Review by Peter Syslo
SCHIZO (1976 - Britain ) is another recent DVD release by Redemption USA/Salvation Films (www.salvation-films.com). This film is a good ol’ slasher and in some ways I think that it was a little ahead of its time. The tone and atmosphere of the film is actually similar to the films of that time period; it has that “warmth” to it, like THE EXORCIST, THE OMEN, or BLACK CHRISTMAS. It definitely has what made 1970s horror so successful – suspense, good writing, good acting, and a nice progression of events. I know that I mention it a lot, but I feel that a great deal of films, in the past decade, have placed little (or no, in some cases) emphasis on those ideals of filmmaking and storytelling. SCHIZO certainly make s up for that modern-day lack and returns to the very point of filmmaking – to tell a story in an entertaining manner.
SCHIZO is directed by Pete Walker and is written by David Mc Gillivray and Murray Smith. The film stars Lynne Frederick (Samantha – the ice skating celebrity), John Leyton, Stephanie Beacham, John Fraser (Leonard), and Jack Watson.
The movie tells the story of an ice skater named Samantha, who is on the celebrity level of Dorothy Hamill or Nancy Kerrigan. A common working-man named Leonard apparently has an infatuation with her (like a stalker) and upon learning that she is getting married, he hops on a train to go and “handle” her situation. Leonard pops up at the wedding reception and also around Samantha’s newlywed apartment; she becomes more and more paranoid as she feels he is trying to kill her. After meeting with a Psychiatrist friend, we find that Leonard actually killed Samantha’s mother, right in front of her (when she was a child) and the memory has come back to haunt her. This triggered memory seems to be the catalyst for doom because one by one, the bodies start piling up and the film turns into a slam-bang, classic slasher with an incredible twis t-ending (that I did not see coming).
SCHIZO was an above-average slasher film and now that I have seen the whole thing and have learned all of the surprises, I still want to go back and see it again. That is the mark of a good film – if you figured out the mystery, yet you still want to watch it. Again, that is a direct result of great acting, all-around (Fraser is the highlight as the enigmatic Leonard) and a result of simply great storytelling technique from director Pete Walker. I do have to say that the film was a little slow to start and it is quite awhile before any actual killing takes place, but once the movie picked up speed, it was very involving. It was also that deliberate building of tension and progression of events which drew me in and drove the story towards a surprising climax.
Amazingly, I actually spotted some scenes in this film that I think (I could be wrong or crazy – or both) are similar to some scenes in John Carpenter’s HALLOWEEN. Now, now… let me explain. There is one scene where Samantha walks out onto the street and she is completely paranoid. She is looking all around her and suddenly she bumps into a man and it startles her. It was very reminiscent of the hedge scene or the schoolyard pumpkin scene in HALLOWEEN. Another similar scene is when a Psychiatrist, in SCHIZO, gets murdered in his car; the killer is hiding in the back seat and comes up behind him and slits his throat – much like poor Annie going to pick up Paul for a harmless teenage rendezvous. I remember, from various documentaries, that Carpenter’s style for HALLOWEEN was influenced by foreign cinema, namely Argento’s work and Bob C lark’s BLACK CHRISTMAS. Who knows? At any rate, my speculation makes SCHIZO even better – the thought that it may have been an influential work to subsequent horror directors.
Cutting to the chase: SCHIZO is an archetypal slasher from the early golden-age of horror films. I am happy that I came across this film which, along with a few others, seemed to pave the way for the “slasher revolution” of the late 1970s – 1980s. I really have nothing bad to say about the film, except that it was a fairly long haul until the true action started to take place (but that actually makes sense in the overall context of the film). It is a really good story, though, and it really doesn’t pull punches when it comes to the kill scenes; for that time period it is probably comparable to the SAW-type gore in this time-period. Just for example, my favorite kill scene was when a woman psychic was stabbed to death and later a bus ran over her body and decapitated her corpse; it’s like that sharp-yet-appropriate punctuation from t he decapitation scene in THE OMEN. To conclude, if you like slasher films, foreign horror, or some of the previously mentioned films then you would probably enjoy SCHIZO. Just be patient and stick with it, it is rewarding in the end. I give it a 9 out of 10.