Rating: 
Summary: A riot of a movie that is much better than it should be
Review: I unfortunately missed this movie when it first came out as mainstream reviewers were not that impressed. Even the less mainstream "The Village Voice" did not think much of it. I am glad that I finally caught it on DVD as they were dead wrong. While some disliked the tongue in cheek humor and thought it lacked cleverness, I had a really good time watching this romp which is a campy fusion of teenaged surfer flicks and slasher sagas. There are many other homages, but it's like the TV show "The Simpsons", as we are not going to get all that is thrown our way, but there is more than enough the recommend this whacked out parody.Impossibly perky Florence (played brilliantly by a pre "Six Feet Under" Lauren Ambrose) doesn't quite fit in high school in her seaside Southern California town. Of course who feel like they do, but when she meets and gets the implicit approval of Kanaka (played perfectly by Thomas Gibson) she starts moving up the food chain of a band of "ultra-hip" surfer dudes. These guys area a riot and embody the homoerotic tension that exists in all-male domains and well are serving as a great parody of Danny's friends from the movie "Grease". Of course that is also a parody in many respects. The surf sequences pay their respect to those cheesy Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello movies. I won't reveal too much as I hate when reviewers give too much away, but Florence becomes "Chicklet," (or shall we say Gidget) as she tries her gosh-darnedest to be the sole girl riding the waves with the male group. While adopting her surfer alter ego, Florence soon discovers that other less pleasant personalities emerge when confronted with the sight of polka dots. One called Anne Bowman is a tough, "experienced" older lady, while the other, Tylene, is a stereotypical sassy black woman. Ambrose is a crack up in all of these scenes and those who love the Anne Bowman persona are a hoot. Blacking out whenever these other personalities take over, Florence becomes increasingly worried that she is responsible for a series of grizzly murders of people that have one thing in common..... Of course, she is far from the only suspicious character in her ocean side. This movie, which was adapted from Charles Busch's hit play, has Mr. Busch playing a hilarious yet not over the top Eve Arden-like police investigator is trying to figure out who's killing who. The physical resemblance to Eve Arden is almost scary as is a scene which reveals a little about her past with one of the main characters. Just keep in mind that Mr. Busch is a man when you see the extended encounter. Besides the usual cast of characters and great ear for 1960's teen-talk, Mr. Busch throws in original touches such as an excessively polite, bespectacled exchange student from Sweden, a psychology major from Northwestern who dispenses nuggets of Freudian psychology, and a physically challenged character with a mouth on her that made me laugh every single time that she was onscreen. The costumes are a hoot (just the swimsuits are worth the price of admission), the décor is flawless and while this is without a doubt a spoof of several movie genres, it does it in a loving and respectful fashion. I am not suggesting in any way that this movie is for everyone or is Oscar-worthy, but my barometer for any movie is did I enjoy or was I touched by what I saw. I certainly enjoyed the movie and it's paced so well that it ends just a little before you'd like it to, but as they say, leave 'em wanting more.
Rating: 
Summary: It's a funny classic , a clever spoof
Review: When I first saw the title I was thinking it was one of those 60's beach movies..But then I saw actors and actresses that are current, so I tuned in and I must say I am greatful I did.
Psycho beach party is a funny and witty movie. That makes fun of the beach movies of the 60's ( It's about time).It's a Psycho/Manic-mixture of 50's Suspense and "DUH" 60's beach movies,and 70's Halloween/friday the 13thish slasher flixs
My favorite actress Lauren Ambrose ( HBO series Six feet Under) is Florence (Chicklet) Forrest who really wants to be a surfer chick and be part of the Malibu beach crowd and also win the heart of StarCat, Plus also fight some inner demons and problems which is due to the fact her personality is spilt like a sliced pizza. Her personalities are wacky as she is, but as diffrent as night and day, there is Anne Bowman a sexy and forward & dominate personality that see's herself as the dominatrax empress of the planet earth. So don't mess with Anne Bowman and don't try to escape her power. Than there is Tylene Carmicheal Carmel who is a tough chick that works the check out at the safeway who has a blade who will cut you , so don't mess with this personality of chicklet's. Lauren Ambrose is a great actress who makes each one of her diffrent personalities sound and act so diffrent from each other that makes you wonder how this actress can do it. She makes being a perky and Zany surfer chick with multi-personality issues seem easy and fun.
Nicholas Brendon who's claim to fame is Buffy the vampire slayer's Xander. In Buffy he plays the Not popular-dense comedy one liner, but in psycho beach party he plays StarCat...who is the great Kanaka's handsome right hand man and the coolest and hottest surfer in Malibu, StarCat is smart and has a background in Psycho Analytic theory , the perfect golden boy of the Malibu beach crowd. But he is still a goof ball with deep rooted complex anxiety and feelings, who doesn't see the cool in chicklet. Plus doesn't know if he can trust Chicklet due to the fact she may be the slasher of malibu beach.
Then there is Thomas Gibson who is the Greg in Dharma & Greg..here he plays the king of the beach Kanaka, the smooth surfer who has a shack on the beach who more than anything lives for mother wave. But with a unknown fetish of being dominated until chicket uncovers the slave boy side of him. Who also had a thing with Captain Monica Stark, who just wants to live for the moment and then surf the waves.
All the actors and actresses are funny and superb.
Psycho Beach Party is so funny and wacky I can't wait till this movie is on vhs so I can watch this movie any time I want to. This movie is a cool and clever & stylish movie. You don't know who's the slasher, it has hilarious comedy lines and moments this movie is sure to be a classic.. I give it two thumbs up & *****5 Stars..I highly advise anyone who likes movie spoofs and just wants to laugh to go out and buy or rent this movie. It Rocks!!!
Rating:
Summary: Groovy!
Review: If you want a nice fun film for the evening, I definitely recommend this wacky movie!
Rating:
Summary: Camptastic!
Review: Psycho Beach Party starts in under the veil of a 50's beach party flick of the Annette Funicello & Frankie Avalon fame, but this has a wonderful campy twist to it. Florence aka Chicklet (Lauren Ambrose of Six Feet Under) has a split personality from hell. She is part naive young school girl, and her other half is a vampy harlot who is capable of almost anything. This becomes a problem when young teens begin getting knocked off at an alarming rate. Chicklet meets up with Kanaka (Thomas Gibson of Dharma & Greg) who discovers her alter ego Anne Bowman and is utterly spellbound by her. The film is a great mix of a old beach party movie and a campy murder mystery, you just can't get any better than that. The cast is rounded off by Nicholas Brendon of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Beth Broderick of Sabrina The Teenage Witch. This film is a riot, it's just the right amount of campy without going overboard. The performances are so well done, you will laugh all night long...
Rating: 
Summary: It's the 1960's All Over Again
Review: When "Psycho Beach Party" debuted off Broadway in 1987, half the fun was watching sometime drag actor Charles Busch play the part of a psycho surfer girl as if he was Joan Crawford, Annette Funicello and Sandra Dee all rolled into one. That plus the actor/playwright's keen and perverse observations of beatniks, alternate sexual lifestyles and Hollwood B-movies kept you howling madly for nearly two hours. On film, most of the original story remains intact. It's fun but the off-Broadway show was better. Florence/Chicklet, the mad surfer beach girl, still suffers from multiple split personalities. Bettina, the queen of the B-horror movies, longs for something greater. And surfer hunks Yo-Yo and Provoloney finally admit their undying love for one another. The biggest difference between the play and the movie is that Busch no longer plays Florence/Chicklett. The part is played by Lauren Ambrose, a dead ringer for "Gidget." Busch does show up as Captain Mona Stark, a police investigator who thinks somethings afoot on the Malibu beaches, which it is. It's a pretty campy turn, but it's fun nonetheless. Director Robert Lee King superbly captures the look, feel and sound of the 1960's while borrowing heavily from all those dopey "Beach Party" movies, "Gidget," "Marnie," "Mildred Pierce" and "Scream." Add to the mix: funky surf music, picture perfect '60s costuming, settings, lingo, cars and actors riding the surf in typical low budget fashion backed by outdoor footage of some pretty incredible waves.
Rating:
Summary: YOU WERE JUST FLYING OVER THOSE WAVES!!!
Review: All these reviews do this movie justice, if I went on to explain each and every reason that I enjoy this film so much, I would just be repeating what has already said. NO QUESTION YOU MUST BUY THIS DVD!!!!
Rating:
Summary: a groovy time
Review: I liked this movie, ignoring my friends about its relation to homosexuality and lesbianism. Who cares!!! really. I wouldnt of bothered with this movie if Nicholas Brendon wasnt in it. it's about these teens and they have something wrong with them, like having one testicle or having a harelip or in a wheelchair, imperfect people and they get bumped off by a killer. then you got a teenaged girl who has multiple personalities(could she be the killer). A really good movie brought to screen by Charles Busch(who plays the lead lady detective). Gotta love surfing music. a blend of old surfing movies and slasher movies. Funny, sometimes bizzare and often sexy. A Keeper
Rating:
Summary: Screwball Genius
Review: This movie was recommended after the imfamous oil wrestling scene was played at a club in San Francisco, and I had to find out who these boys were. What I found was a hysterical comedy played to perfection by EVERYONE! Lauren Ambrose has a fan in me for life, all the guys looked like they were having a ball. Highly recommended for everyone, especially the alternative set. ANN BOWMAN LIVES!!!
Rating:
Summary: I had hopes for a good satire but it's not here.
Review: While many people say this is a decent satire of the horror/triller and beach genre I have to say overall it's a dissapointment. The ideas were very original in this flick and I give them credit for this, and some of the scenes are really good (especially the two guys wrestling on the beach) but as a overall piece of entertainment I can only say it's ok. I would only recommend it to people who are searching for this movie to fit their niche interest but casual movie go-ers probably won't enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Surfers.......slashing......The 60's......pure genius!
Review: Psycho beach party.....the title says it all. This movie is fantastic. It has elements of horror, comedy and grooviness!! A killer is on the prowl and beach dudes and babes are dropping like flies but with all the weird characters around its seems impossible to pin point the killer.
Perfectly cast as Chicklet, Lauren Ambrose is hilarious with her innocence and hidden dark side.
Charles Busch is great as the detective with an edge...how they kept a straight face while filming I don't know. Psycho Beach Party is a real hidden gem that deserves more credit than it gets. A movie that has surfers, slashing, 60's grooviness and split personalities all in an hour and a half...pure genius!
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