Psycho Goreman (2020)

Movie Info

Every girl deserves a demon to control and dominate

Luke (Owen Myre) has always found his sister Mimi (Nita-Josee Hanna) a little “opinionated”.  When Mimi and Luke discover an ancient, buried alien demon known as the Arch-Duke of Nightmares, Mimi decides to call him Psycho Goreman after discovering she can control “PG” through a gem which keeps him subdued.  Unfortunately, PG’s awakening has alerted the Planetary Alliance and PG’s old allies…neither of which want PG to escape Earth.  As Mimi gets more and more controlling due to her newfound power, Luke questions if he’ll have to stand-up to Mimi and PG to stop them once and for all.

Written and directed by Steven Kostanski, Psycho Goreman (also called PG:  Psycho Goreman) is a horror sci-fi comedy.  The film premiered at the Beyond Fest after South by Southwest was cancelled due to COVID-19.  The movie was well received and released in theaters and on demand.

Psycho Goreman got a lot of buzz on the internet and most of friendly.  I liked the concept and the movie was fun, but there are a few things I wish had been enacted a little bit different.

Listen, guys…I’ve seen things…terrible things

The movie plays out almost like a Goosebumps episode with real deaths and real consequences.  There is the basic goofy nature (kids controlling a killer demon), and the idea that the demon could inadvertently become a hero against his (its?) will.  This is pushed to the extreme which is kind of the point, but I wish it had been dialed back just slightly because it felt past something like Army of Darkness which has a similar tone and characters.

It feels like one of those movies where someone (aka Nita-Josee Hanna’s Mimi) should eventually pay a price.  She’s playing a game and Psycho Goreman and the people surrounding him are not.  The character is a brat to the extreme and doesn’t truly learn much of a lesson.  The movie demonstrates there are no boundaries for what might occur and Mimi’s brutal murder would have both been unexpected and a potential laugh (which is hard to get when a kid is murdered)…but it would have been in line with the movie’s concepts and ideas.  It also would feel a bit more satisfying as an ending.

It’s time for Crazy Ball!!!

The movie goes for very cartoon visuals which intentionally contrasts some of the horror.  Like the story, it resembles Goosebumps in its style, but it is also like Goosebumps crossed with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (others have made GWAR comparisons which are pretty apt as well).  The monsters and creatures are bright, colorful, and if they weren’t murderers, they would be comical.

Psycho Goreman gets what it is going for and enjoys the path it takes.  I liked the movie, but I feel that it has room for improvement and more development to make it even better.  The tone is just a bit too much for me (which says something), and it doesn’t find that happy medium which is extremely tricky for horror comedies.  I definitely could see a sequel to Psycho Goreman and I would welcome it.