A fun spoof of the Gidget type of movies. In addition to the surf spoof, it also adds camp, noir and suspense, all in B-movie style. The style itself is very '50s, with no details missed. With the movie's shifting of suspicion to different characters all the time, it will keep you guessing all the way toward the end as to who killer is.

How do you parody movies that are already parodies?

I noticed that "Psycho Beach Party" has good reviews from everyone. Well, sorry to buck the trend, but I did not enjoy the film. I think much of it could be my age. After all, I remember the beach movies of the 1960s because I grew up in the 60s...and the films were really already parodies of themselves. The original beach movies were terrible...and they made no bones about it and were meant to be dopey. So, making a newer film that makes fun of them really cannot hit the mark simply because making a bad movie about bad movies isn't really all that funny...at least if you are familiar with the genre. If I wanted to see incredibly broad acting, bad writing and a dopey plot, I'd just watch "Beach Blanket Bingo" or "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini". The only real difference is that "Psycho Beach Party" has more sexual innuendo and some killing. But for me, that just isn't enough to recommend it.

Murder-mystery send-up of the teen films from the early '60s--complete with a schizophrenic Gidget at the steering wheel--is keenly aware of what it wants to be, and how to duplicate the look of those A.I.P. beach flicks...yet it never develops a rhythm of its own. The cast is game, but green; co-star Charles Busch, in drag, also adapted the script from his own play, and maybe should have directed as well: none of the other performers matches his irreverent tone (although he does give himself the wittiest lines). The plot, about a killer amongst the surfing set, is a dull, talky one, and the camera-work is as insecure as the general handling. A fair attempt, this was probably a lot more successful on a small stage in front of a salacious audience. *1/2 from ****