Psycho Beach Party (2000)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Robert Lee King

Writers (WGA):

Charles Busch (play)
Charles Busch (screenplay)

Release Date:

September 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Party till you drop. Dead.

Plot:

Spoof of 1960's Beach Party/Gidget surfing movies mixed with slasher horror films stars Lauren Ambrose as Florence Forrest...

Plot Keywords:

Beach | Surfing | Actress | Slasher | Spoof

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Lauren Ambrose	...	Florence 'Chicklet' Forrest
Thomas Gibson	...	Kanaka
Nicholas Brendon	...	Starcat
Kimberley Davies	...	Bettina Barnes
Matt Keeslar	...	Lars / Larry
Charles Busch	...	Captain Monica Stark
Beth Broderick	...	Mrs. Ruth Forrest
Danni Wheeler	...	Berdine
Nick Cornish	...	Yo Yo
Andrew Levitas	...	Provoloney
Amy Adams	...	Marvel Ann
Kathleen Robertson	...	Rhonda
Nathan Bexton	...	T.J.
Buddy Quaid	...	Junior
Jenica Bergere	...	Cookie

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Singapore:R(A) (cut) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | France:U | Germany:12 | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Malibu, California, USA

Company:

New Oz Productions

Trivia:

According to director/writer commentary track on the Region 1 DVD, the original performances of the stage play from which the movie is based featured 'Charles Busch' in the role of Florence/Chicklet. When Busch adapted his play to film format, he was too old to play Chicklet, so he wrote for himself the part of Captain Monica Stark so he could still participate in the production.

Quotes:

Kanaka: Mistress Ann, I've been a bad boy.
Florence "Chicklet" Forrest: And bad boys get spanked. Bad boys get tortured!
Kanaka: Cowabunga!

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Gidget (1959)

a GREAT example of satiracle film-making...

First things first: 'Psycho Beach Party' is funny, fresh, light-hearted and completely likable. It is a rare film that can walk the tight-rope between mocking a particular film genre (in this case, the "Beach Blanket" movies of the fifties and sixties) while still showing great affection for said genre. 'Psycho Beach Party' does it wonderfully. Using an obviously skewed view of these pleasant if vapid films, 'PBP' covers us in satirical humor and warmth, a tricky combination to pull off. If you have ever sat through a film in which a surf board was the star, check this one out...great fun.

Now, second: In response to Brian Bagnall's review from Canada, this film is NOT gay propoganda (just because the writer/director is gay does not make this a gay film). Gays do NOT have to have blonde hair (one of the only two agy characters has black hair...must have missed that one, huh, Brian?). The film does NOT portray the era as demeaning to women (the women in this film are some of the most empowered I have seen in a long time). And if you can not suspend your disbelief for long enough to watch our young heroine escape from a man twice her size, you probably should not be watching a film with the word "psycho", "beach", and "party" in the title. This film looks foundly back on a time that was simpler, both in the movies and reality. Anyone who gets anything other than a Genre Spoof from this was not paying attention.

Put simply, people; 'Psycho Beach Party' is Fabu!