Schizoid Movie Review

Trailer here.

Schizoid is a 1980 horror movie directed by David Paulsen and starring Klaus Kinski, Marianna Hill, Craig Wasson and Christopher Lloyd.

A woman called Julie(Hill) writes an advice column in a Los Angeles newspaper. She is also getting a divorce. She attends group therapy. Someone is watching the women in her group. One of them is followed home and when she is out for a cycle, the person knocks her off her bike and chases her. He stabs her. Julie receives a threatening letter. Her soon to be ex husband is called Doug(Wasson). He also works for the newspaper. The group sessions are led by Dr.Fales(Kinski). He has an unsual relationship with his daughter, Alison(Donna Wilkes). Julie shows him the letter. He is having a sexual relationship with another woman in the group, Pat. Julie goes to the police with the letter and Lieutenant Donahue(Richard Herd) deals with it. The killer is following another person from the group. He follows her home and kills her.

The killer has his eyes on Julie. She gets another letter. She goes to the police again. She recognises one of the murder victims from her group. Julie has an idea. she wants to put a message in the newspaper to draw the killer out. The police set up a phone number so the killer can get in touch. Alison sees Julie with her father. She is not happy about it. She has a temper tantrum and she is angry with her father. Julie returns to the office and encounters Gilbert. He scares her. He spies on her in her apartment. He sees her in bed with the doctor.  The killer stalks another group member. He kills her in the hot tub. It turns out that Alison is the one who is sending Julie letters. Her father finds one of the words that she has been cutting out and using. He confronts her about it. She tries to kill herself. Julie stays with Doug while the phone line is being set up by the cops.

Alison spots Julie's advertisement in the paper. She calls her and she wants to meet her. She tells Julie that she is the one who wrote the letters. Julie asks her if she murdered anyone. Alison pulls a gun. The doctor calls Julie and she tells him that Alison is there. He rushes over there and Gilbert appears too. The doctor looks for Julie and he finds her and Alison being held hostage by Doug. He has Alison's gun. He shoots at the doctor. The police work out that the killer is Doug and they arrive at the office. Doug is bitter over the group. The cops arrive and Gilbert manages to open the door for the police. Alison stabs Doug with a scissors. The police enter as the others hug.

This is a good thriller. It is a mix of slasher and thriller and it is enjoyable working out who the killer is. There are lots of twists and turns, which is always fun. I enjoyed watching it and it is definitely worth a watch for fans of slasher films and 80's movies. I will give it a 5/10.

Clown in a Cornfield(2025) Movie Review

Trailer here.

Clown in a Cornfield is a 2025 horror movie directed by Eli Craig and starring Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Will Sasso and Kevin Durand.

The film begins in 1991 with a girl who is playing with a jack in the box. A clown pops out. She runs into the cornfield and gets attacked by something. Her boyfriend follows her and sees her bleeding. He gets killed by a clown. Cut to present day in Kettle Springs. Dr. Glenn Maybrook(Abrams) is moving to Kettle Springs with his daughter Quinn(Douglas). He is the new doctor in the town. There is an old creepy factory called the Baymen Corn Syrup Company which got burned down. A teen called Rust meets Quinn. He is a local and he is a little odd. He walks her to school where she meets the cool kids. They are Janet,Tucker, Matt, Ronnie and Cole(Carson MacCormac). She slots into their friend ground easily.

It's Founders Day in Kettle Springs. The group have a YouTube channel about a killer clown, Frendo.  Glenn meets the local Sheriff Dunne(Sasso). Quinn heads off to hang out with the cool gang. We discover that Quinn's mother died of an overdose and that is why they moved away.  Cole confesses that his sister died too and then they kiss. Glenn isn't happy about it. Tucker sees a clown at the front door. He sees a jack in the box in his house. The clown kills him. Cole's dad, Arthur(Durand) is the mayor of the town. He makes a speech at the Founder's Day parade. Someone wrecks the parade. Sheriff Dunne thinks that Cole and his gang did it. He throws them in jail. Matt is the next to find a jack in the box. The clown comes for him next.

Cole gives Quinn a jack in the box. They meet Rust who is hunting. He warns Quinn to be careful.  Cole takes her to a party where they meet Janet and Ronnie. They wonder where Matt and Tucker are. Cole and Quinn are getting closer but it doesn't happen. Something is up with Cole. A girl comes out of the cornfield. She is covered in blood. Everyone thinks that it is a gag. Matt's head comes flying out of the corn. They all realise that it is no joke. Frendo is coming for them all. Rust shoots at the clown and hits him. Quinn goes to take his mask off to see who it is. There are more than one. Lots of clowns emerge from the cornfield.

It seems as if all the adults in town are in on it. The doctor sees that Quinn is not at homeand he searches for her. The others are hiding from the clowns. Glenn gets caught by the clowns and they want him to help with the clown who was shot.  Rust meets the gang and he sets up a trap for the clowns. The group are going to call the police. They flag down a police car. Sheriff Dunne arrests Cole. The three girls have to reach a house with a phone. The clowns are after them. Janet gets killed by one of them. Glenn stabs one of the clowns in the neck. Quinn and Cole get caught by the clowns.  Mayor Hill is the leader of the clown gang. He tells them that he wants to keep the town old style. He hates the new generation. He will kill his own son. He reveals that he burned down the factory. He wants Cole gone. Glenn drives in and kills two clowns. The Sheriff is after Quinn. She ends up killing him. Rust saves Cole and they kiss. It turns out that they are gay(where did that come from?). The clowns are dead except one and they hit that with the car as they are driving away. The movie ends with Quinn leaving for college. There is a jack in the box in her car, but she tosses it away.

I was disappointed with this film. It didn't deliver. It was obvious that the town were in on it and it just felt silly when I heard their motive for the killings. The kids in it were obnoxious and I didn't care if they lived or died. It just wasn't anything special and I felt let down by it. I was looking forward to it but I wouldn't watch it again. I will give it a 4/10.