Editorials
‘Psycho Goreman’ and The Most Batshit Crazy Sci-Fi Creations in Horror Films
The boundaries of creativity are as limitless as space itself in sci-fi horror, meaning no shortage of fantastical and monstrous aliens that have terrorized the big screen over the decades. The latest example comes from horror-comedy PG: Psycho Goreman, the latest by Canadian filmmaker Steven Kostanski (Manborg, Leprechaun Returns, The Void).
“Featuring a supporting turn from Kostanski’s Astron-6 collaborator Adam Brooks (and a few other surprise cameos), PG (Psycho Goreman) introduces emerging stars Nita-Josée Hanna and Owen Myre as Mimi and Luke, a perpetually bickering sister/brother duo who unwittingly resurrect an ancient alien overlord (Matt Ninaber) who’s been entombed in their backyard. The kids nickname the malevolent creature Psycho Goreman (or PG for short) who, thanks to their possession of a magical amulet, is forced to obey their childish whims.”
Psycho Goreman’s reawakening on Earth revives a quest for intergalactic dominance, drawing all sorts of allies and foes from across space. They’ll find they’ll have to contend with a feisty little Earthling, too.
PG: Psycho Goreman releases in theaters, On Demand & Digital on January 22. We revisit the most batshit, crazy sci-fi creations in horror in anticipation of the splatter-filled cosmic chaos.
The Giant Claw
The atomic ‘50s brought no shortage of creative monsters, beasts, and mutants, but the eponymous Giant Claw may have topped them all in absurdity. Global panic ensues when a mysterious UFO begins attacking aircraft, but eventually, it becomes clear that the object is a giant bird from another galaxy. Supersonic speed and size might have proven intimidating for the human protagonists, but look at that face. Who can be too upset or terrified by a wild vulture/ostrich thing from another planet?
Dark Star
John Carpenter’s feature directorial debut takes us 20-years deep into a mission to destroy unstable planets. The isolation and ship deterioration leads to hilarious catastrophe, including Sergeant Pinback’s (co-writer Dan O’Bannon) adoption of an adorable alien that resembles a beach ball. The little thing refuses to stay put, though, creating chaos and potential death.
Leprechaun 4: In Space
Even Leprechaun stuck to the sequel trend of sending its iconic monster to outer space. This time, the pint-sized villain aims to woo an intergalactic princess while battling space marines. Among the wacky hijinks that ensue, a deranged scientist sees his DNA spliced and becomes a “Mittenspider.” The Leprechaun (Warwick Davis) gets a massive kaiju upgrade for the climactic showdown.
TerrorVision
The Putterman family finally gets satellite television, just in time for a freak blast of energy that sends a trash eating beast from an alien garbage disposal straight into their home via the TV. The Hungry Beast eats everyone that gets in his path, forcing the youngest Putterman to seek help from a local horror host. The Hungry Beast isn’t the type of alien you want in your home, but the friendly creature just can’t help himself.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space
The monster’s background often informs creature design. Its habitat and how it feeds play a role in whether the creature has big eyes or rows of teeth, as an example. In the Chiodo brothers’ cult favorite, their titular space aliens resemble circus clowns from Earth, and their method of prey capture matches. Cotton candy cocoons and attack popcorn feature as just some of the weapons for these colorful predators.
Xtro
This entire movie is batshit, so of course, its alien creatures would be, too. The insanity kicks off with alien abduction, followed by an alien creature impregnating a woman who gives birth to the man abducted three years ago. That alien-man then looks for his son. There are psychically manifested big cats and toy soldiers, human juice-boxing, and bizarre egg-laying in the bathtub. It’s as outrageous as it sounds.
From Beyond
Stuart Gordon’s adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft goes hard on the gooey body horror when scientists tamper with reality. The more they lift the veil to an alternate reality, the more they’re altered as creatures invade. All of it is strange, but not as much as Dr. Tillighast’s (Jeffrey Combs) enlarged pineal gland or the massive pink mutation that Dr. Pretorius (Ted Sorel) becomes.
Big Man Japan
Masaru Daisatou transforms into a 100-foot giant and fights oversized monsters to protect Japan. These battles are televised, and ratings fluctuate depending on the creature fight. Despite Masaru Daisatou acting as the country’s hero, he faces ridicule and self-esteem issues that threaten his ability to protect. Big Man Japan goes heavy on the wacky kaiju, mockumentary style. Expect all sorts of weird monster mayhem.
Tokyo Gore Police
In the near future, a mad scientist in Japan created a virus that causes weapons to sprout from bodily injury. A privatized police force is tasked with dealing with this new mutant threat. Directed by Yoshihiro Nishimura, Tokyo Gore Police is a splatter flick that goes just as heavy on the bonkers mutant designs as it does the gore. It’s batshit in every way.
The Guyver
Sean Barker discovers a symbiotic biomechanical device that renders him a superpowered crime fighter. That comes in handy when alien Zoanoids come to retrieve it, putting the Earth in danger. The Guyver, loosely based on the manga, is packed full of sentai-like mayhem that pits the superhero against genetically created monsters. It’s directed by legendary special effects artists Steve Wang and Screaming Mad George, making this the perfect movie to watch in preparation for Psycho Goreman.
Psycho Goreman releases in theaters, On Demand & Digital on January 22
From child-eating witches to village-burning dragons, fairy tales have always had a foot in the horror genre. That’s why it makes sense that, for every The Hobbit and The Chronicles of Narnia, there are also darker and more adult-oriented stories about magical worlds inhabited by ravenous monsters and cruel villains.
Funnily enough, these sinister tales were precisely the ones that I gravitated towards back when I was a kid, and I was reminded of this while watching Netflix’s recently released I Am Frankelda, Mexico’s first ever feature-length stop-motion animation and one hell of an entertaining parable about the intersection between fiction and reality.
In honor of this special kind of horror-adjacent fairy tale, today I’d like to share this list recommending six Dark Fantasy films that horror fans might enjoy.
For the purposes of this list, we’ll be defining Dark Fantasy as fantastical stories that don’t shy away from the more macabre elements that fuel classic fairy tales. That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own grim favorites if you think we missed a particularly thrilling one.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
6. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters (2013)
I’m fascinated by bizarre attempts at blockbuster filmmaking – especially when the resulting movies are somehow still fun despite their corporate-mandated origins. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters is precisely one of these strangely compelling studio projects, as this surprisingly successful action-thriller boasts a lot of heart (and tongue-in-cheek humor) for a CGI-heavy creature feature.
Directed by Dead Snow’s Tommy Wirkola, Witch Hunters re-frames the classic fairy tale as an origin story for a duo of badass monster-slayers. Of course, it’s the flick’s anachronistic aesthetic and overall visual flair that make it stand out from other action-horror endeavors from around the same time.
5. The Wolf House (2018)
Made in the tradition of faux cursed films in the same vein as Antrum: The Deadliest Film Ever Made, the eerie backstory to 2018’s Chilean animated flick The Wolf House (La Casa Lobo in the original Spanish) already makes it a nightmarish experience before the flick even really begins.
After all, the movie is presented to us as a faux propaganda film produced by the leader of a death cult (heavily inspired by the real life Colonia Dignidad), with this hybrid animated feature using complex movie magic to simulate a single uninterrupted shot as it tells the story of a lazy young girl who runs away from an isolated colony and encounters a creepy old house in the woods.
4. The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Out of all the Monty Python alumni, Terry Gilliam has had the most interesting career outside of the original comedy group. From fascinating canceled projects (such as his scrapped adaptation of Watchmen) to dystopian parodies that feel more relevant by the minute (1985’s Brazil), even his “lesser” films are still intriguing in their own way.
2005’s The Brothers Grimm is one such project, with this peculiar movie attempting to combine the comedian-turned-filmmaker’s unique visual style with a more blockbuster-oriented plot reimagining the titular brothers as con-artists rather than mere writers. The end result isn’t exactly a masterpiece, but it’s still a legitimately fun ride with plenty of memorable monsters and wonderful performances by both the late, great Heath Ledger and Matt Damon.
3. Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic (2010)
2010’s Dante’s Inferno game may have a reputation as something of an unapologetic God of War clone, but I’d argue that the now-obscure game was aesthetically unique enough to deserve a bigger fanbase. However, while the title remains trapped on the seventh console generation, its highly underrated anime adaptation is a lot easier to get a hold of!
Animated by 6 different studios in order to make the 9 circles of hell feel unique from each other, this may not be a completely faithful adaptation of Dante Alighieri’s poem, but it’s still one heck of a great (not to mention gory) time that I’d highly recommend to fans of Netflix’s take on Castlevania.
2. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)
My personal favorite entry in the Underworld franchise, Rise of the Lycans, is a highly ambitious prequel that actually works better if you haven’t had the story spoiled to you by the previous Underworld films.
While the rest of the series features plenty of urban fantasy elements as the movies combine machine guns and modern environments with gothic storytelling, Patrick Tatopoulos’ prequel fully embraces its fantastical origins and tells a classic tale about a doomed romance between a werewolf and a vampire amid a medieval uprising.
And the best part is that we get a lot more Michael Sheen as the fan-favorite Lucian.
1. Solomon Kane (2011)
One of my personal favorite movies on this list, MJ Basset’s criminally underseen adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s other iconic warrior is thoroughly steeped in horror ambience and features plenty of memorable monsters. However, it’s also a classic origin story for a swashbuckling hero that wouldn’t feel out of place in a tabletop RPG.
While I’ve already written about how the film deftly combines both horror and fantasy elements without breaking the bank, I’ll never pass up an opportunity to recommend the bizarre movie where James Purefoy expertly plays a puritan John Wick.
It’s just too bad that we never got the other films in this intended trilogy.
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