Psychotic! (2018) Film Review

When a psychotic masked maniac starts killing off your friends one by one, who do you turn to? Where do you run? You can’t go out alone, so you might as well stay close to your friends and hope for the best, right?

Written and directed by Maxwell Frey (Ghost Story 2012) and Derek Gibbons (Ghost Story), Psychotic! stars Kristen Martin as Roxy Miller, Clint Keepin (The Dark Tapes) as Jack Putterman, Maxwell Frey as Tim, Derek Gibbons as Stuart Greene, Chris Prine (Laura Gets a Cat) as Tony Quinn, Cirocco Dunlap (James and the Giant Peach) as Michelle Weaver, Aldous Davidson (The Dark Knight Rises) as Dennis, Danielle Grace (Dear Lord) as Angela Markus, Katie Hawthorne (White Creek) as Lauran, and Adam Maid (Ice Age: Continental Drift) as Bill.

Psychotic! Is about a group of hard-partying Brooklyn hipsters who are being stalked and savagely murdered by a masked maniac known as the Bushwick Party Killer.

Being a fan of giallos and slashers, I found that Psychotic! had a bunch of things that made me a fan of the film. It has this colorful lighting very reminiscent of Argento’s Suspiria with blue and red tints that gives the film a very artistic and creepy atmosphere. Not only that, but it also kicks off with the audience witnessing a party through the eyes of the killer as he/she stalks and kills the first victim. Even the score is a homage to those same types of films with a pretty kick ass synth score from Phantomize that sets the tone for the film.

Besides the great homages, the mask of the killer is creepy and unique. It looks as though it was made with paper mache to resemble a human face. The mask had this dead eye stare that is completely unsettling.

Another thing I enjoyed about this film were the brutal and unique ways that people were being killed. Psychotic! didn’t shy away from showing us any of the gore either, which is a plus in my eyes. I have to give a shoutout to the effects crew for being so creative with the kills.

With that being said, the only complaints I have is with some of the acting. Granted, the characters are supposed to be portrayed as over the top and annoying due to the fact that they are poking fun at hipsters, but some of the performances just fell flat for me. The two that stood out the most were the directors, Frey and Gibbons, who seemed to be having a blast with their characters. Although the majority of the acting started to grate on me, it really didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the film.

If you are a fan of giallos and slashers, I can’t recommend Psychotic! enough. It is a psychedelic trip into a world of madness and murder that just doesn’t let up. Even with its flaws, it is such a labor of love for the genre that I highly recommend you give it a shot!