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Schizo

  • 19761976
  • RR
  • 1h 49m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Schizo (1976)
  • Drama
  • Horror
  • Mystery
A newly-married woman becomes convinced someone from her past is stalking her, but nobody believes her until the bodies start to pile up.A newly-married woman becomes convinced someone from her past is stalking her, but nobody believes her until the bodies start to pile up.A newly-married woman becomes convinced someone from her past is stalking her, but nobody believes her until the bodies start to pile up.
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Pete Walker
  • Writers
    • David McGillivray(screenplay)
    • Murray Smith(adaptation)
  • Stars
    • Lynne Frederick
    • John Leyton
    • Stephanie Beacham
Top credits
  • Director
    • Pete Walker
  • Writers
    • David McGillivray(screenplay)
    • Murray Smith(adaptation)
  • Stars
    • Lynne Frederick
    • John Leyton
    • Stephanie Beacham
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 41User reviews
    • 41Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos23

    Schizo (1976)
    Lynne Frederick in Schizo (1976)
    Schizo (1976)
    Lynne Frederick in Schizo (1976)
    Lynne Frederick and Jack Watson in Schizo (1976)
    Lynne Frederick in Schizo (1976)
    Stephanie Beacham and Lynne Frederick in Schizo (1976)
    Lynne Frederick and John Leyton in Schizo (1976)
    Lynne Frederick in Schizo (1976)
    Lynne Frederick in Schizo (1976)
    Lynne Frederick in Schizo (1976)
    John Fraser and Lynne Frederick in Schizo (1976)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Lynne Frederick
    Lynne Frederick
    • Samanthaas Samantha
    John Leyton
    John Leyton
    • Alan Falconeras Alan Falconer
    Stephanie Beacham
    Stephanie Beacham
    • Bethas Beth
    John Fraser
    John Fraser
    • Leonardas Leonard
    Jack Watson
    Jack Watson
    • William Haskinas William Haskin
    Queenie Watts
    • Mrs. Wallaceas Mrs. Wallace
    Trisha Mortimer
    • Joyas Joy
    Paul Alexander
    • Peter McAllisteras Peter McAllister
    Robert Mill
    • Maitre d'as Maitre d'
    Colin Jeavons
    Colin Jeavons
    • Commissioneras Commissioner
    Victor Winding
    • Sergeantas Sergeant
    Raymond Bowers
    • Manageras Manager
    Pearl Hackney
    Pearl Hackney
    • Lady at Seanceas Lady at Seance
    Terry Duggan
    • Editoras Editor
    Lindsay Campbell
    • Falconeras Falconer
    Diana King
    • Mrs. Falconeras Mrs. Falconer
    Wendy Gilmore
    • Samantha's Motheras Samantha's Mother
    Primi Townsend
    • Secretaryas Secretary
    • Director
      • Pete Walker
    • Writers
      • David McGillivray(screenplay)
      • Murray Smith(adaptation) (uncredited)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Lynne Frederick supplied some of her own wardrobe for this film due to its very low budget.
    • Goofs
      In the introductory voice over, schizophrenia is likened to multiple personality disorder (or dissociative identity disorder). In reality, these are two entirely different ailments, one being a disruption in a person's perception of reality (schizophrenia) and the other a disconnect between more than one personality state (DID).
    • Alternate versions
      The original UK cinema version was cut by the BBFC to edit the stabbing of a naked woman during the flashback scene. However additional cuts were made (totalling 1 min 3 secs) for the video release with further edits to the same scene plus cuts to the hammer murder, a sex scene and the stabbing of Mrs Wallace through the head with a knitting needle. The 2008 Redemption DVD is fully uncut.
    • Connections
      Featured in My Sweet Schizo (2012)
    • Soundtracks
      Four Roses
      (uncredited)

      Music by Derry Hall

      Standard Music Library Ltd

    User reviews41

    Review
    Top review
    5/10
    OK exploitation from director Pete Walker
    SCHIZO

    Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

    Sound format: Mono

    A young figure skater (Lynne Frederick) is stalked by a convicted killer (Jack Watson), recently paroled from prison, whose appearance coincides with a series of vicious murders.

    Typical entry from British sleaze specialist Pete Walker (FRIGHTMARE), taking its cue from the giallo shockers popular throughout continental Europe at the time. Less confrontational than some of Walker's previous outings ("It was less Gothique... I wanted less incident and outrage," he explained to journalist Alan Jones in 1983), SCHIZO still delivers the gory goods, though it takes rather too long to work up a decent head of steam. Climactic dividends are reaped by a steady accumulation of narrative details, but individual scenes are somewhat labored, not helped by Frederick's lack of presence in the leading role. By contrast, Stephanie Beacham (DRACULA A.D. 1972) is utterly charming as a family friend who turns detective when Frederick identifies Watson as her stalker - had the roles been reversed, this could have been a small masterpiece of psychological horror. Other stand-outs include veteran character actor Watson (recognizable from brief appearances in countless British movies, here given a much weightier role than usual), and a bearded John Fraser ("The Trials of Oscar Wilde") as a psychiatrist who pays the price for digging too deeply into the circumstances surrounding the death of Frederick's mother.

    Aware of his own directorial limitations, Walker always allowed clever scriptwork to dictate his method, but he was no hack, as SCHIZO ably demonstrates. Here, his point-and-shoot style is punctuated by moments of genuine visual dexterity, such as the circling of a pen on a newspaper article which gives way (via dissolve) to a spinning ice-skater, or the truly unsettling séance during which medium Trisha Mortimer manifests physical signs of possession by one of the killer's former victims. The subsequent murders are blunt and bloody, with no pretence to subtlety. Peter Jessop's artful cinematography and Chris Burke's sensitive art direction make a virtue of the film's seedy locations, and while a good fifteen minutes could have been cut from the overlong narrative (most of the film's highlights are confined to the second half), editor Alan Brett manages to streamline an increasingly complicated scenario with some degree of panache.

    Screenwriter David McGillivray parted company with Walker after this one, due partly to the quality of the script (based on an old work by Murray Smith, author of Walker's earlier films), which McGillivray felt was too transparent, and rendered the killer's identity obvious from the outset. Maybe so, but some of the climactic revelations still pack a hell of a punch. Bottom line: If you're a fan of Walker's output or British exploitation in general, you'll overlook the film's slow-burning tempo and enjoy its outlandish plot developments. Worth a look.
    helpful•14
    2
    • Libretio
    • Mar 14, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 1978 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • U vrtlogu strasti
    • Filming locations
      • Swing Bridge, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne & Wear, England, UK
    • Production company
      • Peter Walker (Heritage) Ltd.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 49 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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