Psychic Killer (1975) - DVD Review

Killers that use their minds instead of their bodies (and an assortment of weapons) are always the scarier (In my opinion) characters in films. They can do the most horrible things you’ve ever imagined, but they don’t have to actually be there. Of course this makes it rather difficult for the police as they try to deduce how random, seemingly unrelated victims meet tragic ends, without any way for a killer to get near them. More often then not, the murders are still rather generic, and the story crawls along as the killer seeks vengeance, or just a good time, while never really placing themselves in any jeopardy. Psychic Killer falls into this sub-genre , and gives the audience everything it could hope for in a low budget horror venture.

Rating:

Arnold Masters (Jim Hutton, Timothy Hutton’s father) is having a pretty rough time. He’s locked up in a mental hospital for a crime he didn’t commit and finds out that his mother was basically left to rot by the very people that were supposed to be taking care of her. He meets another inmate and learns astral projection, which allows him to leave his body and go somewhere else. After almost being given an autopsy while alive, he’s released when the real murderer comes forward, but he’s not about to let the sins against his mother go unpunished. What follows is a series of murders that lead the police to believe he’s behind it, but they can’t nail him down because, even under observation, he never leaves his apartment. How do you charge someone with murder if they were never at the crime scenes? This is the problem haunting Lieutenant Morgan (Paul Burke) as he tries to pin the grizzly murders on Masters, but can’t find a way to make the charges stick. Before Arnold can strike again Morgan must take the law into his own hands.

Sounds like a winning film, doesn’t it? Well, yes and no. What it’s got going for it are some nice little story twists and of course the murders. One in particular involves an angry meat salesman, a grinder, buckets of blood, a large band saw, and a large hook. The scene actually isn’t that bloody, but it’s well-cut and actually made me cringe a bit. For what it was, it worked very well. Another disturbing sequence involves a nurse, who’s all sorts of wrong. She teases the elderly man in his hospital bed, stripping out of her clothes and dancing around before taking a shower in the room next door. Yet, she wronged Arnold’s mother, and has to pay. Somehow the shower becomes possessed and steaming hot. The showerhead follows her wherever she tries to run in the small square space. The shower door is locked and she can’t get out. Her body scalds for several minutes before she breaks through the door, but it’s already too late. An excellent scene indeed. Also on the good side, the flashbacks that Arnold has are pretty messed up, and for me, were the most disturbing parts of the film. They definitely added a much needed second layer to the story of the movie.

Now, for the bad. The film drags…a lot. It’s rather tedious to sit through, and all the cheesy dialogue in the world can’t make it funny enough to really want to watch more than once. Of course, if you’re a gorehound, you’re probably going to ignore this and get it straight away (go for it, the death scenes are pretty cool), but those of us that want the film to be either a well-told story, or so over the top that it’s funny, are going to be let down. Psychic Killer falls somewhere in between the two and it’s kind of just…there. The acting wasn’t that bad, but it’s not that great either.

Overall, Psychic Killer is a run of the mill exploitation flick from the 70s. It doesn’t hold up as well as the classics of the decade (Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Black Christmas, Halloween), but it’s not the worst film and deserves to be watched by anyone that fancies himself or herself a fan of the genre. With some cool death sequences and a pretty messed up finale, Psychic Killer may be just what the hardcore horror fan is looking for, but mainstream film watchers may want to keep their distance.

DVD Extras:

TV Spots: Three TV spots are included as bonus features on the disc. For some reason, someone thought it was a good idea to show the ending of the film in two of them. For those that haven’t seen the flick, I advise not watching these until after you’ve watched the feature.

Trailer: The trailer, like the TV spots, basically gives away the entire movie eliminating the need to see the movie. I recommend watching the film first.

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