags: a foreign exchange student in a horror movie.

Psycho Beach Party (2000) is streaming on Tubi

Abigail Waldron is a queer historian who specializes in American horror cinema. Her book "Queer Screams: A History of LGBTQ+ Survival Through the Lens of American Horror Cinema" is available for purchase from McFarland Books. She resides in Brooklyn, New York.

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The Best Horror You Can Stream on Shudder in November 2025

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Halloween season is over, and many streamers have forgotten about us horror kids. While they take their 11-month hiatus from the genre, we can be grateful that we still have an app that cares. We are so lucky that Shudder remains that girl year-round. Whether you’re finishing their new original show Guts & Glory, catching up on The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans, or running at some of their deep cuts like I am, Shudder has your best interests at heart. As usual, she has quite a few titles fighting for our attention. Which is why I am here with five titles I think should be at the top of all of our watch lists this November. So, cancel your holiday plans and pick up your remote because we have got horrifying things to watch.

The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month

Habit (1995)

An alcoholic unwittingly enters into a relationship with a succubus in New York City. If you ever wondered what Larry Fessenden was getting up to in his youth, you need to see this ’90s gem. I lucked out and caught it at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival last year, and I lived my best life. While watching it on the small screen will not be the same, I plan to hit play anyway. Mostly because I love to see 1990s succubi leaving their mark on men…and also the horror genre. Shudder is also adding The Last Winter and Depraved, so we can spend a whole day with Uncle Larry’s work.

Sew Torn (2024)

A seamstress happens upon a failed drug deal and steals a briefcase. She soon finds herself caught in a deadly situation where all roads lead to death. I caught Sew Torn at SXSW last year and have been wondering what happened to it. So, I am very happy this odd little bird has found her way to Shudder. I cannot wait to make my friends who are looking for something cute and deadly watch. I knew nothing when I hit play on this, and I encourage you to know as little as possible, too. I fear I have already written too much in this blurb to be completely honest. 

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You can watch Sew Torn on November 1st.

The Retreat (2021)

A couple goes on a pre-wedding retreat and unwittingly becomes targets of a group of serial killers. We have seen too many movies about retreats, and I thought this one would be more of the same. This title does not completely reinvent the wheel, but it does set itself apart within this oversaturated subgenre. The Retreat is a surprisingly fun and tense little thriller that feels made for the winter watches. Come for the lesbian characters leading the film, and stay for the violence. I also encourage you to check it out while it is on Shudder, because it is usually on apps with ads.

You can watch The Retreat on November 1st.

The Creep Tapes (Season 2)

Peachfuzz returns with more tapes, chaos, kills, and WTF moments. Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice have reentered the TV arena and are making things weird again. If award shows were real, this duo would be leading the Emmys charge. I saw the first three episodes, and Josef/Peachfuzz is still the serial killer after our own hearts. Our Wolfie is still cutting up (literally and figuratively) in the most amazing ways. Guest stars in danger this season include David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil), Katie Aselton (The League), and Robert Longstreet (The Haunting of Hill House). 

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You can watch The Creep Tapes (Season 2) on November 14th.

Krampus (2015)

A kid accidentally summons demons during the holidays in this horror comedy. Krampus remains one of the top-tier Christmas horror titles for me. It is also my favorite Michael Dougherty film. Not only because it has the star power of Adam Scott and Toni Collette, either. This movie is wicked, and even the kids are in danger. I do not have many holiday horror movies I revisit every year, but Krampus is one of the very few. It still holds up, and I cannot wait to rewatch it with a festively boozy beverage. 

You can watch Krampus on November 15th.

Those are a few reasons I am grateful for Shudder this holiday season. While the rest of you are fighting with your family and friends, I will be parked in front of my TV. You can have your turkey because I would rather gorge myself on episodes of The Creep Tapes anyway.

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Let me know what Shudder shenanigans you have got your little eye on. I am nosy and want to make sure I am not missing anything on my favorite streamer.

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The Best Horror You Can Stream on Netflix in November 2025

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The year is winding down, and I don’t know about you, but I am trying to pack in as many 2025 horror movies as I can. Is this because I love making end-of-the-year lists? Yes. Is it because I am an unhealed overachiever? Also, yes. So, I am assuming some of you are also cruising the streamers to see what you may have missed. While Netflix has had my favorite new slasher Heart Eyes for a bit, and I have mentioned that in previous streaming guides, they also have other new horror titles to show you.

I do not talk about them as much because I did not have a good time with them. However, that does not mean you won’t enjoy some of these titles. That’s why I am taking the high road and finding something to be grateful for about each of them. That way, you will know there is a silver lining if you do watch them. Allow me to help you figure out what to prioritize this month and what to skip. Check out this chaotic Netflix hitlist below! 

The Best Movies to Stream on Netflix This Month

28 Years Later (2025)

A group of survivors on a small island has built a fortress to protect them from the rage virus. However, a young boy discovers what is really outside the walls of their community and sets off to find a cure for his sick mother. We all loved 28 Days Later, and some of us liked 28 Weeks Later. So, 28 Years Later was never going to live up to the hype with almost thirty years of anticipation. While I didn’t love it, I did enjoy seeing Danny Boyle helm another zombie installment. What he does in the subgenre is top-tier, and we are welcome (even if the script left me wanting more). That might have gotten buried in all the talk about the dicks seen in the movie, though.

Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025)

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A group of girls competing for prom queen starts disappearing, leaving the underdog to figure out what is happening to her competition. I had a lot of thoughts about this lackluster installment in Netflix’s Fear Street adaptations. As someone who grew up reading Fear Street books and wanting to adapt them myself, I do not understand how this movie came out so badly. Which made it hard to find something nice to say about this title. However, the soundtrack slaps, and it is not the soundtrack’s fault that it was wasted on a low-energy bottom-tier slasher. So, if you hit play on this, you can at least look forward to hearing some retro bangers selected by music supervisor Nora Felder. If you are familiar with her work on Yellowjackets and Stranger Things, you know Felder does not miss.

Maa (2025)

To battle a demon’s curse, a mother transforms into the legendary goddess Kali. As usual, Netflix did not advertise an international horror movie that seemed to have some potential. If they had told us Maa was an Indian Hindi-language mythological horror movie, most people who yell for intersectionality and originality would have run at it. Instead, we had to find out about it months later while looking for something we hadn’t already seen on the app. This movie is too long, and I cannot say it is good by any stretch of the imagination. However, it also made me realize how little I know about the goddess of destruction. If you are a nerd like me, this might lead you down a cool rabbit hole. You can also say you gave a view to a horror movie starring Brown people. Who knows, maybe you could be one of the few who enjoy this chaotic film.

Until Dawn (2025)

A group of friends find themselves trapped in a time loop where they keep getting killed in gruesome ways. I love the video game and was so bummed this adaptation was so bad. However, the practical effects are very cool and should be celebrated more. I think the stuff that the SFX team pulled off might be the only reason to watch the movie personally. I’m happy the actors whose work I enjoy got paid, and that’s another positive thing I can say. However, if we want to see young people in deadly time loops, we have so many movies that do it better. Excuse me as I look right at Happy Death Day and all of the movies that have tried to copy her.

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Ziam (2025)

A Muay Thai fighter battles through a zombie apocalypse to save the woman he loves. Netflix fumbled the advertising for this one too, because who doesn’t want to see a Thai zombie film? So, I was excited to watch it, but then sad I did not like it. However, I think this one is on me. It is an action-horror with a lot of heartfelt moments, and that’s not my bag. I wanted more violence and zombie action because I am a broken and heartless ghoul. So, Ziam might be the only movie on this list that does not deserve my bombastic side eye. I am waiting for other people to watch it and let me know if they have a better time with it, though. 

While I was not the audience for these movies, I am assuming some of you will dig them. Worst-case scenario, you cross off a few more 2025 horror movies and have something to talk about at Friendsgiving. Happy Horrordays! I will see myself out now…

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