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.