The weasel is back and he’s out for blood. Pauly Shore, staple of early 90s stoner comedies like Bio-Dome and Encino Man, recently released Sin City Psycho, a serial killer thriller on his Youtube channel. It’s a departure for the actor to be sure, but not a completely unheard of move, with other comedic actors venturing into horror like John Krasinski with A Quiet Place or Jordan Peele finding success behind the camera with Get Out. Okay, maybe a bit of a stretch to compare Sin City Psycho to those films, but you get the idea.
To its credit, Sin City Psycho wastes little time in establishing it’s narrative with an exposition dump from the very beginning where Shore’s character Donovan monologues to his victim tied up in the middle of the room about how his father remarried after their mother’s death and how their stepmother’s infidelity lead him and his sister into a life of crime as they lure unfaithful spouses into their deadly trap. His sister, Ionni, is never seen, with Donovan communicating with her entirely through the wall while she tortures another victim. The only other character we see is his victim, Tiffany (Sharon Gardner), and while she does a fine job as the terrified kidnapee, make no mistake, this is Pauly’s show.
While Donovan may differ markedly from some of the carefree characters he’s played in the past, the hamminess and scenery chewing is at record highs. He spins and flutters about the space like the unholy offspring of Patrick Bateman and Buffalo Bill, with a Long Island accent so thick it would leave Linda Richman verklempt and a repellant sexual energy that seems as though he’s being continuously edged after a 3-day coke binge by a ghost that isn’t getting paid enough for this shit. He makes pig noises and frequently stops to take hits from his nitrous tank while berating his victim for her weak will in deciding to sleep with him.
If you’ve been wondering what Pauly Shore has been up to all these years and don’t mind your villains pushed to the edges of exaggeration, Sin City Psycho isn’t a terrible watch, just don’t expect to get immersed in the narrative.
