Schizo

Walker made some good horror films in the seventies. Written by the ubiquitous McGillivray. It throws in everything but the kitchen sink. Mind you the really shock of the film is Jack Watson in a ginger syrup.

Ho-hum.............what to make of Pete Walker's "Schizo"? Considering the 70's period, and its tightish budget, it's got to be said that it's not a bad effort overall. In fact, it could easily be looked upon as a fore-runner of similar less effective efforts in the years that followed. The scenes are good generally, and the pervading sense of menace is quite effective for most of the time. Best scene of all is the creepy seance, when the medium's reactions suddenly catch the viewer by surprise. Performances, however, are somewhat mixed. Lynne Frederick provides a nondescript lead who seems to drift through the whole thing, whilst trying to remember where she's left her shopping list! Better are Stephanie Beacham, John Fraser and John Leyton. Top performance, however, comes from Jack Watson, and he alone makes the film seem better than it probably is. All in all, a worthwhile viewing for fans of the slasher-type movie, but don't expect any subtle nuances or frills!

It seems a terrible indictment that Walker's films were treated so badly at the time of release for it is undeniable that, especially considering their low budgets, they achieve everything they set out to. Being a cinema goer of the period, I of course was also guilty in that I never went to one on it's UK release and have only caught up with them more recently. The time was probably not quite right for the large audiences but now that I have seen most of the Italian giallo, I can sit in wonder and gleefully enjoy this 'terror movie' and it's surprisingly generous amounts of bloody gore and violence. The acting is at times ponderous, John Leyton of sixties pop singing fame, struggles here and there but perhaps his part is underwritten. Lynne Frederick makes a few odd gestures but these are eventually explained, as is everything else in this exciting and clever little movie.

Samantha and Alan are getting married, but William Haskins is not pleased. He grabs a train south to London and begins shadowing Samantha as she tries to get on with married life. Haskins' attempts to frighten her drive Samantha to desperation, but she's having trouble convincing anyone that she's being stalked... While I think this film is slightly less good than Walker's "Comeback", this is still a solid story with a good plot and strong characters. If there is any doubt of this film's greatness, just look at the awesome possession scene -- this not only matches but exceeds anything done in "Evil Dead". I would even go so far as to say it might pass "Exorcist". Pete Walker is a master of horror who often gets overlooked. This is a shame. He is every bit as good as Freddie Francis, for example, and possibly even Jess Franco (though Franco is hard to categorize -- he has at least as much rubbish as gold).

Samantha (Lynne Frederick) is a celebrity ice skater whose fabulous life includes media coverage of her marriage plans. Too bad that William Haskin (Jack Watson)--convicted of killing Samantha's mother (Wendy Gilmore)--reads the newspapers. Samantha's a neurotic mess herself, so nobody really believes her when she says she's being stalked--until, that is, the body count starts going up. Speaking of bodies, Frederick's and Gilmore's are on full display. Schizo is like an Italian Giallo; there is plenty of blood and nudity. The first half of the film is the setup and it drags a bit, but things get going and it is a fun ride even though I suspect that we are being set up for a twisted ending. And, boy did we get one.

A professional ice-skater Samantha Gray is stalked by William Haskin.As a child,she had witnessed the murder of her mother and it had left deep scars on her psyche.Haskin is dismissed as a figment of Samantha's imagination,but soon the bodies begin to pile up. "Schizo" is a decent entry into psycho/slasher craze of the late 70's.It's well-acted,skillfully directed by Pete Walker("Frightmare","House of Whipcord")and loaded with suspense and grisly violence.The acting is pretty good and the killings are gory and suitably nasty for example one woman is stabbed in the head with a knitting needle.I would highly recommend this film to anyone interested in horror genre.