42
Metascore
18 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenIt is surprisingly timely.
- 75Boston GlobeJay CarrBoston GlobeJay CarrA little Hitchcock and some good Psycho fun at the beach.
- 67Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenIts cheeky, good fun is what makes Psycho Beach Party an enjoyable, if weightless, romp.
- 63San Francisco ExaminerWesley MorrisSan Francisco ExaminerWesley MorrisOverstays its welcome until the jokes curdle and the satire becomes a blunt instrument, but not before Busch throws some priceless one-liners.
- 58Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerSeattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerFor all its energy and inspired moments of giddy goofiness, Psycho Beach Party gets stuck in the sand.
- 50Miami HeraldCharles SavageMiami HeraldCharles SavageWhile there is archival value in permanently recording this work on celluloid, the best way to really enjoy it remains live on stage.
- 42Portland OregonianKim MorganPortland OregonianKim MorganNever maintains the spark necessary to sustain a feature film.
- 40TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghTV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonaghThis unsubtle parody probably worked better on stage; its candy-colored artifice looks more than a little strained on film, and the actors are all trying really hard to be camp.
- 30Village VoiceDennis LimVillage VoiceDennis LimThe viewer is left to ponder the number of levels on which this counts as a pointless exercise -- a parody of parodic movies, a deconstruction of transparent genres, a self-negatingly knowing example of camp.
- 25New York PostLou LumenickNew York PostLou LumenickCharles Busch's spoof of beach-party movies and psychological thrillers, an off-Broadway hit 13 years ago, stubbornly refuses to entertain in this unrelentingly dull film version.