LGBTQ+ Cinema Club: There’s a Zombie Outside (2024)

Quick Info:

• Title: There’s a Zombie Outside
• Year: 2024
• Directed by: Michael Varrati
• Starring: Ben Baur, Phylicia Wissa, Danny Plotner
• Where I Watched It: Dekkoo.com — curiosity got the better of me

Queer-o-Meter:
🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈 (4 out of 5 Pride Flags)
Plenty of queer energy, self-aware horror nods, and existential dread — even if some of it went straight over my head.

One-Line Summary:
A horror filmmaker starts seeing his movie monsters creeping into real life — and the lines between creation, obsession, and reality get delightfully (and sometimes bewilderingly) blurred.

Standout Scene:
There’s a point where Ben Baur’s character stares out the window, watching something shambling in the dark — and it’s hard to tell whether it’s a zombie or his own imagination turning against him. The tension is thick, the lighting perfect, and for a second, I thought, okay, now we’re cooking.

Favorite Line:

“I already let the zombie in.”
That tagline alone sums up the film’s whole vibe — the idea that the monsters we fear most are the ones we create ourselves.

Would I Rewatch?

Once was enough – unless there’s a lot of wine

Review:
Okay, cards on the table — this one really wasn’t for me. I wanted to love it (especially since Michael Varrati’s been doing some cool things for queer horror lately), but somewhere between the metaphor-heavy dialogue and the dreamlike pacing, I got a little lost. It’s one of those movies where you keep thinking you missed something important, but then realize, nope — that was the scene.

Ben Baur plays a horror creator haunted by his own imagination, and he’s solid here — charming, anxious, and a little unhinged in all the right ways. Phylicia Wissa brings grounding energy to her scenes, while Danny Plotner adds humor and bite. I actually liked the cast a lot; it’s just that the story itself kept zig-zagging between reality and hallucination in a way that left me squinting at the screen.

That said, there are flashes of brilliance. Some of the visuals are striking — washed in eerie neon light, with just enough grain to give it that late-night VHS feel. And yes, I did get a good laugh out of the zombie sex scene. Totally unexpected, kind of ridiculous, but it made me grin — and honestly, any movie that can still make me laugh after confusing me for half an hour deserves a little credit.

It’s clear that Varrati had something deeper on his mind: how artists become consumed by the monsters they create, and how fear can be a reflection of our own identities. I just wish it had been a touch more straightforward about it. There’s a great movie somewhere in there — it just feels like it’s buried under too many layers of self-awareness and symbolism.

Final Thoughts:
There’s a Zombie Outside is ambitious, moody, and unapologetically queer — and I respect the hell out of that. But it’s also the kind of movie that’ll either click for you or leave you checking the time. For me, it leaned toward the latter. Still, I’m glad I watched it. Even if it left me scratching my head, it at least gave me a good chuckle along the way.

The Cinema Club Verdict:
⭐⭐⭐
3 out of 5 Pride Flags. Points for creativity and queer horror representation, but minus a couple for confusion and pacing — and bonus points for zombie sex, because… wow.

If you’ve seen There’s a Zombie Outside, tell me if you figured out what was going on — or if you, too, were just along for the weird, undead ride. You can find me rambling about movies on BlueSky.