PSYCHO GOREMAN MELTS YOUR HEART AND FACE

Steven Kostanski expands his universe with the alien from the apocalypse and a whole host of others.

Nina-Josee Hanna and Owen Myre as Mimi and her brother Luke, and Matthew Ninaber as PG himself

It was disappointing that SXSW had to cancel their festival last year because of COVID-19.  Furthermore, It was heartbreaking to see that the premiere screening of Psycho Goreman had to be put on the back burner because the whole world was going into lockdown.  It would have been nice to see a film representing this side of the border at such a prestigious festival.  Flash forward to almost a year from then, film festivals have been scrambling, if they haven’t already, to put their own festivals online where people can watch films from home and participate in online Q&A’s after a screening or have zoom calls with those of the industry.

Despite the pandemic, Psycho Goreman continues a buzz within the industry.  To be released on VOD this month, fans will get the chance to see the Astron-8 make-up artist/director Steve Kostanski‘s latest work.  Psycho Goreman expands the Kostanski universe as you will see wild special effects, compelling make-up, out-of this world costumes set against dystopian backgrounds levelled with witty humorous dialogue and child-like fun.

The film centres on Mimi, played by Nina-Josee Hanna, and her brother Luke, played by Owen Myre, who mistakenly resurrect an ancient alien overlord who over millions of years ago wanted to destroy the universe.  Mimi then discovers an amulet that makes this alien do whatever she wishes.  Mimi and Owen both decide to name the alien Psycho Goreman and PG for short.  The children now believe that monsters do exist after having that conversation where their father, played by Adam Brooks, says that humans are the ones who are really the monsters.   This is right out of  Scooby-Doo memes.

Matthew Ninaber as Psycho Goreman (PG)

“The acting of Nina-Josee Hanna holds this film together as Mimi with her brash, sassy and manipulative characteristics.”

Little does this trio know that PG’s old friends and foes from light-years away are looking on with concern with his resurrection.  To boot, a band of alien intergalactic bounty hunters are set on a mission to find and destroy PG before things start to get out of hand in their own universe.  This band of characters are created in such a way that it is hysterical yet highly imaginative.  The costumes and make-up of these characters are outstanding making the Konstanski universe authentic once again.

The special effects that come along with the make-up and costumes give the audience more eye candy. That one special effect that we enjoyed when we were kids and spoke about in recess when we watched a film like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Poltergeist or Robocop had a rebirth in this film.   It is the melting effect that hit our eyes when we were children and had our heart pumping when talking about it.  It seems like this was a lost art in film and in the special effects community that comes back hard because of Kostanski’s vision.

The acting of Nina-Josee Hanna holds this film together as Mimi with her brash, sassy and manipulative characteristics.  Her chemistry with PG is of Beauty and the Beast similarities making you fall in love with their friendship.  Mimi does try to be more sinister than PG after knowing she has control of him.  Even though PG wants to get rid of these children and get on with his own galaxy, he becomes curious about the human element of love.  This witty humour and dialogue enhance the experience of watching this film making first-timers of the Kostanski universe wanting to search his IMDB history.

Psycho Goreman is a fun film that should not only be engaging amongst a pre-tween audience but to those who enjoy having fun watching movies.  It pays homage to the many films that have made cinema what it is today whether it comes from horror, sci-fi, fantasy, genre or comedy.  The audience will be able to tell that this was made out of love for cinema.

For the youth, Psycho Goreman will be a blast.  For the adults, the film will make you reminisce about your wonder years.  You’ll also begin to question as to why you had to sit through movies like The Monster Squad and The Gate when you were younger when a film like Psycho Goreman would have delivered all the goods you wanted back then.

Watch Psycho Goreman now