
After the success of 2016’s practical-effects heavy horror spectacle The Void, writer and director Steven Kostanski has reached into his mid-90’s nostalgia bag to bring us PG: Psycho Goreman, his fifth feature film, and a film he very much refers to as a “video store movie.” Having dabbled in each of the film genres of horror, adventure, sci-fi, and fantasy in is other films, Kostanski decided to mash them all together and bring us his most memorable film to date.
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PG: Psycho Goreman follows siblings Mimi (Nita-Josee Hanna) and Luke (Owen Myre) as they accidentally dig up a powerful gem that controls the deadliest and most evil monster in the universe, the Archduke of Nightmares (Matthew Ninaber). Rather than granting him his freedom, they change his name to Psycho Goreman and use him to do their mischievous bidding. Meanwhile, the extraterrestrial ruler that had enslaved the Archduke is on a mission to find and destroy him before he can reunite with his team of evil monsters and obliterate the world.

When speaking to Kostanski, he said that the biggest influences for the film were ’80s and ’90s Japanese Sentai shows, and that style is incredibly apparent with costume design on the characters. Each has so much personality, with even just a few moments on screen, that you find yourself wanting to know their entire backstory. I felt like a kid again, seeing the new Power Ranger or Masters of the Universe creature appear on screen. Kostanski did all the creature design himself, bringing in some characters from previous short films he made, and using some from ideas that he never got rolling. Every single character gave off a vibe of good or evil. They all looked amazing.
The story was a blast. Psycho Goreman took all the gore and impending doom of a horror film and mixed it with an ’80s kids adventure story. The comedy that this mashup created hit on all planes. Hearing a giant monster contemplate his feelings on hunky dudes and carrying out the wishes of a bossy child had me rolling. The kids, psychopathic Mimi and timid Luke were perfectly cast to compliment each other. Everyone stepped up and had fun with their roles, and it was obvious through how well they gelled on screen. It was clear that many of the actors had solid chemistry with one another, being that several are members of Astron-6, the Canadian film company Kostanski has worked with for years.
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For those of you that worry that this film might go too far away from the horror genre, fear not! The gore comes quick and is aplenty! The effects focus on each character specifically. For example, if a robot gets his face ripped off, you’re going to see robot parts under it, not just some splashes of blood. Think Turbo Kid but a little more emphasis on the character suit reactions than the gore itself. The soundtrack was groovy, too, blending different genres (synth-wave, orchestral, metal) in much of the same way the film does.
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My biggest takeaway from PG: Psycho Goreman was how much I enjoyed myself while watching it. Very few films have me smiling from the opening credits to the very end. “Like a kid again” has become a cliché, but I honestly feel like I was transported back to a time in my life where stuff like this had me pumped. I found myself awaiting the next “episode” with every scene. I was truly invested, and I totally recommend it those that have been searching for that feeling.
PG: Psycho Goreman releases on VOD and On Demand on January 22nd, 2021. It will also be available on Shudder. I recommend checking it out. I know you’ll have a blast!
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