There’s nothing more “summer” than a teen beach movie, and “Psycho Beach Party” is the mind-melting teen beach movie satire horror fans deserve. Based on the off-Broadway play of the same name from Charles Busch (who also wrote the screenplay), “Psycho Beach Party” is set in 1962 Malibu and pays homage to the psychodramas of the 1950s, beach movies like “Gidget” and “Beach Party” of the 1960s, and the slasher craze of the 1970s and ’80s. Lauren Ambrose stars as Florence “Chicklet” Forrest, a tomboy surfer girl who just wants to fit in with the surfer boys at the beach, and who may or may not have multiple personality disorder. It wouldn’t be so bad except there are a series of mysterious murders plaguing Malibu, and Chicklet starts to worry that one of her alter identities is killing people without her knowledge. How is she going to make friends when they all keep dying?!
Certainly more comedy than horror, “Psycho Beach Party” is a criminally underseen flick with a wildly impressive cast including Thomas Gibson, Nicholas Brendon, and a very early performance from Amy Adams. Thanks to the ability to recreate “Gidget”-style surf scenes with the rear project, the film does what the play could never dream of and perfectly captures the heart of beach movies, while keeping its tongue planted firmly in cheek. Busch even appears in the drag role of Captain Monica Stark, a character he created specifically for the film. It’s a horror-comedy birthed from the school of John Waters and Sandra Dee, and it’s a must-watch summer movie.