SCHIZOID. A slasher like an American version of giallo

If a serial killer thriller like “Schizoid” features Klaus Kinski, you can already predict the identity of the murderer with high probability from the beginning. Or can you?

Julie lives in Los Angeles and writes a love advice column for a local newspaper. To recover from her divorce, she starts attending group therapy sessions led by Dr. Fales. The group also includes a lonely eccentric named Gilbert, a young stripper named Pat, and an old maid named Rosemary. One of the patients is stabbed with scissors by an unknown assailant in an abandoned suburban house. Around the same time, Julie begins receiving anonymous threatening letters. The police advise her to ignore them, but Julie wants to respond to the letter writer in the press. Soon after, more members of the therapy group fall victim to the killings; meanwhile, Julie begins an affair with Dr. Fales, much to the displeasure of both her ex-husband Doug and Fales’ teenage daughter Alison, who harbors a dark secret.

“Schizoid” was one of the first films produced by Cannon Films after it was purchased by Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus. The Israeli producers developed a business model based on acquiring poor scripts and making them as cheaply as possible. Cannon specialized mostly in action films, and the studio’s biggest financial hits include “Death Wish 2” (1982) by Michael Winner, “Missing in Action” (1984) by Joseph Zito, “American Ninja” (1985) by Sam Firstenberg, and “Cobra” (1986) by George P. Cosmatos – titles well-known to anyone who owned a VCR and frequented video rental stores in the late 80s and early 90s. Cannon also produced comedies, horror films, science fiction, thrillers, and slashers – “Schizoid” is an example of a blend between the latter two genres.

The film somewhat resembles Italian “giallo”: there’s a mysterious killer in a black coat, hat, and gloves whose weapon is a blade (in this case, scissors); there are victims, mostly female, and a main character who tries to uncover the killer’s identity. The creators of “Schizoid” deserve credit for delivering a few thrills and a sinister atmosphere, but the film seems caught between a classic whodunit and a typical slasher – bloody and mindless. What sets “Schizoid” apart from other films of this type is Klaus Kinski’s role as Dr. Fales and Donna Wilkes’ portrayal of his daughter Alison. The tense, complex relationship between these characters is arguably the film’s most interesting aspect. However, instead of focusing on this dynamic, Paulsen concentrates on the clichéd features typical of any thriller.

Despite these flaws, “Schizoid” is a fairly well-made film. The plot, though predictable, is engaging, the killer’s identity may come as a surprise, and Kinski, as always, exudes magnetism. The film was a box office hit (grossing four million dollars on a budget more than ten times smaller), but critics were merciless. Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert deemed “Schizoid” “an expression of hatred toward women,” while Kevin Thomas of “The Los Angeles Times” railed that it was “tacky violence aimed at women.” Interestingly, the same critics didn’t seem to mind the terrorizing of women in films like “Psycho” (1960) by Alfred Hitchcock, “Peeping Tom” (1960) by Michael Powell, or “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) by Jonathan Demme. It seems hypocrisy and double standards are as common among film critics as they are in other professions.