Psycho Beach Party

It's too much filmed theater to come alive fully on the screen.

Saddled with both a script and direction that never comes near the wit or cleverness in Busch's own performance.

It definitively skewers the false innocence of American pop culture on the eve of the countercultural deluge.

Awkward combination of garish set decoration and muffled humor.

Sometimes more fun to describe than to watch.

Just when it looked like the "Scream" franchise and "Scary Movie" had pretty much had their way with spoofing the horror film genre, along comes "Psycho Beach Party" attempting to horn in on the territory. Unfortunately, it's the little movie that can't.

Psycho Beach Party is a relic of a time when major studios would never green-light or bankroll a film about queer characters that werent tragic, or that would feature good-natured gay sex. Fortunately, fringe cinema had other priorities.

Let me just break it down in high-fidelity stereophonic sound: this film is funny as hell. It's the most killer beach party you'll ever get invited to.

Immaculate execution in every detail of one poor conception after another... uninspired, arrogant, and lazy.