Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

       View All       Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Schizo

      R 1976 1h 49m Horror List
      Reviews 19% Audience Score 250+ Ratings Someone wants a woman (Lynne Frederick) to think she killed her mother, and maybe she did. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

      View All (24) audience reviews
      Audience Member This is another Pete Walker horror sleazefest (hooray!!!) Figure skater Samantha is about to get married to wealthy businessman Alan. Her mother's former partner has just been released from prison and starts stalking her, travelling from the North East to London to accomplish the job. This film mines into the whole phenomenon of being followed, peeping toms and was ahead of it's time in depicting stalking which wasn't widely known about at the time. The film also gives Hitchcock-esque psychological explanations as to what schizophrenia is (again, a term that was relatively unknown by many at the time) to help the audience better understand what they are going to see and the kind of mental condition which would drive the killer to carry out their plans. But is all as it seems? In a word- NO! The film keeps us guessing as to the killer's identity right up until the end and takes us on a voyage through 70's locales to do so with impeccably decorated flats and the London streets of the time (again, Walker is so good at capturing the time and place that he sets his films within. Here we get gorgeous snapshots of a bygone era and a time capsule of London in 1976 whether it be the exterior of King's Cross railway station, the inside of a supermarket or the grimy flophouses and hostels of N1). The cast are all fantastic especially Lynne Frederick as Samantha and an early appearance by Stephanie Beecham as her best friend Beth. There's even John ‘Johnny Remember Me' Leyton and Queenie Watts in supporting roles. Watch out for the literally eye-popping clairvoyant meeting scene which is both terrifying and very funny. Walker also has the ability of making something truly scary and unnerving but bookending this with dark observational humour. The character of Joy embodies this perfectly. Another Walker masterpiece. He really is worthy of more praise and to be reappraised as the King of 70's British Horror. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Interesting film. Straddles Psycho and Yank Slasher films. A bit of a museum piece now but especially interesting to cineastes. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/28/19 Full Review delysid d its not as good as the title would suggest... its one of those dreary pete walker movies Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/20/18 Full Review Audience Member Not a good film. Very boring and she knows the killer the whole time. The only interesting thing is that every one seems to want to sleep with everyone. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review anthony p Low budget British horror from 1976 directed by Pete Walker. Walker films were legendary low budget UK horror films from that period (he retired in 1983!) that usually upset the conservative establishment with their controversial (for the time) screenplays. Schizo is like an Italian giallo film with its gory blood stained set pieces. Here a successful London based young figure skater is about to get married. It even gets column inches in the Daily Mirror. A face from her past in North Eastern England reacts with fury at seeing the story and races down to London to react. Quell blood (plenty of it), knives and knitting needles. The film has a clever little plot not revealed until near the end by Walker. 1976 seems so long ago in films like this. Besides the print quality having deteriorated the prices for basic commodities are so low. The British Rail trains into Kings Cross and the Post Office telephones are embarrassing. The film is a cheap imitation of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho in parts. There is even a shower scene. Did Walker intentionally try to imitate Alfred Hitchcock? Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Schizo is a fun whodunnit type of slasher with aspects of giallo throughout where figuring out the killer isn't as easy as it seems. The blood is good and red, the kills range from meh to interesting, and the music is lovely. While not one of the best films in the genre, Schizo is a welcome addition and Pete Walker managed to not only create a fun and gruesome film but by doing so, also created a controvertial one. Definately worth checking out for fans of the genre. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

      Show Less Cast & Crew Show More Cast & Crew

      Photos

      View All Schizo photos

      Schizo

      Schizo (1976) Schizo (1976) Schizo (1976) Schizo (1976) Schizo (1976) Schizo (1976) View more photos

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Someone wants a woman (Lynne Frederick) to think she killed her mother, and maybe she did.
      Director
      Pete Walker
      Production Co
      Peter Walker (Heritage) Ltd.
      Rating
      R
      Genre
      Horror
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      May 23, 2017
      Runtime
      1h 49m