FORMAT: DVD
Four years after making Psycho Sisters for W.A.V.E. Productions, writer/director Peter Jacelone took the concept to Seduction Cinema’s Michael L. Raso and remade it under his Shock-O-Rama banner. It has a higher budget, better production values, and a more polished style. It is also reminiscent in some ways of Evil Dead 2 as the first film’s narrative is streamlined into the first act before the plot spins off in its own directions.
The story is essentially the same. Theresa Lynn and J.J. North are sisters who are released from a psychiatric hospital after witnessing the brutal rape and murder of their sister. They then deal with their trauma the only way they know how: Killing men and cutting off their penises. New plot wrinkles involve a nosy tabloid reporter/dominatrix, a run-in with a gang of bikers, and North defying her sister and trying to have a “normal” life with her new boyfriend.
Jacelone learned a lot in the four years between films. He attacks the material with a lot of confidence and some of the swings in tone work surprisingly well. The humorous bits are often very funny too. (Like the scenes with the tabloid reporter.) On the downside it runs on a bit too long and has maybe too many supporting characters. There’s also probably not as much gore and nudity as I was expecting, but there’s at least one over the top kill scene.
The reason it works so well is no doubt due to the chemistry between the two leads. North in particular is great as the bubbly psycho sister and Lynn has many fine moments as the no-nonsense member of the duo. It’s also fun seeing W.A.V.E. starlets Tina Krause and Deana Demko popping up in a cameo.
Sadly, this was North’s final movie before quitting the movie business. I don’t know where she got to but all I can say is that J.J., if you’re reading this: Come back! We miss you!
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