Thoughts on letting an intergalactic demon destroy the world
It hasn't really been a great year, anyways.
The countdown to Christmas feels pretty fracking bleak this year—mass shootings around the world, a legendary director stabbed (allegedly) by his methed-up son, and widespread layoffs, all overshadowed by seemingly never-ending wars. Or maybe you don’t watch the news? I love that for you.
(Quick disclaimer: obviously this isn’t a book review. I had planned on penning something for Elliot Gish’s Grey Dog, but I hated the ending so much that I threw the book right back into the library return bin without so much as an au revoir, bitch. Have you experienced something similar with a book, recently?)
Anywho, I don’t think this shit show of a timeline is far enough from the start of the pandemic, which is when the family friendly-ish gem of a movie Psycho Goreman was released. Not much was on my radar in 2020, and this Canadian horror comedy definitely missed me. Late to the party, as usual.
I will say, though, that this campy splatter fest dropped into my life when I needed it most…call it providence.
In the quickest summary I can muster, Psycho Goreman presents a quirky pair of siblings Mimi and Luke, who stumble upon the port-a-prison of a condemned alien demon. Psycho Goreman, or PG for short, is controlled by an amulet Mimi removes from the pen by happenstance. So, instead of following his vision of torching the Earth, PG is forced to do all of Mimi’s deranged bidding. The movie is as hilarious as it is absurd.
Early on in the film, PG tells the kids his backstory and how it (kinda?) led to his transformation into a destroyer of worlds. He takes us to a bleak flashback of him wrapped in chains, performing meaningless manual labor in what looks like a prison yard of the damned. He goes on to explain how he was enslaved by overlords known as the Templars, who claim to have a direct connection with God. PG was able to break his chains and wage unholy warfare on his planet after digging up the mythical “Gem Of Peraxadyke.” With PG on the loose, the Templars grasp at any opportunity to send him to Hell.
Yes, this is a bit on-the-nose in referencing the Knights Templar, forcing the scope of the story into allegory, which, in case you missed this, is pointed out by Mimi busting a crucifix over her knee during the rising action. Even I blushed at that. And as the guardian of the amulet, Mimi struggles with deciding to relinquish the power back to her pet monster or listen to established reason and turn it over to the Templars.
So, our young protagonist has to make a choice between evil and, uh, more evil.
I think this choice is one we’re often forced to make: choose stability even to our autonomy’s detriment, or risk death or displacement in hopes of rebuilding a better, free society. When push comes to shove, the answer isn’t so clear. And we know most folks would go with the status quo and break up rocks alongside everyone else.
But honestly, what is a fate worse than death?
