Psychotic! (2016)
Drew Tinnin
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Starring Maxwell Frey, Derek Gibbons, Kristen Martin, Clint Keepin, Danielle Grace, Holland Kemp
Co-written and directed by Maxwell Frey and Derek Gibbons
Enjoying its world premiere at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, the homegrown hipster slasher Psychotic! is the kind of horror film you and your friends have talked about making for years. There’s an amateurish charm on display here that proves infectious for some of the film’s running time, but ultimately, the lack of execution and wandering directing style overtakes the indie ire displayed by everyone involved.
To loosely quote Dr. Ian Malcolm, the filmmakers were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.
Set in the hipster haven streets of Bushwick, Psychotic! starts off strong with an effective (if not somewhat formulaic) POV sequence of someone sinister hiding under the bed as friends arrive for a surprise birthday party. Good, kinetic camera work puts the audience in the shoes of the would-be killer until the birthday girl meets her demise.
As her friends discover the body, the camera sneaks out the window to the fire escape, successfully capturing what is probably the first of a series of murders by a serial maniac. He, or she, is really inspired by the Son of Sam; but this .44 Caliber Killer doesn’t seem to be killing at random. This is personal.
Strangely, but maybe thankfully, Psychotic! is not really making fun of hipsters so it doesn’t parody the cronut culture or offer up any clever social commentary about millennials. This isn’t necessarily a fault since singling out Brooklyn youths seems a little cliché at this point; but it does speak to the cavalier approach of the script, which doesn’t seem to have any real purpose or know where it’s going, much like the directionless young characters found onscreen. Psychotic!, instead, follows the breakup of a fledgling alternative band and how their animosity leads to hatred and then suspicion as the killings start to pile up.
Opening with a Roger Cormanesque Sixties B-movie title that seems out of place, the all-too-familiar Argento blue-to-red aesthetic appears – a look that’s now become a basic lighting setup in low-budget fare. Psychotic! is definitely well made on a technical level, and that should be commended, but unfortunately, the cinematography quickly becomes part of a from-the-hip shooting style that lacks the needed atmosphere and vision seen in actual giallos. In Psychotic! it’s just a tint, not a mood.
Especially if you want to support local horror being made in New York City, this is an independent effort worth your attention and support, warts and all. Psychotic! starts strong but fizzles out towards the end once the killer is revealed without any real intensity or dramatic intent. It just kind of happens. That said, the best thing about the film is that co-directors Frey/Gibbons and company went out and made it for themselves and should inspire you and your friends to go out and try to make something even better.
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Film
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