After unearthing a gem that controls an evil monster looking to destroy the Universe, a young girl and her brother use it to make him do their bidding.
It’s kind of a flawed exercise to review this movie considering if people are choosing to watch this or not, odds are good they’re not interested in reviews. While ultimately a futile task, I suppose I can offer what praise I have. I mean, to anyone reading this: go watch the trailer. That will make the call for you whether or not you want to see it. “Psycho Goreman” evokes the era of dirt poor budget monster flicks that played endlessly in alternative theaters and later for countless reruns on the SciFi (now SyFy) channel. Psycho Goreman delights in its gleeful approach to a corny ’80s movie, never missing a chance to go above and beyond expectations of ridiculousness.
Not to seem lazy but here’s IMDb’s plot summary: “After unearthing a gem that controls an evil monster looking to destroy the Universe, a young girl and her brother use it to make him do their bidding.” Simple right? It has to be in order for this to work! This movie lives and dies by its absurdity. Folding a space opera into a kids’ family story makes this film what it is. At first, we’re focused on the alien in the room, but the movie develops a side plot where the two kids’ parents threaten to divorce and the children have to learn to get along, ultimately to save Goreman’s life and to bring about the end of their world.
“Psycho Goreman” knows what it is. The camera follows the protagonists in their antics without ever judging. In a few moments played purely for comedic effect, we deadpan back to “real life” to laugh at the absurdity of it. This self-reflective behavior might be the only element separating it from its predecessors as previous schlock took its story seriously. The amount of eye-winking never overplays, however, as the story develops at its own pace. We’re granted plenty of monster fights and carnage, sans jokes, so this movie does the hard work of guiltlessly indulging in cheap violence.
The latex suits really sell the whole thing. Goreman’s physique and moving lips give him an expressiveness infinitely more conducive to our attention. I counted well over a dozen fully-suited characters some with puppet capabilities. They’re all zany and wild, calling to mind the villainous monsters of Power Rangers, except in this movie blood sprays by the fountains. Gore is in the title and this movie wouldn’t be half the joy it is without all of the cheap blood sprays.
I feel like this whole movie is just one long string of telling everyone to give it their all. The lead actress, Nita-Josee Hanna, shrieks and annoys everyone throughout their entire movie’s runtime. I almost deducted points for her obnoxious behavior but the whole thing helps frame the film’s core conceit: if she wasn’t such a brat, Goreman would’ve freed himself and killed everyone. It’s a weird point to hang your hat on, but it tracks.
Ultimately, I can’t add much to the Goreman dialogue. Anyone interested in seeing this movie might have already heard of it. It’s a laugh. It’s gross. It’s violent. It’s creative and bright. It laughs at itself. I don’t know what more you could want from a cheesy ’80s creature feature throwback.
Available to stream on Shudder Thursday, May 20th
