Psychos in Love

I have only seen this film once, and a few years back at that, in an imperfect video pirate copy (it is very hard to see at all, let alone uncut in the UK), but have never forgotten it. That's a hell of a lot more than I can say about many other films.

It's a brave perhaps prematurely postmodern, film, one which takes risks with taste and art as well as the audience's genre expectations - but which succeeds triumphantly. Wes 'Scream' Craven cold take some tips from a film which wears its self consciousness so lightly and its irony so affectingly!

What could easily have been forgettable trash actually transcends its origins to become something memorable and witty, commenting on the genre as well as confronting what is meant by 'good taste'. Despite every handicap Psychos in Love rises above its origins to become a deserved and disturbing cult classic whose reputation will grow and grow... a Z grade classic!

Back in the 1980's - when pretty much everyone thought they could make their own independent horror movie - there was an overload of amateurish, insipid and often downright awful films. Basically "Psychos in Love" is such a film, but at least it remains endurable at all times thanks to the general absurdity of the plot and the spirited enthusiasm of cast and crew. Joe is a strip club owner who tells bad jokes and brutally kills young girls as a hobby. Kate works as an independent manicure and she enjoys killing all the pathetic men that try to get in her pants. It's love at first sight for the two psychopathic killers, especially upon realizing they share an extreme detestation for grapes. Let it be clear, they hate grapes! They hate blue grapes as well as green grapes. They hate them with seeds or without, peeled or not peeled. They hate them in bunches, separately or in pairs! Well I'm sorry to rant on about the grapes, but this monologue gets repeated at least half a dozen times in the movie, so the least I could do was to include it here as well. Joe and Kate decide to have an open relationship, where they can each slash and mutilate as much as they want, but they quickly grow tired of killing. They attempt to revive their mutual hobby by killing together and there's also a bizarre encounter with a cannibalistic plumber. As you can tell, "Psychos in Love" should definitely NOT be taken seriously, and that's exactly the reason why it's still somewhat amusing. It's okay that the acting performances are abominable and the dialogs appear to be written by kindergarten pupils. The bad make-up effects are quite charming and the overload of gratuitous female nudity is actually also an obligatory thing in a tasteless 80's horror movie. Main problems here are that the ingenious gimmick of murdering lovers gets dull rather quickly (especially since they even exist to sing a song about their love) and personally I really hated all those stupid "we're in a movie" jokes. Microphones deliberately hanging in the picture, characters talking straight into the camera and referring to previous scenes, etc. Why insist on assuring the audience that this is just a movie through lousy humor? I mainly agree with the general statement claiming that "Psychos in Love" is what B-movies are all about, but they should have dropped that.

Ok, PSYCHOS IN LOVE is pure unadulterated silliness from start to finish. Not a moment of it is to be taken seriously and anyone who does take it seriously should seriously have their head examined. It plays out very much like a poor man's Troma film (if that's possible!) replete with lots of unconvincing gore and T & a shots. The two lead actors are a hoot and do their job very well. I especially liked Kate's character and how they made her up to look like Molly Ringwald. Plot is fairly simple: Two mad slashers meet, find they share a similar hatred for grapes (!!) and before you know it, they're headed for the altar! Amidst the romancing and killing, a cannibal plumber named Herman is on the loose. The sub-plot involving the cannibalistic plumber doesn't go far but then, you aren't watching PSYCHOS IN LOVE for depth and characterization. Herman comes to fix the psychopathic newlyweds sink, finds out they are killers, blackmails them and then. I had a fun time watching this thing. The jokes are extremely dark and subtle, and are almost always dead on. A real gem in a long line of slapstick comedy-horror. Recommended for connoisseurs of all things cheap and stupid.

Okay, maybe I'm biased. I've seen my other films and other than a few pleasant memories with the people involved, there wasn't much to remember. PSYCHOS, still, to this day, makes me laugh. For those who disliked it - well you just don't get it, do you? You need to know the movie references and also have a sense of humor. And a hat. I can hardly wait for the DVD release that is supposed to have lots of extras. I appreciate all the fan mail that I get and it's amazing what fans consider their favorite parts. Scary, ain't it? OK. The acting was bad, the script was practically rewritten on the set and the effects seemed amateurish - but this movie makes people laugh. That's what we set out to do. I liked it. It's no PHANTOM MENACE - whoops - CITIZEN KANE, I mean, but it doesn't pretend to be. However, I like to pretend I'm Orson Welles and eat fish sticks. But that's another movie.

This is essentially a one joke movie. The catchy theme song "Psychos in Love" will stay in your head long after the film is forgotten. The killings are not creative enough and seem overly repetitive with the numerous slashings. The script is padded with Woody Allen type talking to the audience interludes, and overly talky scenes that do nothing to advance the story. "Psychos in Love" comes across as either a sincere homage to "Eating Raoul" or a total ripoff. Similarities abound, same squeeze toy squeaked by Robert Beltran, the frying pan bop on the head, reading outrageous newspaper headlines, and a plumber who wants the bodies for his own secret purpose. - MERK