source: Psycho Beach Party

Psycho Beach Party

As the 60s Beach Movie genre that 'Psycho Beach Party' attempts to parody were already tongue in cheek exercises in camp surrealism themselves, the question remains how can you parody a parody and make it worth watching? I'm sure it can be done somehow, but this isn't it. I know absolutely nothing about the stage play that inspired this movie. Maybe it was amusing, I really don't know, but this translation to the big screen is one of the stupidest and dullest movies I've had to endure in a long, long time. A third rate cast of TV faces, has beens and never will bes, try their hardest to add some life and fun to this tiresome script, but within 20 minutes I was yawning, and by the half way point I had troubling staying awake. 'Psycho Beach Party' is absolutely awful and unfunny. Avoid this one at all costs!

Psycho beach party is a silly and enjoyable movie not very far from John Waters "Cry Baby". There are parodies of the sixties "surf movies", but also many references of Alfred Hitchcock sixties movies : a little of Psycho, some lines from Marnie and a few things, maybe, from Vertigo. Add to this transvestite policemen and women, a Z-movie actress, yeah, this is stupid, and great too because it is stupid.

Murder-mystery send-up of the teen films from the early '60s--complete with a schizophrenic Gidget at the steering wheel--is keenly aware of what it wants to be, and how to duplicate the look of those A.I.P. beach flicks...yet it never develops a rhythm of its own. The cast is game, but green; co-star Charles Busch, in drag, also adapted the script from his own play, and maybe should have directed as well: none of the other performers matches his irreverent tone (although he does give himself the wittiest lines). The plot, about a killer amongst the surfing set, is a dull, talky one, and the camera-work is as insecure as the general handling. A fair attempt, this was probably a lot more successful on a small stage in front of a salacious audience. *1/2 from ****

I have to say the first time I watched this movie I couldn't even sit through the whole show. Fortunately for me that particular summer HBO played it in excess. Eventually I found myself looking to see when it was on again and watching it every time. This movie is a definite "send-up" to all those campy movies we either loved or hated, and this movie is definitely in the "love-it or hate it" category. Give yourself enough heads up to be up for anything and you too will add this to your "must see's" of cult classics. Most of the actors are unknown, some you may recognize from various TV shows. the story line is quirky at times but the cast works well together to pull this off.

Catch that perfect wave and keep all eyes open for a sand between the toes killer. Spoofing the beach party flicks of the 1960's. Lauren Ambrose stars as Florence, worried about filling out her bikini top as much as wanting to fit into the popular surfing crowd. She is also a bit schizophrenic with a violent streak and a mouth as filthy as a sailor. Sun-drenched comical search for a serial killer. Also in the cast: Thomas Gibson, Amy Adams, Nicholas Brendon, Kathleen Robertson and Charles Busch.

A silly, sick, hilarious movie! We had so much fun--saw it on a rainy night in NYC; the theater was packed and a rollicking good campy time was had by all! You'll remember many gems of dialogue--especially a line from Nicholas Brendon that rivals fellow "Buffy" cast member Allyson Hannigan's shocker in "American Pie"! Anyone with the slightest affection for those AIP beach movies will love this one. Terrific soundtrack too--why no album???

I really liked the concept of the movie. A parody both on the slasher craze of the 80s and the teen beach movies of the 60s but sadly it didn't deliver the fun as it promised. The story is really badly written and the acting is just horrible. But it's supposed to be funny but it wasn't funny. The jokes are awful and didn't give me a chuckle and the cinematography is enough to to anyone a headache. It's a complete snooze fest. I literally found myself falling asleep more than I was laughing at the movie and that's not a good sign. I will not recommend this snooze fest to anyone not even a fan of horrible movies, check out scary movie or the 80s gem Student Bodies.

A fun spoof of the Gidget type of movies. In addition to the surf spoof, it also adds camp, noir and suspense, all in B-movie style. The style itself is very '50s, with no details missed. With the movie's shifting of suspicion to different characters all the time, it will keep you guessing all the way toward the end as to who killer is.