Нет (2022)
Герои нового фильма ужасов про инопланетян – брат и сестра, владельцы ранчо в окрестностях Голливуда. Семейный бизнес по тренировке лошадей для киносъёмок угасает – компьютерная графика вытесняет дрессированных животных. Когда поблизости ранчо начинает кружить НЛО-убийца, родственники хватаются за шанс прославиться и разбогатеть, засняв летающую тарелку. О Джей и Эм ищут способы подловить пришельцев в кадр и нанимают профессионального оператора.
Оригинальное названиеNopeЖанрФантастика, ужасыАктерыДэниэл Калуя, Кеке Палмер, Брэндон Переа…СтранаСШАРейтингКинопоиск – 6.4, IMDb – 6.8Возрастные ограничения16+
Psycho Goreman Has Surprisingly Good Effects
Having worked on similarly styled films in the past, I know that the effects in these films are pretty finicky. Something involving multiple costumed monsters fighting is almost a miracle if it gets pulled off and looks good on camera. Psycho Goreman never looks fake or flimsy whenever he’s on screen. It’s a testament to the work on set by everyone involved. Goreman is played by Matthew Ninaber, and his performance is really the one that hinges the whole film. If Goreman was a lesser performance, the whole film would suffer because of it.
The fight scenes all look like beefed up versions of ones from the Power Rangers series, and that’s not an insult. They’re fun, inventive, and the creatures all are well done. When Goreman takes them down one by one, you’ll be cheering along.
The “worst” effect in the film is definitely when Luke and Mimi’s friend Alastair is turned into a giant brain. I think this one was done purposefully though, and it leads to more laughs than groans. The ending fight scene between Goreman and Pandora is the highlight of the film and it’s where the practical effects really shine.
Ловец снов (2003)
Этот фильм про инопланетян – экранизация романа Стивена Кинга с впечатляющей визуализацией и сильным актерским составом. В центре сюжета – четверо мужчин, которые дружат уже не один десяток лет. Кроме того, товарищей связывает давняя история, когда они заступились за несчастного одноклассника и получили взамен сверхъестественную силу. Спустя годы повзрослевшие герои собираются провести выходные в небольшом домике за городом. Аномальная погода, неизвестный вирус и злобные пришельцы – вот что ждет четверку друзей в северных лесах.
Оригинальное названиеDreamcatcherЖанрУжасы, фантастика, триллерАктерыМорган Фриман, Томас Джейн, Джейсон ЛиСтранаСША, КанадаРейтингКинопоиск – 6.6, IMDb – 5.5Возрастные ограничения16+
Some Of The Misses Of Psycho Goreman
Psycho Goreman does a lot right for a horror/comedy. Where it slips up sometimes is in the relationship between the kids and their parents. The mom in the film, Susan, played by Alexis Kara Hancey varies from traditional mother portrayal to sort of crazed, angry mother on a dime. It’s jarring at some points in the film, and a more even keeled performance would have done the role some good.
The kid’s father, Greg, played by Adam Brooks is where most of the comedy comes from. He’s bumbling, lazy (but don’t call him lazy), and kind of a bad father, but he shines through at the right moments for the kids and PG. Being where most of the comedy comes from, his role also means that some of the misses fall on him as well. In particular, there’s one section at the end where he’s giving Mimi a heartfelt story about how he got into a stranger’s van to look at baseball cards when he was young. The joke doesn’t land, and it particularly sticks out.
Practical Magic (Special Effects)
When sister and brother Mimi and Luke (Nita-Josée Hanna and Owen Myre) unearth and free Psycho Goreman from his prison through a highly unlikely and quite frankly absurd series of events involving a ball game they made up with an incomprehensible set of rules and a 12-ish-year-old boy digging an impossibly large hole in their backyard they come into possession of the Gem of Praxidike, allowing them to control the creature (if you are the type of viewer who insists on realism, this movie likely isn’t for you — but that should have been obvious already). While Goreman is the titular character, the film rests on the back of the young actors Hanna and Myre both practically and thematically. At one point while narrating his origin story—a sequence filled with some of the most fantastical elements in the film—Goreman is unceremoniously interrupted by Mimi spitting out a piece of candy. While it functions as an irreverent joke, it serves to ground the film in the “now”, center the storyline around the two young siblings, and practically demonstrate the narcissistic character of Mimi.source: RLJE Films
Goreman is a fantastic creation brought to life by Matthew Ninaber who embodies the character, Steven Vlahos who provides the voice, and a first-class makeup and practical special effects crew. Did I mention the film relies heavily on practical special effects? The host of fantasy and science-fiction based characters on display are practical creations — including at least one alien claymation character. Anyone familiar with the host of villainous characters from television shows like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or even from films like The Dark Crystal or the original Star Wars trilogy will find nostalgic joy in these representations. Director Kostanski said he wanted to “give them as much personality in their aesthetic as possible.” And he succeeded — one can imagine their histories and personalities based on their visual representations alone. The Templar Pandora, Goreman’s arch-nemesis, a paladinic being, is an almost robotic entity—set in stark contrast with many of the other meaty, squishy characters — and a perfect example. You can fill in the strictness, the structure, the inflexible ideology that is her basis just by looking at her.
And that brings us back to what this film is about, civilization and wilderness, order and chaos. Goreman was raised and lived under a system of complete captivity and oppression, ruled over by the Templars. But once he came into possession of the Gem of Praxidike he was given immense special powers. Powers strong enough to not just free the inhabitants of his enslaved world, but to travel throughout space and overthrow the Templars and other civilizations that ruled over oppressed beings. Goreman’s rampage throughout the galaxy represents chaotic savagery, a gruesome reaction against the violent order imposed by the Templars. At least until he was once again captured and imprisoned. The religious inspiration for the Templars is plainly obvious, and Goreman’s history is a trope at this point, even if ratcheted up a few fantasy notches. But such stories come from real history—African slaves in the South and Caribbean islands were given edited Bibles that removed sections that might inspire them to rebel.
Тихое место (дилогия: 2018 и 2020)
Сюжет следующей зарубежной киноленты в списке лучших фильмов ужасов про пришельцев развивается в условиях постапокалиптического мира. Семья Эббот живет на ферме и ведет, казалось бы, обычный образ жизни. Вот только все свои действия они выполняют в полной тишине. Дело в том, что после инопланетного вторжения мир полон слепых монстров, реагирующих только на звук. Чтобы выжить, Эбботы придумали специальные жесты и окружили дом ловушками. Однако скоро матери семейства предстоит рождение ребенка. И это громкое событие угрожает опасностью всей семье.
Оригинальное названиеA Quiet PlaceЖанрУжасы, фантастика, драмаАктерыЭмили Блант, Джон Красински, Милли Симмондс…СтранаСШАРейтингКинопоиск – 6.8, IMDb – 7.5Возрастные ограничения18+
Movie Review: ‘Psycho Goreman’
For many fans the most anticipated film of 2021 has been the Canadian flick PG: Psycho Goreman. The promise of this film being the festival darling it should have been was dashed when it began its run at the beginning of the which severely limited the venues it could play in. But now that fan favorite streaming service Shudder has picked up this film, it is finally ready to be spread to a mass audience. After months of buzz the movie has finally arrived and proved well worth the wait and the hype.
While playing an energy-filled game of «Crazy Ball» sister and brother duo, Mimi and Luke accidentally unearth an alien warlord. This is a millenia old being capable of unfathomable sadistic evil, unfortunately the gem capable of controlling him is in the hands of Mimi. Dubbing him Psycho Goreman, the young girl is eager to hold the reigns over her new friend. Together they pal around town and occasionally perpetrating acts of horrific violence. But beyond our world the alien forces who once imprisoned Psycho Goreman are looking to finish him off once and for all.
This film is a hilarious and violent tribute to the films of the 80’s and 90’s where kids find themselves befriending beings from beyond our plain human world like ET, or Mac and Me. This is one of those movies that you will either think is the stupidest thing ever or you will instantly fall in love with it. I am definitely in the camp of those who loved Psycho Goreman. As someone who will always advocate for practical fx in a movie I was blown away by the costumes and make-up work in the movie. But if that was all there was I would have just written this off as a soulless showcase for gore fx akin to 2016’s Terrifier, but there is an offbeat heart to this movie that charmed the socks off me. A large part of this can be attributed to Nita-Josee Hanna as Mimi, I could see any other young actress being unbearably grating in this role, but Hanna is hysterically funny as the lead of this film. She is quirky, bossy, and carries a mean streak meaning she has no problem using the alien warlord to his full violent potential. Whereas in an Amblin-type film it would have been a goodhearted kid who finds the alien friend, the strength of this movie is in the fact that an obnoxious brat is the one who takes on that role. Enriching this dynamic is the fact that the character of Psycho Goreman is portrayed completely straight as a merciless alien being (until his enemy harms his hunky guys). Add in the plain and down-to-earth nature of Mimi’s brother and you have a top tier trio of characters to carry us through this flick.
Psycho Goreman is truly one of those movies that is not meant for everyone but those it was meant for know who they are. It is made in a way that director Steven Kostanski knows this movie is destined to be a cult classic from the start and he makes no effort to change that course. The humor is obnoxiously on-point and the make-up fx are expertly crafted creating a strange feel-good film for horror fans.
PG: Psycho Goreman Review:
When one turns on a film with a title as wild as PG: Psycho Goreman, expectations are directed in two paths: one of the worst and most graphic horror movies they’ve ever seen or the most outrageous genre spoof in the vein of The Final Girls. Thankfully, writer/director Steven Kostanski’s third solo directorial effort is the best of both worlds as it delivers loads of blood and guts but keeps its tongue firmly in its cheek as it spoofs a number of the most beloved genre efforts from the ’90s and the result is an absolute blast.
In PG: Psycho Goreman, siblings Mimi and Luke unwittingly resurrect an ancient alien overlord. Using a magical amulet, they force the monster to obey their childish whims, and accidentally attract a rogues’ gallery of intergalactic assassins to small-town suburbia.
To reflect and critique the story of a film such as this, which knows what it is and is purposely exploiting various tropes of its multiple genres, is hard to do as it’s easy enough to appreciate its embrace of a general formula to deliver its fun. Though it may slightly hamper the whole experience, as it generally proves predictable, there are a few subversions to the story that work well for the film, from double and triple crosses of alliances to offering an actually fleshed-out backstory for its titular villain-turned-antihero.
The film really shines in the mayhem that spawns from the arrival of the titular character, some of which initially proves chilling and brutal but slowly becomes hilarious and increasingly exciting from sequence to sequence. The casual willingness Mimi and Luke’s parents take to accepting PG into their lives and taking him around town feels like a great change of pace from similar movies of the past in which the children at the center of the story take slapstick-bordering steps to hide their alien friend and even brings a funny new dynamic to the family in the film, with the siblings’ parents’ marriage having more of its flaws exposed and offering a decent development with Alexis Hancey’s Susan, a more elevated change than other genre fare.
Taking PG around town to clothing stores for a makeover montage, grabbing ice cream and blowing up children who laugh at his terrifying face and terribly mutilating a local cop who attempts to kill him, resulting in melted-face zombie whose gun has melded into his hand, but is fully aware of his new existence and is unable to kill himself. The decision to utilize almost exclusively practical effects instead of an over-reliance on low-budget CGI is phenomenal, keeping the tone feeling grounded in the hyper-reality of the sci-fi and horror genres of the ’90s.
One of the best effects in the film proves to be that of a young child transformed into a horrible-looking walking brain unable to truly talk or emote outside of his eyes. It feels like the perfect combination of a wacky creation right out of John Hughes’ Weird Science or a villain from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers with one of the Lovecraftian monstrosities Kostanski helmed bring to life in the wildly underrated 2016 gem The Void. It hits the right balance of a family-friendly monster that could give both adults and kids nightmares and shows some of the awesome imagination both Kostanski and his visual effects team put into developing the various creatures seen in the film.
Цвет из иных миров (2019)
Создатели фантастического фильма ужасов о космических существах вдохновились рассказом Говарда Лавкрафта. Сюжет развивается на отдаленной ферме, где проживает Нэйтан с женой и двумя детьми. Неподалеку падает метеорит и превращается в пепел после прямого попадания в него молний. Но то, что находилось внутри небесного тела и испускало странное свечение, проникло в землю – и вокруг колодца фермера разрастаются необычные цветы. А вслед за растениями мутируют насекомые, звери и люди.
Оригинальное названиеColor Out of SpaceЖанрУжасы, фантастикаАктерыНиколас Кейдж, Джоэли Ричардсон, Мадлен Артур…СтранаСША, Малайзия, ПортугалияРейтингКинопоиск – 6.0, IMDb – 6.2Возрастные ограничения18+
“I would prefer not to” wrap this up
But Goreman’s story is just the backdrop against Mimi and Luke’s story — a story about Mimi learning how to recognize and come to terms with her own ideological rigidness and force of will she imposes on others. The film deftly packages all of this—if rather unsubtly—in a rude, punk rock package that often flips counter-cultural expectations. Mimi and Luke’s father (Adam Brooks, whose performance showcases his comedic timing), for instance, starts out as the typical incompetent dad but winds up displaying a certain kind of rebellion against the system that reminded me of Bartleby the Scivener from Herman Melville’s short story of the same name (“I would prefer not to,” Bartelby responds to every request from civilized society).source: RLJE Films
I can easily imagine PG: Psycho Goreman becoming a cult film favorite with its quotable lines, an imaginative cast of fantastical characters, and irreverent attitude. But its strength lies in wrapping all of those elements around a tried-and-true central tension that all of us wrestle with every day.
PG: Psycho Goreman is currently available to stream via rental or purchase on Amazon Prime.
PG: Psycho Goreman (2020) | Directed by Steven Kostanski
Colour | 95 Minutes
Written by Steven Kostanski | Starring Nita-Josee Hanna, Owen Myre, Matthew Ninaber
UNRATED
Special effects in the style of 1990s TV series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are what attracted me to PG: Psycho Goreman. Within the first few minutes, and throughout PG, I had spotted several tributes to Power Rangers, from the soundtrack to the concept of a villain trapped underground, freed unwittingly, to the Planetary Alliance. That’s not to say PG wasn’t an original film, as Mimi’s family, and Mimi in general, are unusual characters.
Mimi (Nita-Josee Hanna) is a spoilt brat who obtains a gemstone that can control the ultimate intergalactic supervillain, Psycho Goreman (Matthew Ninaber). She frequently bullies her brother Luke (Owen Myre) and does whatever she wants; including trying to force Luke’s friend Alasdair (Scout Flint) to fall in love with her, despite him not liking her other than as a friend. It’s rare for the main character to be such an egomaniac!
It’s hard to relate to Mimi. Her behaviour is likely due to her equally unrelatable, lazy dad Greg (Adam Brooks). However, both Mimi and her Greg are hilarious in PG, and I enjoyed how Mimi would communicate from her bedroom to her brother’s through knocking on the wall: “I told you before, grandma is in hell forever!” More importantly, the family goes on an emotional journey during PG.
As well as a fantastic, monstrous character design, Psycho Goreman’s dialogue and voice (Steven Vlahos) are perfect. For the majority of the film, PG is under Mimi’s control, so he is stuck with just making threatening quips and observations about humans. It’s amusing to see Mimi treat him as her pet despite his god-like power. Sometimes Mimi will let him off the leash though, resulting in brutal attacks and grotesque kills that definitely live up to his name!
Psycho Goreman’s biggest strength comes from surprises like Alasdair’s hilarious fate, and the final act of the film eschewing the now commonly used CGI fight spectacle. In fact, the majority of the special effects are practical and done on a low budget (approximately $50,000 CAD went to creature effects), so for anyone who grew up in the 90s, the SFX are a great nostalgia buzz.
In conclusion, whilst PG is clearly influenced by Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – not least through the creature effects – it is very much an original splatter film. From Mimi’s dysfunctional family to gory fight sequences and multiple plot twists, Psycho Goreman becomes something else: a unique comedy/horror supervillain movie mash-up.
PG: Psycho Goreman is now showing on shudder.com
A Tromatic Influence
But let’s take a step back before talking too much about the film’s plot and themes. Unless you wind up viewing the film without hearing anything about it or seeing any of its marketing materials, PG is very obviously a movie steeped in the 80s and early 90s nostalgia with a darkly wry sense of humor (“PG…rated R,” notes the trailer). The film might best be described as mining the same general kids-on-a-fantastical-adventure-and-coming-of-age format other recent popular movies and series’ like Netflix’s Stranger Things, It, It Chapter Two, and even Super 8 have explored — by way of Troma Entertainment.source: RLJE Films
Troma Entertainment, the independent film production company led by Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz, is most popularly known for The Toxic Avenger and Class of Nuke ‘Em High film series and Tromeo and Juliet, a retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet co-written by Kaufman and James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy). Troma developed a rather specific style that blended comedy, horror, over-the-top grotesqueries, and often less than subtle social activism (pollution, the glamorization of war). This mix of elements is distinctly noticeable in PG, along with other influences like Mechanical Violator Hakaider which director Steven Kostanski (The Void) claims as inspiration.
All of these influences I’ve mentioned and more — from Dungeons & Dragons to irreverent indie film to Japanese Sentai shows — might lead one to expect PG to be a mish-mash of genre elements. And it is. But it is also a ton of fun and quite a bit smarter than one might expect.
Пандорум (2009)
Клаустрофобский энергичный хоррор-фильм с высоким рейтингом про инопланетян и космический мордобой. Действие разворачивается на гигантском межпланетном корабле «Элизиум». На борту множество людей, спящих в криокамерах. У них определенная миссия – стать первыми жителями далекой планеты. Неожиданно от сна пробуждаются члены экипажа – капрал Нолан и капитан Пэйтон. Они не помнят, сколько времени прошло и что случилось, но одно им ясно точно – на корабль проникли злобные мутанты, готовые расправиться с землянами.
Оригинальное названиеPandorumЖанрУжасы, фантастика, детективАктерыДеннис Куэйд, Бен Фостер, Кэм Жиганде…СтранаГермания, ВеликобританияРейтингКинопоиск – 7.1, IMDb – 6.7Возрастные ограничения18+
Аннигиляция (2017)
Следующий ужастик про пришельцев и инопланетных захватчиков – художественный фильм с гипнотическим визуалом и тонкой философской мыслью. На Землю падает метеорит и область падения оказывается окружена энергетическим полем, не пропускающим никакие сигналы. Туда отправляют исследовательские группы, но никто не возвращается, кроме сержанта Кейна. Однако мужчина находится в тяжелом состоянии и не в силах рассказать о том, что случилось внутри купола. Тогда его жена Лина – бывшая военная, а ныне биолог, решает найти ответы сама, присоединившись к новой экспедиции.
Оригинальное названиеAnnihilationЖанрУжасы, фантастика, триллерАктерыНатали Портман, Бенедикт Вонг, Соноя Мидзуно…СтранаВеликобритания, СШАРейтингКинопоиск – 6.7, IMDb – 6.8Возрастные ограничения18+
Спутник (2020)
Необычный российский триллер переносит зрителя в СССР 1983 года. Во время спуска с орбиты Земли советские космонавты столкнулись с инопланетной формой жизни. Экипаж подвергся атаке монстра, и один из двух членов экипажа привез домой «чужого» в своем теле. Константина Вешнякова изолировали и засекретили произошедшее. В помощь ученым на военную базу прибывает нейрофизиолог Татьяна Климова. Девушка должна оценить опасность ситуации и состояние самого Константина.
АктерыОксана Акиньшина, Пётр Фёдоров, Фёдор Бондарчук…ЖанрФантастика, ужасы, драмаСтранаРоссияРейтингКинопоиск – 6.3, IMDb – 6.4Возрастные ограничения18+
Overall, It’s Worth Watching For Horror Fans
If your kids aren’t too bothered by pretty cartoonish violence, Psycho Goreman is one of those “gateway” horror films. The comedy hits for both kids and adults. There’s no nudity, no cursing (besides variants of frick, eff, and others like that), and the violence is all between monsters or cartoonishly over the top. You might want to check with your kids before, but I would definitely use this film as a way to get kids into horror. It’s full of heart in that Goonies or The Monster Squad way.
Psycho Goreman might not change the paradigm of horror/comedy, but it is a strong film. It uses effects to it’s advantage and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. The film is in theaters, on demand, and digital on January 22nd and is coming to Shudder later this year.
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