SCHIZO (1978) * ½

A disturbed man discovers an ice skater he’s obsessed with is about to be married.  He grabs a suitcase, packs his best butcher knife, and heads for the wedding with the intention of slashing her up.  Soon after the nuptials, the ice queen begins getting obscene phone calls and starts freaking out at the supermarket.  Meanwhile, bodies start dropping like flies.  Is the mysterious stalker the one to blame, or is someone else bumping them off?

Schizo is another dreary Pete (Frightmare) Walker psycho-thriller.  There are a handful of OK moments here.  Unfortunately, they are weighted towards the latter half of the film.  The black-gloved killer slashes throats, smashes faces with a sledgehammer, and sticks a knitting needle through a woman’s skull.  There’s even a Psycho-inspired shower scene too.

These moments would’ve been more effective if they were a bit more evenly spaced.  The trouble is, Walker has a habit of allowing scenes to play out as long as possible.  The first half of the film is an excruciating bore.  Here, he needlessly draws things out and it take a good hour before the first murder even occurs.  I mean the movie runs an agonizing 109 minutes.  Walker could’ve easily trimmed about twenty minutes out of the first act and no one would’ve noticed.

The big twist is predictable and a long time coming to boot.  You’ve seen it all before, and done much better, I might add.  Maybe if Walker had tossed in some more random weirdness (like the oddball psychic scene), it might’ve been worthwhile, but I highly doubt it.

AKA:  Amok.  AKA:  Blood of the Undead.

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