Psycho Goreman (2021) Just shy of Potential New Gateway Horror Classic (Review)

Fun for all the family or out of control annoying pre-teen’s? There’s a psycho on the loose, alright, but is it the alien?

Psycho Goreman (or ‘PG’ for short as we’re too often reminded) is the name of the evil, hulking, alien warlord, trapped in a hot pink jewel prison by Angelic-looking aliens, only to be freed by chalk-and-cheese siblings Mimi and Luke while playing a game they invented, the inexplicable ‘Crazy Ball’. PG’s initial bloodlust is tempered by tiny powerhouse Mimi (Nita Josee-Hannah) who, thanks to a hot pink McGuffin gets to control PG and exert even more control over her wimpy older brother Luke (Owen Myre) than is necessary. She takes control of this extra-terrestrial killer like a duck to water and it’s not long before we have a music montage featuring PG’s outfit changes, random murders and shopping sprees about town. He’s even the drummer in their garage band, all while quietly abating his desire to kill. However, the seemingly Angelic being’s responsible for imprisoning PG in the first place are aware he’s escaped and want to stop him, for good. Needless to say, it’s a blood splattered fight to the finish for PG and co. as one evil must fight another for control of the universe.

This is very much Mimi’s movie–she’s funny and powerful but incredibly precocious, at times to the point of annoying. As the kind of child no one has ever said ‘no’ to, she can be frustrating to watch, and the character’s journey doesn’t really move her much from this position. Similarly with Luke, he remains downtrodden with any agency he has being quickly snatched away by Mimi. Their parents (played by Adam Brooks and Alexis Kara Hancey) are mostly used as comedic foil, their marriage troubles sub plot mainly a waste of time, but they feature prominently in the film’s finale and add to a satisfying ending. Much like Mimi and Luke’s favorite game, this film is like a crazy ball, bouncing wildly between children’s dark fantasy adventure, 80s horror rock music video and tongue-in-cheek sci-fi, never quite settling long enough on one genre to really enjoy it.

Steven Kostanski, who describes himself as writer, director, editor, creature FX designer and producer (did he also cook the food?), is no stranger to this genre, having worked as makeup and special FX artist on several action and horror movies including Suicide Squad and It. Plot takes a backseat in this fish out of water tale and while practical effects are always appreciated, maybe budgetary issues meant that some characters looked like they were from 90s TV show Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and others looked rather uncomfortable in cumbersome full body costumes, with the notable exception of the titular Psycho Goreman (played admirably by Matthew Ninaber) who has by far the best costume design. You can’t fault the imagination of the production and design team, with a raft of villainous creatures realized with practical effects and often dispatched in gruesome ways.

This nod to the 90s may have been intentional, as Kostanski mentions the era as an inspiration in his interview in the bonus features, as well as talking about some of his previous works that influenced this movie. I’ve never seen Manborg or BioCop but I might understand this film a bit more if I did. Other bonus features include commentaries, interviews with the cast and shorts on fight choreography and make up galleries, making the most of the surplus of creature designs contained within the film.

Psycho Goreman has the potential to be a fun family flick, potentially a gateway for younger viewers into more adult science fiction and horror. It falls short of earning that spot however as it leans into design and stilted fight scenes rather than sharpening up the script and focusing on character development, especially for main character Mimi and her family, which would have moved it from creature feature to firm family favourite.

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YOU CAN ALSO WATCH PSYCHO GOREMAN ON SHUDDER

Reportedly drummer Dave Rowntree still finds this film unwatchable; Graham and Ewan are a little more generous. That said, the film’s main asset is the one director Matthew Longfellow barely seems to notice: it depicts the band on the verge of releasing Modern Life is Rubbish, an album which saved them from one-hit wonder status and set the agenda for the next decade of British rock music. POP SCREEN

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