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
Found footage movies rely on immersion and a particular kind of suspension of disbelief in order to scare viewers, so it stands to reason that playing along with the “kayfabe” of it all is necessary for these movies to be effective. However, despite being something of a purist when it comes to in-universe recordings, I’ve come to accept that traditional productions can benefit from the occasional injection of found footage thrills.
For instance, Kane Parsons’ Backrooms adaptation makes genius use of the analog gimmick in order to trap us in the titular rooms alongside our main characters before effortlessly switching back to a more cinematic language. In honor of these dynamic films that manage to combine the best of both worlds, today I’d like to share six other hybrid horror movies that successfully incorporate found footage into their scares!
For the purposes of this list, “hybrid” horror movies are defined as any flick that shifts between diegetic recordings and traditional filming techniques for a significant amount of time (or at least for pivotal scenes).
As usual, don’t forget to comment below with your own hybrid favorites if you think a particularly freaky one was missed.
With that out of the way, onto the list!
5. The Last Broadcast (1998)
Internet critics may have overstated the influence that Stefan Avalos and Lance Weiler’s The Last Broadcast had on The Blair Witch Project, but the found footage subgenre still owes a huge debt to this underrated piece of avant-garde filmmaking. However, while the movie sets itself up as a documentary about the disappearance of a group of cryptid-hunters attempting to track down the Jersey Devil, things take a darker and much more grounded turn towards the final act.
I won’t get into details in order to avoid spoilers, but suffice to say that the jarring shift in perspective actually helps to sell the idea that everything we’ve seen before the finale was an attempt at using filmmaking to manipulate the public perception of a “real” incident.
Not bad for a movie with a $900 budget!
4. Cam (2018)
When you consider just how much the internet affects our daily lives, it’s strange that we don’t see Screenlife elements pop up in more movies these days. For instance, Isa Mazzei & Daniel Goldhaber’s highly underrated Cam only works as a freaky parable about online sex-work because it masterfully balances Madeline Brewer’s intimate moments with highly immersive segments within cyberspace.
While one might argue that the entire film could have been produced as a Screenlife experience, the hybrid approach allows the filmmakers to explore our main character’s life beyond the screens – with the duality of modern human existence actually becoming a recurring theme in the story.
3. Banshee Chapter (2013)
Most of H.P. Lovecraft’s popular stories were told in the epistolary format (where the text is presented as an in-universe compilation of letters or personal notes), so it makes sense that a spiritually faithful adaptation of his work would incorporate elements from the modern-day equivalent to epistolary fiction – found footage!
That’s why Blair Erickson’s Banshee Chapter is such an effective scare-fest, as this hybrid adaptation of From Beyond -retold through a conspiratorial lens as it references MK-Ultra and even secretive numbers stations- immerses viewers in a mind-bending tapestry of Cosmic Horror that blurs the line between fiction and reality.
2. The Deep House (2019)
The underwater setting does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s The Deep House, with the film being especially uncomfortable if you’re already scared of tight spaces and being deprived of oxygen. However, even the universally unsettling elements of the flick only work because the POV often shifts into claustrophobic footage courtesy of our main characters’ GoPro cameras.
Telling the story of a couple of YouTubers who encounter a haunted house at the bottom of an artificial lake while vacationing in France, The Deep House’s first-person exploration sequences contain some of the film’s scariest moments. In fact, I’d argue that the movie didn’t even need ghosts, as becoming trapped in the titular House already sounds like a fate worse than death.
1. Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
My personal favorite instance of filmmakers successfully managing to combine traditional cinematography with POV filmmaking, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, is proof that the two formats can co-exist if the right story comes along.
After all, what better way to conclude a mockumentary all about reality getting increasingly more cinematic than by ditching the found footage gimmick altogether during the finale? Not only does this shift in presentation work on a conceptual level, but it also elevates Behind The Mask into a proper Slasher, which is probably why we’re so excited for that long-overdue sequel!
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