There is a duality between gay culture and the LGBTQ+ community not necessarily seen by the casual observer. On the surface, a sanitized dish sprinkled with a dash of camp that is both appetizing and easily digestible – think RuPaul’s Drag Race after its move to VH1, Netflix’s Queer Eye, or the very essence of Neil Patrick Harris. Underneath, however, lies a Giallo-like realm of irreverently dark humor, sex, and queer people being their unapologetic selves. Basically, what I imagine the inner workings of Julia Fox’s mind to be.
Death Drop Gorgeous, written and directed by Michael J. Ahern, Christopher Dalpe, and Brandon Perras, dives headfirst into the Gay Upside Down and explores this seedy underbelly of life known to many a queer person. It’s a horror film made by and for the community, with humor just as foul as its vicious gore and an esoteric script that is at times impenetrable to the untrained eye. While representation matters, so too do counterculture and defiance, and DDG is radical as hell.
This grungy slasher tracks a gaggle of drag queens, barkeeps, and aspiring somebodies – the local has-beens and have-nots of Providence, Rhode Island – as they struggle to make something of themselves. The catch? An unseen killer seeks to make blood bags of them instead, slaying and filleting their way through the community in and around the local gay bar that acts as the film’s hub. Borrowing more than a title from 1999’s dark comedy Drop Dead Gorgeous and taking cues from the likes of Showgirls, DDG becomes its own twisted version of these beloved cult classics. Gay colloquialisms replace small-town Minnesotan accents, and the backstage exploits of drag queens Janet Fitness, Tragedi, and Gloria Hole snatch the torch from antihero Nomi Malone and her Vegas contemporaries. Films that were already on the fringe of the mainstream are further subverted into something fully representative of a community and culture that doesn’t always see the light of day.
This spotlight shines on none more so than Gloria Hole, the aging, bitter drag queen with little to show for her tarnished brand other than hosting Tuesday Night Bingo at the local dive. She is rather aggressively being ushered out by younger and more flexible queens, and Michael McAdam (local Providence drag queen Payton St. James) is unmatched as Gloria, displaying comedic timing and dramatic range befitting an Oscar nomination (well, at least Golden Globe). While some of the film’s acting is a bit rough around the edges, McAdam left me transfixed each time Gloria was on screen, and boy does she have some sinful tricks up her sleeve. The cast is rounded out with amusing takes on the usual archetypes, such as buddy cops who break through the homoerotic tension into full-on lovers, the vile and corrupt bar owner with a soft spot for pup play, and the grating best friend who you actually wouldn’t mind seeing eternally silenced. Tragedi (drag queen Complete Destruction) also rises to unassuming icon status as a sociopathic bystander that could give Aubrey Plaza’s dry wit a run for her money.
DDG’s culture clash is also apparent when it comes to the production itself. LGBTQ+ centered media often tends to get the shaft regarding budget and visibility unless it’s awards bait or the aforementioned politically correct morsel, and at times these budgetary constraints are evident. Audio and video quality is noticeably lackluster in certain scenes when directly compared to others, which can be a bit jarring, but this ultimately does not detract from the film’s triumphs. The cutting humor and outstanding special effects work continue to pique interest, and by the time the film’s midpoint arrives – and the killer is revealed – it’s gone full tilt Giallo, and all is forgiven.
In this instance, the Giallo reference is not simply a knowing wink or homage: Genre specific structure, camerawork, coloring, and gore are peppered throughout until the final act sees the film fully release itself to the madness and perform a depraved dance that maniacally balances the styles of Dario Argento and John Waters. When I said DDG isn’t for everyone, I meant it, and even the Boulet Brothers’ darling of prosthetics and practical effects, Victoria Elizabeth Black, is on the crew to bring the carnage to life. Whether you want to see a phallus ground into mincemeat after a hookup gone awry or watch a chilling, purple-hued lip sync of Humanbeasts’ “Chandelier,” this film is your ticket.
Contrary to what current mainstream media would have you believe, there is a grittier side to the LGBT+ community that deserves to be seen and understood. The team behind Death Drop Gorgeous shines a blacklight on these dark corners and allows for an exploration of this shared experience. Stories of misbegotten dreams and cutthroat colleagues may not be unique to any one group of people, but it’s important to acknowledge where different cultures come from and maybe even have a little fun along the way. For some, this may prove cathartic, for others insightful, and for many open-minded souls, it’s simply a blast to behold.
Death Drop Gorgeous is streaming now on Shudder.
