Starring - Kansas Bowling (Murdercise, Spirit Riser), Bill Weeden (Hollywood Werewolf, Psycho Ape!)
Release Date - 2024
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "When the shit you throw against wall hits the fan"
Format - Streaming (Online Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
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.
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.