Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41696 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-07-28
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 85 minutes

DVD Description
Psycho Beach Party comes from screenwriter and dragtress extraordinaire Charles Busch. It's an audaciously funny whodunit and psycho thriller parody set on the sun-drenched beaches of ‘60s Malibu. When pouty-lipped misfit Chicklet, (Lauren Ambrose, Six Feet Under) finally makes her way into the cool crowd, she begins having insanely bizarre blackouts. At precisely the same time, all of her beefcake surfer pals mysteriously drop like flies and she quickly becomes the chief suspect. A madcap romp filled with shirtless hunks, a wannabe surf babe with a split personality, oh, and a few severed body parts.

Synopsis
A mischievous beach-fest in the style of old 50s, 60s, and 70s thriller-beach party-slasher movies, Malibu-based PSYCHO BEACH PARTY follows a nearly invisible plot. Chicklet Forrest (Lauren Ambrose) is a wanna-be surfer girl with multiple personalities. When a series of murders takes place on the beach, Chicklet is a prime suspect, and Captain Monica Starck (Charles Busch in drag) arrives to interrogate the remaining set of eccentric beach-going revelers.

Customer Reviews

No psycho, some beach and very little party
This had all the potential to be top of its genre of teen spoof horrors. It starts fairly well, but then we often allow a 'honeymoon' period at the start of a film before our critical juices start flowing, and I must admit mine went into free fall after half an hours viewing. But at the begining we have cross dressing cops over the top gullibility from the 'kids' and some well thought out sets. However this movie never really takes off and cliches aside there is little of merit in this flick. If you are a fan of the gendre you will find it amusing at best, if you crave originality then watch some childrens cartoons instead of this, I recommend Fairly Odd Parents.

Unpack your bongos beatniks.
This film is a homage to several low-budget movie themes of the 60's & 70's. Starting off as a black & white movie being watched at a drive-in, one of the teenage movie-goers is murdered and soon the cops are on the case.
The plot, such as it is, involves a young girl with multiple personalities who is out to impress a group of surf-bums, a B-Movie actress trying to shake off her image and do something better, and not letting a lack of talent get in the way and along the way there are several murders and lots of red-herrings.
Stereotypes rule throughout which is exactly what is needed here, it's a really enjoyable romp that harks back to the likes of Beach Girls and the Monster, Horror of Party Beach, Attack of the 60ft Woman and even the Beast with 2 Heads amongst others, it even has a transvestite cop and a couple of the surf-boys dress up in women's clothes, a possible homage to Ed Wood Jr.
Lauren Ambrose who plays the girl with multiple personalities Florence "Chicklet" Forrest is outstanding, especially in her Ann Bowman persona. There are several other good performances by the cast Kathleen Robertson is wheelchair bound and as anti-social as you can get. Beth Broderick, Amy Adams, Kimberley Davies and Nicholas Brendon are also good but most of the credit for this has to go to Charles Busch wrote the screenplay based on his own play, he also plays the oddly gender oriented Capt. Monica Stark.
This is a real one-off movie, it is funny, the women look great in 1960's style bikinis, especially Amy Adams, and there's plot twists everywhere and one "neat" twist at the end that I did not see coming.

Highly amusing
Without a doubt, Lauren Ambrose (Florence 'Chicklet' Forrest) is the star of this production, formerly of 'Six Feet Under'. Her multiple personalities (you'll never guess why) are hilariously portrayed. She is supported by a surprisingly well known cast: Thomas Gibson (Greg from 'Dharma & Greg'; Nicholas Brandon from 'Buffy'; Kimberley Davies from 'Neighbours'; Beth Broderick from 'Sabrina the teenage witch' and Amy Adams and Matt Kesslar from various productions).

The plot is a little thin, but is borne out well. There are sufficient one-liners and underlying motifs to make this an enjoyable viewing. I'm not convinced about the detective (Charles Busch), but am happy to presume it's a cult thing.

Happily recommended for when there's nothing else on and you need a giggle.