Psycho= (2009) Film Review – Psycho Killer, Qu’est-ce que c’est?

Posted on by Jim Cox

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Psycho= is a 2009 Japanese horror thriller written and directed by Ami Matsunosuke. Being the first title worked on by the filmmaker, they would go on to write and direct Shinreion: The Movie (2010), direct Sanzu: Sun of the Dead (2011), and work as a producer on Koi no Eiga wo Tsukuro (2014) and Jiku Datsugoku Ninja Jiraiya (2014).

A young couple and a low-level street thug have an unfortunate run-in with their deranged neighbour, culminating in their abduction and torture.

Taking inspiration from classic pieces of cinema, Psycho= is a definitive love letter to genre cinema. Beginning with stylised colourised snippets from films such as Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali’s An Andalusian Dog (1929), and Herk Harvey’s Carnival of Souls (1962), to name a few, the director displays a deep knowledge of film history and successfully applies this expertise within their film. Be it subverting genre tropes, implementing atypical cinematography, or recreating iconic scenes, the film takes a generic concept and creates something truly unique to the genre.

Filmed on a consumer-level miniDV camcorder, the visuals certainly reveal Psycho=‘s minuscule budget during the first act. Scenes filmed in real locations, such as the video game store and the communal corridors between apartments, have a discernible home-video production quality. However, as the film enters its second act, the use of claustrophobic environments, coloured lighting, and encompassing darkness increases this production value tenfold—delivering a visually oppressive hellscape.

Being a micro-budget film, Psycho= certainly spent its budget where it counts—the practical special effects. Delivering a smorgasbord of visceral torture, scenes of murder and dismemberment are actualised with a surprising level of detail. From savage beatings, stabbings, the removal of limbs, and forced intake of drugs, the film rarely obscures these acts—displaying the impressive effects audaciously.

Featuring a relatively small cast of mostly unknown actors, the main cast delivers a mixed but overall decent performance in their respective roles. While side characters, such as the store manager, part-timer, and street punk, deliver reasonable performances during their short screen time. Conversely, the performances of the main protagonists, Ken and Kanako and antagonist, Shiona, played by Imanishi Hiroki, Higaki Eri, and Masami Shinozaki, respectively, effortlessly carry the entire narrative progression. 

Comprised of a mix of discombobulating electronica and grungy doom metal, the film’s score does a fantastic job at embellishing a scene’s tone. While mostly utilising the former of the diametrically opposed genres, this alternating tonal shifting creates an uneasy tension to an already perturbed tone. Additionally, the use of heavily distorted metal over scenes of violence and mutilation adds a layer of grittiness to these already grim narrative tones

Refusing to be confined by its budgetary limitations, Psycho= is an exemplary example of cost-effective bloodsplattered cinema. With outstanding effects, inventive cinematography, and references to timeless classics of cinema history, the film exceeded my expectations and delivered an unconventional example of extreme cinema.

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