Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

PG: Psycho Goreman Blu-ray Movie Review

Hi kids! Do you like violence?

Reviewed by Randy Miller III March 11, 2021

If you ever wanted to see E.T. as a Troma flick, Steven Kostanski's PG: Psycho Goreman might be your mug of beer. Sure, it owes a lot to Melissa Matheson and Steven Spielberg's 1982 classic and the House that Lloyd Kaufman built, and maybe even more to later properties like The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. But this practical-effects bonanza feels just original enough to exist without a lawsuit and, at the very least, will sate those who grew up on squishy fare like The Thing, Evil Dead II, and American Werewolf in London, as filtered through the lens of a dysfunctional family film with action scenes that play like a hard R-rated Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. You know, for kids!

There's a lot to like about Psycho Goreman, once you get past all those borrowed elements. Our story revolves around Mimi (Nita-Josee Hanna) and Luke (Owen Myre), two pre-teen sibs who discover a glowing gem after an evening game of "Crazy Ball" in their backyard. That night, who should emerge from the depths but "The Arch-Duke of Nightmares", an alien warlord imprisoned on Earth after his latest attempt to destroy the galaxy. He's out for blood and even sets his sights on the kids... but that gem in Mimi's pocket is basically a voice-activated remote control for the alien, who she nicknames "Psycho Goreman", or "PG" for short. He makes a suitable toy for the brash and assertive Mimi and, despite Luke's apprehension, they're now an unlikely trio. But once an alien force known as the "Planetary Alliance" finds out that PG has escaped from his underground tomb, they send one of their best warriors to stop him.

Truth be told there's not much meat to this story, with most of its weight delegated to admittedly awesome practical effects and the fish-out-of-water scenario of these kids and their deadly new pal. But for the most part, that's enough to make it an enjoyable throwback film: Psycho Goreman is still tons of fun despite the narrative shortcomings, which might not even register with those just looking for a goofy diversion. The performances are solid too, from PG himself (voiced by Steven Vlahos and performed by Matthew Ninaber) to ineffective parents Susan (Alexis Hancey) and Greg (Adam Brooks). And, of course, there's Nita-Josee Hanna's breakout role as young Mimi, who reminds me of my own daughter... if I didn't take occasional breaks from writing to, you know, pay attention to her. Brash and confident, her performance carries the film during key stretches and, what's more, she doesn't always sound like she's just reading a script written by adults. But even if you're just here for the gushy gore, you'll get your money's worth.

While I wasn't quite as head-over-heels about Psycho Goreman as our own Brian Orndorf in his glowing theatrical review, I still consider it perfectly solid entertainment that might just get even better with age. Bottom line: this one's aimed squarely at those who value good old-fashioned practical effects and who weren't afraid to rent a VHS tape back in the day just for its schlocky cover art. RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray is even better with its terrific A/V presentation and a surprisingly deep collection of extras that make Psycho Goreman a pretty outstanding blind buy.

PG: Psycho Goreman Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

RLJ Entertainment's 1080p transfer makes the most of Psycho Goreman's low-budget but serviceable visuals, which as mentioned earlier are heavy on practical effects. This gives the film a slightly cartoonish but very lived-in appearance that successfully captures the late 80s / early 90s aesthetic that dominates almost every aspect of the film's look and feel. (And on the rare occasion when genuine CGI appears, it usually sticks out badly on purpose.) Image detail and textures are only impressive under the right conditions, such as costume close-ups and anything shot outdoors during the day -- most everything else is flatter in comparison but still well-shot and nicely saturated. Black levels run fairly deep with minimal crush and no obvious compression artifacts, adding to a visual presentation that looks better than most of the Troma fare it clearly borrows from. It's a solid-looking Blu-ray translation that, due to Psycho Goreman's extremely narrow theatrical window, will make a pretty strong first impression on most audiences.

PG: Psycho Goreman Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Psycho Goreman's DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix is also suitably impressive, offering a pleasing mix of atmospheric touches and appropriately squishy sound effects when the situation demands them. Dialogue is typically front and center, except during more crowded moments or in larger locations like high-walled empty rooms and outdoor scenes, where faint echoes venture into the rear channels. But that's where the soundtrack and action sequences pick up the slack, boasting plenty of discrete channel separation and panning effects that widen the sound stage considerably. So while Psycho Goreman doesn't necessarily break new ground within its core genres of sci-fi and horror, this is still an excellent mix that will add to your overall enjoyment of what's ultimately a pretty active experience.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the film only, and sit just inside the 2.39:1 frame.

PG: Psycho Goreman Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a standard keepcase with nifty reversible artwork, a matching slipcover, and an awfully presumptuous promotional insert featuring loads of officially licensed merchandise. Bonus features are plentiful and include a full-length audio commentary plus more than an hour of bite-sized featurettes.

• Audio Commentary - This feature-length track with Steven Kostanski is casual and very informative, featuring his thoughts on opening crawls, hoping for an "R" rating (it actually ended up unrated), unpredictable weather, a few regrets, visual effects and makeup, casting, locations, guerrilla exterior shots, deleted scenes (not included, sadly), costumes, fight scene choreography, the climactic dodgeball fight, and much more.

• One-on-One: An Interview with the Director (14:40) - Director Steven Kostanski, who also worked on the special effects and produced the film, offers additional comments about the story origins, Rawhead Rex, earlier projects, naming the film, his favorite pop culture from the early 1990s, and other stuff.

• Interviews with the Cast (6:24) - Separate chats with all the key players: Matthew Ninaber, Nita-Josee Hanna, Owen Myre, Adam Brooks, and Alexis Hancey, who all speak briefly about their characters.

• Interview with Adam Brooks (4:20) - More comments from the actor, but conducted by a panda.

• Kortex: A Konversation (5:58) - Another tongue- in-cheek interview with one of the film's villains.

• The Music of PG (5:23) - A short chat with Canadian composers Blitz//Berlin.

• Fight Choreography (3:50) - Choreographer Alex Chung talks about his contributions and other work.

• Fight Pre-Viz (6:05) - A loose run-through of the climactic fight shot in a gym.

• Filming the Paladin Fight (7:14) - Footage from the forest showdown with buckets of blood.

• PG vs Pandora (3:28) - Moore early fight rehearsals.

• Miniature Magic (2:59) - A nice little look at the film's terrific low-budget miniature effects, as presented by cinematographer Andrew Appelle and 2nd unit cinematographer Pierce Derks.

• Inside the Creature Shop (4:26, seen above) - Another great peek behind the curtain, this time highlighting the work of Steven Kostanski and other members of the creature design crew.

• Concept Art Gallery

• Trading Cards Gallery

• Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery

PG: Psycho Goreman Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Steven Kostanski's PG: Psycho Goreman offers a pretty fun take on the whole "aliens found by kids" subgenre of sci-fi, deftly subverting viewer expectations with a blood-splattered venture into practical effects horror that will bewitch fans of Troma, Rob Bottin, Stan Winston, or Greg Nicotero. It's disappointingly light on original story beats but the anything-goes atmosphere and enjoyable performances make this one well worth looking into. RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray is a very well-rounded package with terrific A/V specs and an impressive slate of bonus features that puts it right over the top. On the strengths of those merits, Psycho Goreman earns at least a hearty "blind buy" recommendation.