Director(s) – Addison Binek (Psycho Ape!, Tromasterpiece Theatre: Poultrygeist) and Greg DeLiso (Hectic Knife, Ypsi’s Emoni)
Starring – Kansas Bowling (Murdercise, Spirit Riser), Bill Weeden (Hollywood Werewolf, Psycho Ape!)
Release Date – 2024
Rating – 3/5
Many moons ago I befriended filmmaker and YouTube movie “riffer” Addison Binek. Addison has a long running series on his YouTube channel called Movies to Watch on a Rainy Day which has garnered a cult following over the years. When he’s not riffing indie and no budget films, he’s making films like his two Tromasterpiece Theatre films and the iconic Psycho Ape.
Psycho Ape is one of those films that you expect to be completely stupid and ridiculous which is what makes it so much fun. It’s a movie that parodies a lot of movie trends and doesn’t take itself too seriously. Personally, I enjoyed the film and truly appreciated what Addison gave us. Several weeks back Addison reached out to me to review his follow up Psycho Ape Part II: The Wrath of Kong. Like always, I want to thank Addison for supporting myself and Horror Society.
**Spoiler Alert** The film picks up many years after the first film with Dr. Zoomis and Nancy living normal lives. However, when several people are murdered they are whisked back into action to see if Psycho Ape has returned to his old ways or is someone else responsible. **spoiler Alert**
Psycho Ape II is a worthy follow up to the first film. It continues with the parodies from various horror, exploitation, cult, and crime flicks that many of us have loved for years. While it is a lot of fun, there is a few times where the film feels a bit repetitive.
The acting in this one is consistent with the first film. Kansas Bowling delivers a solid enough performance as Nancy. I’ve always enjoyed her performances in indie features but I feel she is a little underwhelming here. Bill Weeden is great as Dr. Zoomis. He has a lot of energy and shines in every scene he is in. The supporting cast does a wonderful job as well and I would be here all day if I took the time to acknowledge everyone for their contributions to the film.
The story for this one is just as outlandish as the first film but it loses what little horror feel it had. The film’s main focus is clearly comedy where it excels but genre fans may be a bit disappointed in that regard. With that being said, I probably laughed more at this one than I have an indie production I’ve been fortunate enough to review. It’s extremely clever and made great use of the locations they were able to use.
Finally, the film is full of cheap visual effects and some practical. The highlight of the film is not gory deaths but Addison and Greg’s love of bad cinema. Overall, Psycho Ape II is a fantastic sequel to a seriously underrated horror comedy. While it doesn’t feel like a horror release, it still delivers on the laughs and likable characters. I highly recommend checking out this cringey piece of indie cinema.
