May 17, 20212 min read

Psycho Goreman film review

★★★

Directed by: Steven Kostanski

Written by: Steven Kostanski

Starring: Nita-Josee Hanna, Owen Myre, Matthew Ninaber

Shudder Film Review by: Chris Olson

Psycho Goreman Review

If you like your horror full of comedy, physical effects, and elaborate space beings, then you could do a lot worse than filmmaker Steven Kostanski’s upcoming Shudder release Psycho Goreman.

After unearthing a long-since-buried space warrior in their back garden, sister and brother Mimi (Nita-Josee Hanna) and Luke (Owen Myre), the siblings seek to utilise his deadly skills to their own ends, having gotten hold of a mystical gem that controls him. They name him Psycho Goreman and have a few chuckles making him play a confusing game of Dodgeball and turning their mate into a pink blob. However, more deadly space beings are on their way to wreak havoc on Earth.

Never taking itself too seriously, Psycho Goreman has that beautiful balance of tongue-in-cheek dialogue, over-the-top blood-splattering, and a hard-rock edge which just makes it a lot of fun. The sibling narrative gives it an adventurous tone, a sci-fi coming-of-age structure, which allows the piece to avoid the heavy trappings of a more “adult” plot. This does, however, have one large drawback which are the uneven performances by the pair, who ham up every scene and seem to be getting paid extra M&Ms for every childish insult they throw at each other. It makes for awkward viewing at times but Steven Vlahos’s vocal talents as the voice of PG (as he is sometimes known) do go some way to atone for this, delivering some genuinely hilarious moments. A firm favourite is him being introduced to the “hunky boys” of a catalogue, with a deliciously homoerotic line being delivered expertly.

Kostanski eschews too many digital effects and instead opts for some terrifically realised practical effects, fantastical costumes, and special make-up. This alone elevates Psycho Goreman above the glut of other horror-comedies that don’t go to such filmmaking lengths and try to get their laughs from extensive computerised bloodshedding. There is homage after homage to classic genre films from the 80s and this is done, understandably, with absolutely no shame.

It’s silly and slavered in immature fantasy tropes yet Psycho Goreman is all about the fun...and death...mostly death.