Psycho Ape!

The pure insanity of Addison Binek's Psycho Ape filled me with pure joy! A twisted stew of horror, comedy, action and romance with the dash of 80's Troma mentality. The cast, lead by Kansas Bowling as Nancy Banana and Bill Weeding as the manic Dr. ZOOmis are beyond hilarious. But it's Stephen Albers as the titular character/animal that steals the show, leading the audience on a psychedelic trip.

This is one of the funnest and funniest movies to come out of 2020! Addison Binek, Greg Deliso, Bill Weeden and the rest of the cast and crew did an amazing job! Not too many films can capture the spirit of John waters, troma , and Tarantino and make it look good. Psycho Ape does just that and more!

A hilariously zany movie filled with gore, slapstick and plenty of Banana kills! Low budget movies like this have so much heart and passion in them and it's clear to see in the production and clever writing. With Kansas Bowling and Bill Weeden stealing the spotlight every time they are on screen it is an absolute pleasure to watch. An incredible throwback to 80's slasher flick I give this movie 10 Bananas out of 10.

I'd like to preface this review by noting that I do not know Addison Binek personally. Also, this is the first review of a movie I've ever drafted, so cut me some slack. Anyhow, I became familiar with his work through his "Movies to Watch on a Rainy Afternoon" and "Tromasterpiece Theatre." Both of which pay homage to B movies à la "Mystery Science Theater 3000."

Having riffed so many bad movies, it seems only natural to me that Binek would then try his hand at creating a movie that could be accurately described as "amazingly terrible,"

....and so "Psycho Ape" was born.

This film features legitimate actors such as Troma Institute for Gifted Youth inductee Kansas Bowling and Upright Citizens Brigade alum Bill Weeden, who, from the beginning, obviously had shared Binek's vision to craft a seriously bad flick...or bad flick seriously...uhhh...hmmm.

Let's try that again.

It's obvious that Binek did not seek to create a cinematic masterpiece. Rather, this was a salute to those B horror movies from the 70s and 80s, which have since established cult followings, and Binek accomplished this mission masterfully. As teenagers, my friends and I would set aside a weekend, head to the local video store, and rent the worst horror movies we could find. We then spent it both riffing on and admiring the "badness" of each. Had Psycho Ape been released then, it would have easily become one of our favorites.

This movie is chock full of what any cheesy horror film aficionado would want to see: bad special effects, a hilarious, meandering plot, and Easter eggs galore. You need to watch this movie at least 7 times to catch all the references (and this is half of the fun). The movie is an entertaining ride that had me laughing hysterically and admiring Binek's vision for a serious horror movie that doesn't take itself seriously.

Get ready for an entertaining film that is assembled like a Smile-era Beach Boys album.

Kudos to Binek, Bowling, and Weeden for taking us on such a fun ride. Even my wife, who abhors horror movies, thought it was great.

A lot of movies that fit into the subgenre of "low" or "micro" budget have a tough decision to make... the first choices are between ignoring their limitations and leaning into them. Then comes the decision on "how far do we lean into this joke..." It is a tricky game. "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra" is successful in much the same way. Acknowledging where the joke lays and understanding the budget doesn't let you run away with it, but also not overstaying your welcome. "Psycho Ape" plays this game fairly well. Some jokes might run a bit long, but it still plays to get the laugh. I applaud these filmmakers for giving us exactly what "Psycho Ape" should be...

Classy Trashy, "Gorilla" filmmaking.