Psycho Ape!

Low budget films can be a lot of fun, and Psycho Ape is one of those films. It has a pre-mainstream John Waters feel about it that will no doubt help it to achieve "Cult Classic" status. Director Addison Binek,(who also co-wrote and produced Psycho Ape) found the perfect talent formula in his cast, which includes new comer, Kansas Bowling, veteran B movie and Troma Films favorite, Bill Weeden and Stephen Albers as the "hunky" Psycho Ape. Maybe it's the "Covid" isolation, but I can see Albers's killer ape reaching a sex symbol status. Everybody Loves A Fun Ape Movie!

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!

I can't say enough good things about this film. From the amazing casting of Bill Weeden and Kansas Bowling to the perfect homages to many great film makers before them. Psycho Ape delivers on many levels and hits every focal point a movie should. The comedy is timed perfectly and the B-grade gore fits the bill in amazing way. How they came across the idea for casting extras all over the US I'll never know but it works for them in ways I didn't think they even expected. If you can only watch one movie this year make it Psycho Ape!

Addison Binek's monkey mindbender "Psycho Ape" has a punk D.I.Y. energy that is infectious and fun. It makes no bones about being made on the cheap and actually celebrates it with shameless gusto. Cheesiness is the movie's raison d'être. It's "Robot Monster" with fur. Sporting a pith helmet and chewing ample amounts of scenery, B-movie superstar Bill Weeden's character Dr. ZOOmis channels Groucho Marx as Dr. Spaulding with devilish glee. Kansas Bowling is a charmer as the fluorescent go-go girl Nancy Banana. I highly recommend "Psycho Ape" to hardcore fans of obscure VHS splatter flicks and to members of the often-maligned cult of banana obsessives (yes, they exist). Bananas are more than just a fetish, they're the Rosebud, in this "Citizen Kane" of ape movies. "Psycho Ape" exists on a double-bill with "Blood Feast" in the grindhouse of my dreams.

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.