“I will not stop using my blog until justice is served!”
Who said it: me or a character from this week’s film? Sadly, I can’t claim credit, though I stand by the spirit of these words. Things I will also not stop doing until justice is served: annoying cats, eating raw cookie dough, looking for my sunglasses when they’re on top of my head.
The Film:
Death Drop Gorgeous
Directors:
Brandon Perras, Michael J. Ahern, & Christopher Dalpe
The Premise:
As drag queens fight for the spotlight at the local drag club, a serial killer targets and murders those associated with the establishment.
The Ramble:
Things are off to an ominous start when a drug deal goes wrong in Providence, RI, leaving our first victim dead at the hands of a mysterious figure whose face is never seen (of course). The victim meets a rather gruesome end as he inhales drugs deliberately laced with a toxic substance, and ultimately receives a death blow from a screwdriver.
It’s highly suspect that former bartender Dwayne returns, looking for a job at drag bar The Outhouse, despite being visibly repulsed by drag queens. Dwayne has been burned after going into business with his ex, who left him high and dry. Luckily, sketchy bar owner Tony Two Fingers could use the help and hires Dwayne on the spot.
Celebrating with roommate Brian, Dwayne is persuaded to go enjoy a night out to see one of the famous local drag queens, though drag is decidedly not his scene. When a man at the club is murdered in a gruesome way (think sausage grinder) and discovered drained of blood…it’s highly suspicious.
As rather incompetent detectives with romantic undertones investigate, Two Fingers slides some cash their way to keep the bar out of the headlines. Hmmmmmm.
Meanwhile, queens new and old are determined to get the coveted Saturday night spot on stage, resorting to some pretty catty behavior as they undercut each other. Best of these are washed-up Gloria Hole, whose routine is now rather out of touch, and Tragedi, an unnervingly quiet and intense custodian. As Gloria competes with the younger queens, barbs are exchanged, including (memorably), “Every perfectly bleached asshole expires!”
As the blood drained bodies pile up, the murders become impossible for the detectives to ignore, and a serious investigation is under way. Unfortunately, absolutely no one is particularly helpful or observant when questioned. Can the killer be caught before there are no more drag queens around in Providence?
The Rating:
3/5 Pink Panther Heads
Wow, this one grew on me. The beginning doesn’t bode well as it’s apparent from the start that this is an extremely low budget feature. Additionally, characters like Two Fingers (insufferable) and Dwayne (boring) get a hell of a lot more screen time than merited. A lot of the dialogue is horrible, and some of the jokes don’t quite land. I also do NOT understand the accents here, which sound like cringey attempts at Boston. Admittedly I don’t know what a Providence accent actually sounds like.
However, the queens are memorably drawn, particularly Gloria and Tragedi. The petty digs between queens add a lot of fun to the proceedings, with Gloria’s lines especially standing out. Without being too spoiler-y, I frequently feel as jaded as Gloria and can’t entirely fault her for some of her choices. The script does do a reasonable job of setting up the mystery of the killer’s identity, as there are a number of red herrings. Even if I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, I was still interested in where things were heading.
Also I am completely obsessed with Tragedi, aka the fabulously named Complete Destruction.
The Pink Panther Snipes Again 