On this week’s edition of movies I regret waiting this long to watch is PG: Psycho Goreman. Or PG for short. It’s fun, it’s hip, it’s wow, and it’s now. Never have I seen an accessible horror film be so inaccessible. PG takes the perfect film a parent could watch with their middle schooler, and fills it with excessive blood, goop, and tentacles. Can you dig it? I know I sure can.
Mimi (Nita-Josee Hanna) is a super self-aware kid who, along with her brother Luke (Owen Myre), finds a glowing red stone that [eventually] gives her the ability to control the bloodthirsty warrior Psycho Goreman (Matthew Ninaber/Steven Vlahos). Soon after PG’s rebirth, the Templars are made aware of his awakening. To right their wrongs, the Templars must contain PG and get the stone back in their possession. Can a child’s imagination and optimism save the world from total annihilation? Or, at least, save their family?
PG: Psycho Goreman is written and directed by Astron-6 member Steven Kostanski, and stars Astron-6 founder Adam Brooks in one of his greatest roles ever. Unlike The Void, PG is funny as hell. I legitimately cannot remember a time I laughed this hard during a horror comedy. While a good deal of the jokes revolve around PG itself, Mimi and Greg (Adam Brooks) are hands down tied for the funniest. Here are just a few of Greg’s lines, delivered by a lazy slob who really has nothing going for himself, “Back when I was in the army we used to play with guns all the time. Except it was called the Iraq war,” and “How’s this for lazy, Susan?” No notes! We need more Adam Brooks-led movies.
Firstly, a huge shoutout to the entire SFX team: Allan Cooke, Todd Masters, Nicole Rodriguez, and Jenn Tait. One thing I found out about PG is how Astron-6 held a Kickstarter to fund the creature/practical effects in this film. And if the film didn’t make it clear about their passion, that sure would. Each creature is crafted with perfection. Even when the lips may not move perfectly as they’re talking, or when the skin paint doesn’t necessarily look realistic, you cannot say 100% was not put in by everyone involved. When I think of passion projects from now on, this will be the first thing that comes to mind. There are SO many creatures from Gigax that we get to see, and each one is more absurd and gnarly than the last. From a metal popcorn bucket full of heads to a Dire Brain. (To be fair, PG creates the Dire Brain, but we can count it.)
Kostanski’s brilliance shines through with PG and it’s clear he understands how to be visually impactful and accept whatever wrenches lay in your path. Even though the majority of PG is practical, there are many effective uses of digital enhancements. Understanding your limitations is important when it comes to filmmaking. Sure, Astron-6 could have used way more digital effects to create a grander scale—instead, they use digital effects the way they should be used, as an enhancement. Digital effects make sense for the world of Psycho Goreman, and Kostanski’s deliberate lack of them makes it easier to accept their overall use.
Psycho Goreman is a film that must be seen to be believed. It’s absurd, brutal, and…heartwarming. There’s this sweet undertone to the whole film. Watching these characters go through their respective arcs and grow as a family sets a tone of anticipation for an outcome we’re warned of early in the film. Everything about Psycho Goreman is beyond enjoyable.
There’s a new God in town, and his name is Psycho Goreman.
