Filipino gay zombie horror comedy Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings is heavy on the humor and the homo and very light on the horror and zombies. It is also heavy on the gay stereotypes. I don’t know if it’s a cultural thing, but the majority of gay portrayals in this film are of the uber-queenie type. Basically, every gay identified guy in the film is an effeminate drag queen. If you’re sensitive about gender identity vs. sexual orientation, you might be really turned off by this, but honestly, the movie is so fricking funny in its gayness that you have to just let it go.
As a young boy, little Remington goes around calling every feminine man he sees a homo. Persistently, relentlessly, mockingly. While visiting a cemetery with his mother, Remington unleashes on a man who proudly says he is gay and tells Remington that for mocking him, he will grow up to be gay also. Come on. How funny/wrong is it that “gay” is made out to be a “curse” in this film?
So anyway, Remington grows up to be a cute young man. And something worrisome is going on in his town; gay men dressed like Diana Ross and other iconic drag favorites are turning up dead. Meanwhile, Remington has his eye on a pretty young woman named Hannah.
But then something weird starts to happen. Remington keeps having these occurrences in which he is attacked by a scary, barely dressed, muscular man with his face hidden by a mop of long dark hair. The attacks feel so real, but it seems Remington is only dreaming. However, when he wakes up each morning, he notices he’s becoming—gayer! He dresses gay. He talks gay (his gay speak is shown in pink subtitles). And he begins to fall in love with his best friend!
Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings is absolutely bizarre, modestly sexy, and incredibly funny. While many of the stereotypes seem derogatory and Remington is desperate not to be gay (it’s a very straight-positive film), the majority of people in the film are either gay men, women, or straight guys who have had gay sex (therefore, they never look like drag queens since they identify as straight).
Again, you’ll struggle not to take offensive at the seemingly negative views on gays. For instance, one character actually tells Remington he’s too handsome to be gay (it’s apologetically presented with a statement of “I know it’s not politically correct to say this, but…”). Then Remington finds his ass uncontrollably swishing back and forth, and before long, he’s dancing and doing the finger snaps while prisms of color swirl around him and shoot out of his ass, and you can’t help but laugh.
Once the supernatural truth comes out through a séance, Remington learns he must get another straight guy to go gay in order for him to get back his heterosexuality so he can be with Hannah. The wishy-washy negative/positive messages about being gay continue—and then the Zombadings are summoned! Very briefly, big gay drag queen zombies rise from the grave and start attacking people! There’s plenty of traditional zombie fun before everything is…um…set straight.
I can’t say Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings is going to satisfy hardcore horror fans looking for a gay horror movie—and it may insult your masculinity. But it is a damn funny gay comedy with a touch of horror and could easily become a cult classic.
