Rest in Peaches

Gr 7 Up–The biggest celebrity at Olivia Newton-John High School is their mascot, Peaches the Parrot, but it’s school tradition that the student who wears the Peaches costume remains anonymous until graduation—which means that nobody knows Quinn Marcelo is the current genius behind the bird. When a malicious prank results in Quinn breaking the sacred anonymity of Peaches in front of the whole school, the town of Ocean’s Reach acts as though Quinn murdered the mascot. The unexpected twist comes when someone dressed in a vintage Peaches costume starts committing actual murders around town. Quinn teams up with her crush and former best friend, Tessa, in order to discover the identity of Killer Peaches before any more murders occur. As they investigate, the duo experiences their fair share of small-town high school drama mixed with a very camp, genre-aware sequence of events. The narrative is jam-packed with ridiculous moments, including a chase scene inspired by the Home Alone movie franchise, that are presented with a deadpan sincerity that only enhances the hilarity. Despite the overall comedic spin, some very real teen struggles around identity and external expectations are portrayed delicately and with respect. There are explicitly pansexual and bisexual characters; both lead girls are Filipino.