Psycho Beach Party

Psycho Beach Party is a spoof of 1950s and 1960s beach movies, particularly the likes of Gidget. Florence 'Chicklet' Forrest (Lauren Ambrose) is a good girl who falls in with a surfing crowd. Kanaka (Thomas Gibson) takes a fancy to her, primarily because she has blackouts during which she turns into a sex-crazed animal. Meanwhile, a number of murders are taking place, and Captain Monica Stark (Charles Busch in drag) investigates.

I had high hopes for Psycho Beach Party. It was immediately apparent that it had more depth than most modern spoofs (Scary Movie et al) which just shoehorn in irrelevant film references at every opportunity. There are hints of the cheesy campness of John Waters' films, and the well-rounded spoof of the little-known Wet Hot American Summer, but sadly Psycho Beach Party is a damp squib.

The major problem is a bland script. There's next to nothing to laugh at. It lacks any depth, interest or real comedy. Once you've admired the atmosphere, you're left with another 90 minutes to sit through of much the same. You could try and figure out whodunnit, but it's not meant to be a thriller.

The actors give it their best, with everyone hamming it up and having lots of fun, but with such an uninspiring script, there's not much they can do. Psycho Beach Party should have been the type of film I love, but ultimately it's one to avoid.