There's a fun idea at the heart of Psycho Goreman: an unimaginably evil destructive being of immense power falls under the control of two kids who ignore the monster's threats of extreme pain and suffering and use him to grant their childish wishes. It's a premise ripe for hilarity. Throw in a ton of messy practical gore effects and this film should be an instant cult classic
Sadly, a weak one-note script full of ill-conceived humour, a raft of thoroughly unlikeable human characters, and terrible performances mean that the concept's potential is never fulfilled. The big question is 'Why on earth did writer/director Steven Kostanski come up with such a horrible family to engage with his monster?': the parents are constantly bickering, not surprising seeing as the dad is a total waste of space, and the kids aren't much better, obnoxious brat Mimi (Nita-Josee Hanna) constantly bullying her wimp of a brother Luke (Owen Myre). The poor acting definitely doesn't help matters, with Hanna's attempts at sassiness being particularly irritating. I was longing for Psycho Goreman (performed by Matthew Ninaber and voiced by Steven Vlahos, who jointly give the best performance) to rip the family apart, starting with Mimi.
One thing the film doesn't lack is imagination: there's a high level of creativity on display in the design of the creatures and the splattery mayhem. Fans of cartoonish gore will no doubt lap up the excessive violence, and the council of crazy aliens who plot to destroy Psycho Goreman are delightfully absurd. Sadly, they deserve to be in a better film, one that pays as much attention to the characters, comedy, acting and plot as it does the special effects.
Sadly, a weak one-note script full of ill-conceived humour, a raft of thoroughly unlikeable human characters, and terrible performances mean that the concept's potential is never fulfilled. The big question is 'Why on earth did writer/director Steven Kostanski come up with such a horrible family to engage with his monster?': the parents are constantly bickering, not surprising seeing as the dad is a total waste of space, and the kids aren't much better, obnoxious brat Mimi (Nita-Josee Hanna) constantly bullying her wimp of a brother Luke (Owen Myre). The poor acting definitely doesn't help matters, with Hanna's attempts at sassiness being particularly irritating. I was longing for Psycho Goreman (performed by Matthew Ninaber and voiced by Steven Vlahos, who jointly give the best performance) to rip the family apart, starting with Mimi.
One thing the film doesn't lack is imagination: there's a high level of creativity on display in the design of the creatures and the splattery mayhem. Fans of cartoonish gore will no doubt lap up the excessive violence, and the council of crazy aliens who plot to destroy Psycho Goreman are delightfully absurd. Sadly, they deserve to be in a better film, one that pays as much attention to the characters, comedy, acting and plot as it does the special effects.