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[Beyond Fest 2020] Review ‘PG: Psycho Goreman’ Is a Heartwarming and Heart Ripping Family Classic

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Every child dreams of having a fantastical, magical friend to brighten their lives and to go on adventures with. Like E.T., or Gizmo, or even Mac. But what if some kids ended up befriending the ultimate evil?

 

Brother and sister Luke (Owen Myre, NOS4A2) and Mimi (Nita-Josee Hanna, Books of Blood) are two ordinary kids living an ordinary existence in their ordinary suburban neighborhood. Mimi is hotheaded and likes to boss her older, more passive brother around and play their made-up sport ‘Crazy Ball.’ One night, they find a strange steel coffin buried under their backyard which Mimi unwittingly opens. Unleashing a cosmic force of eternal darkness though to be buried for millennia… who they dub as Psycho Goreman! Or P.G. for short. With Mimi and Luke gaining control over the greatest threat in the cosmos through his magic gem, they’ll teach him the meaning of friendship whether he likes it or not. While being stalked by enemies and allies from the cold reaches of space!

Image via IMDB

Psycho Goreman comes to us from Steven Kostanski, the director who brought us genre busting movies like The VoidManborg, and the most recent entry in the Leprechaun franchise; Leprechaun Returns. So it should come as no surprise that P.G. (Which most likely will receive an ‘R’ rating for some spectacular violence) is a movie that defies expectation. It’s a family fantasy comedy where the new ‘member of the family’ is an unholy killing machine. But despite rampant mass murder and threatening planetary genocide, Psycho Goreman develops a lot of heart… while ripping people’s heads off.

 

The creature and practical FX from Kostanski and co. is exemplary. Reminding me of Japanese Sentai shows and Power Rangers in terms of design but with the violence and action of their darker contemporaries like Zeiram and Hakaider. There is seemingly no limit to P.G.’s dark, magical abilities and he gleefully makes the most of it to either execute his foes or annoyances with over the top bloodshed or subject them to comically diabolical fates worse than death. All to the bemusement of his newfound kid friends/masters. Making for some entertaining fights once P.G. has to face off with his sworn enemies and and other foes from outer space. Leading to some very memorable face shredding, body devouring and blood geyser induced brawls. It only makes me want Kostanski to get even larger budgets and more resources to work with. His career has been marked by being able to do so much with a little, and with the ability to do so I’m certain he could unleash a world of horrors. In the best way imaginable.

Image via Youtube

The cast of characters shine even in P.G.’s bombastic and eternally dark shadow. Nita-Josee Hanna stands out as the leader of the siblings and providing a reservoir of energy that would be expected of any kid who would manage to control a being of unimaginable power. Conversely, Owen Myre does well as the more grounded older brother who has a better realization of the sheer horror they are unleashing and the collateral damage it’s causing around them. It makes for a fun dynamic as they better acquaint themselves with Psycho Goreman who repeatedly threatens to eviscerate them… but may slowly begin to grow fond of them?

 

As well, for fans of Kostanski and Astron-6’s earlier work, expect to see and hear a lot of familiar faces and voices from the former film collective. Adam Brooks plays the lazy sitcom dad archetype to its most cartoonish and dysfunctional levels, even when confronted with the cosmic weirdness invading his home life. As for Psycho Goreman himself, he’s a villain audiences will immediately warm up to. Like a Dragon Ball Z villain crossed with a rogue Cenobite forced to endure the childish whims of his new masters, his frustrations at his lot in life make for a lot of laughs. He has an interesting arc as the evil overlord is humbled by his experience and slowly but surely warms up to Luke and Mimi. While still wanting to horribly kill them and the human race. Old habits die hard, and all.

 

With an amusing blend of childhood fantasy escapism along with bonkers gore and fights, Psycho Goreman is sure to be a movie that is sure to amuse audiences of all ages. That is if parents are cool and allow their kids to watch it. Which they should.

 

Psycho Goreman will be available in theaters and on VOD on January 22nd, 2021

 

Image via IMDB

 

 

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News

Brad Dourif Says He’s Retiring Except For One Important Role

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Brad Dourif has been doing movies for nearly 50 years. Now it seems he is walking away from the industry at 74 to enjoy his golden years. Except, there is a caveat.

Recently, digital entertainment publication JoBlo’s Tyler Nichols talked to some of the Chucky television series cast members. During the interview, Dourif made an announcement.

“Dourif said that he’s retired from acting,” says Nichols. “The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.”

Dourif has voiced the possessed doll since 1988 (minus the 2019 reboot). The original movie “Child’s Play” has become such a cult classic it’s at the top of some people’s best chillers of all time. Chucky himself is ingrained in pop culture history much like Frankenstein or Jason Voorhees.

While Dourif may be known for his famous voiceover, he is also an Oscar-nominated actor for his part in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Another famous horror role is The Gemini Killer in William Peter Blatty’s Exorcist III. And who can forget Betazoid Lon Suder in Star Trek: Voyager?

The good news is that Don Mancini is already pitching a concept for season four of Chucky which might also include a feature-length movie with a series tie-in. So, Although Dourif says he is retiring from the industry, ironically he is Chucky’s friend till the end.

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Movies

Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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