Despite its inclusion in the EuroShock Collection DVD series, this British number borrows more from Hitchcock than Argento, though it never builds the sustained tension of the former or the grand guignol wetwork of the latter, nor explores the dizzying and inventive camera work of either auteur.
In true British style, this film is very dry, never trying to reach beyond the stilted limitations director Pete Walker seems to think the genre carries with it. It's also way too long, nearing the 2-hour mark, with nary a murder to be found until about 60 minutes into the affair. The pacing becomes a bit frustrating, especially with bits like a trip to a "psychic brotherhood" meeting, which introduces a supernatural subplot that isn't subsequently explored. This 10 minutes of run time is an excessive space-filler that merely introduces a victim and mistakenly offers a revelation that is rendered a confusing gaffe when the murderer is revealed.
The pretty basic plot involves a newly-married woman being stalked by a paroled man who murdered her mother several years before. Since we see him from the start, the scenes where he lingers on the street near her house and spies on her while she shops for produce don't have much impact... old British men don't imply the same menace that masked boogeymen like Michael Myers do. When the murders begin to occur (and don't expect much here; this is one of the more conservative body counts you'll find in a slasher movie), the film picks up a bit, but the extended stalking that dominates the first half of the film is rendered moot and perplexing when the murderer is unveiled in the final act.
The twist ending isn't surprising, and if you know in advance this film is supposed to have a twist ending, you'll probably guess it on the first try. The final showdown between our heroine and her stalker is limp and over before any tension is built, leaving the climax a bit stilted. However, the last moments of the film do finish things out in a nicely subdued fashion, and leave plenty room for viewer's imaginations to concoct the nastiness that seems apt to unfold after the curtain drops.
There is some diverting gore to be had, and a shower scene that seems tacked on just to establish that the female lead is pretty cute (as reported before, the horror elements in this scene only become confusing after the final revelation), but largely the film relies on a cat-and-mouse approach that would be more effective if the final reel actually built to something substantial. Best scene in the film honors undoubtedly go to a particularly well-executed and edited bit of grue with a sledgehammer, and nice details like the victim's shattered and bloody glasses on the ground next to their body are what keep this film viewable despite its unnecessary length. There are also a few fun unintentional laughs, like a scene where a victim in a car looks over his shoulder directly into the back seat where the killer is... and somehow doesn't see the black-clad wraith clutching a butcher knife sitting behind him.
Overall, this is an interesting piece for those who prefer suspense and acting over splatter money shots, but despite its best moments, Schizo is miles away from essential.
In true British style, this film is very dry, never trying to reach beyond the stilted limitations director Pete Walker seems to think the genre carries with it. It's also way too long, nearing the 2-hour mark, with nary a murder to be found until about 60 minutes into the affair. The pacing becomes a bit frustrating, especially with bits like a trip to a "psychic brotherhood" meeting, which introduces a supernatural subplot that isn't subsequently explored. This 10 minutes of run time is an excessive space-filler that merely introduces a victim and mistakenly offers a revelation that is rendered a confusing gaffe when the murderer is revealed.
The pretty basic plot involves a newly-married woman being stalked by a paroled man who murdered her mother several years before. Since we see him from the start, the scenes where he lingers on the street near her house and spies on her while she shops for produce don't have much impact... old British men don't imply the same menace that masked boogeymen like Michael Myers do. When the murders begin to occur (and don't expect much here; this is one of the more conservative body counts you'll find in a slasher movie), the film picks up a bit, but the extended stalking that dominates the first half of the film is rendered moot and perplexing when the murderer is unveiled in the final act.
The twist ending isn't surprising, and if you know in advance this film is supposed to have a twist ending, you'll probably guess it on the first try. The final showdown between our heroine and her stalker is limp and over before any tension is built, leaving the climax a bit stilted. However, the last moments of the film do finish things out in a nicely subdued fashion, and leave plenty room for viewer's imaginations to concoct the nastiness that seems apt to unfold after the curtain drops.
There is some diverting gore to be had, and a shower scene that seems tacked on just to establish that the female lead is pretty cute (as reported before, the horror elements in this scene only become confusing after the final revelation), but largely the film relies on a cat-and-mouse approach that would be more effective if the final reel actually built to something substantial. Best scene in the film honors undoubtedly go to a particularly well-executed and edited bit of grue with a sledgehammer, and nice details like the victim's shattered and bloody glasses on the ground next to their body are what keep this film viewable despite its unnecessary length. There are also a few fun unintentional laughs, like a scene where a victim in a car looks over his shoulder directly into the back seat where the killer is... and somehow doesn't see the black-clad wraith clutching a butcher knife sitting behind him.
Overall, this is an interesting piece for those who prefer suspense and acting over splatter money shots, but despite its best moments, Schizo is miles away from essential.