The Psycho Lover

The Psycho Lover (1970)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Rather interesting thriller has psychiatrist Kenneth Alden (Lawrence Montaigne) helping a patient who is having dreams that he is raping and murdering women. Pretty soon the doctor begins to think that this is guy who is actually raping and killing. Instead of calling the police he instead tries to get the psycho to murder his own wife who is refusing him a divorce.

If you're a fan of Something Weird Video then you know they saved all sorts of strange movies. I love watching the stuff they put out but there's no question that the majority of the movies were quite bad but entertaining. This one here is actually a gem as it manages to try and be something more than just your typical skin flick. THE PSYCHO LOVER isn't a completely good movie but there's no question that it's a lot better than most of its type.

What really sets this film apart is the fact that it really does try to be more like a Hitchcock film than just some quickie sexploitation picture. The kill scenes in the picture are built for suspense and I give director-writer Robert Vincent O'Neill a lot of credit for trying to build up some tension instead of just going for cheap shocks. The attack scenes are well-staged and for the most part they pack a nice little punch.

The film does have some pretty campy moments and mainly the "love" scenes between the psychicatrist and his lover. Some of these scenes with the bubby gum love songs are quite embarrassing and so more damange than anything else. The performances aren't the greatest but they're at least serviceable for this type of picture. There's also quite a bit of nudity to supply some sleaze so fans should enjoy that.

THE PSYCHO LOVER certainly has some flaws and it doesn't quite make it to what I'd consider a "good" movie but at the same time there's enough going on here to make it worth calling it a gem.

Marco is a psycho lover,a misogynistic rapist and stocking strangler of some beautiful young women.He is suspected by the police of a series of shocking nylon murders.His psychiatrist Kenneth Alden wants to use Marco's insane personality to his advantage by helping him to murder his wife.Kenneth hypnotizes Marco into committing the perfect crime..."The Psycho Lover" is a scummy and psychedelic early 70's piece of exploitation.The murders are pretty intense and there are some brilliantly hypnotic sequences.This is a taut and quite suspenseful little thriller with plenty of delicious sleaze and a bit of nasty misogyny thrown in.I enjoyed it and you should too,if you are into Something Weird Video's exploitation.7 out of 10.

The plot of this film isn't exactly original; the film itself even admits to this by mentioning the classic film 'The Manchurian Candidate' halfway through, but for what it is; The Psycho Lover easily provides eighty minutes of entertainment, and it's an above average film to boot. The film centres on the idea of brainwashing someone into committing murder, although this plot doesn't come through until half an hour in, and it is a little difficult to ascertain what is going on at certain points. After the first half hour, I really wasn't expecting this to develop into anything, but things pick up once we see where things are going. Psychologist Kenneth Alden has a problem; he's got himself a hot girlfriend named Stacey, but his relationship with her is being held back by wife, who doesn't want to be with him because she doesn't loves him - but also doesn't want to give him a divorce because she knows not doing so will wind him up. When Stacey tells Kenneth about a film she has seen, 'The Manchurian Candidate', he gets the bright idea of brainwashing someone and having him kill his wife...

One problem I have with this film is that many of its scenes are far too drawn out. However, this isn't always a bad thing as many of these sequences are more interesting than they should be given the type of film. The scene in which we are introduced to Kenneth's wife is very strong, and the sequence that sees our serial killer stalk a victim through an empty house is actually quite exciting. The film was shot on a low budget, and this is always obvious although not that important; as there are no big stunts and the film admirably overcomes its budget restraints. The acting isn't bad either, and Lawrence Montaigne is good in the lead role. He receives good support from Jo Anne Meredith as his wife, while Frank Cuva and Elizabath Plumb bulk out the rest of the central cast. The ending is nice and ironic, and works well considering what has gone before it. Films like this are usually ten a penny, but this one stands out above similar movies, and I will say that if you consider yourself a fan of cult seventies cinema - this one is more worth tracking down than most!

Dare I confess to admiring this misogynist wallow in depravity? Say what you will about its politics, THE PSYCHO LOVER is way above average of its type in terms of cinematography, editing and entertainment value. The plot concerns a psychiatrist who is treating a patient who police suspect of being a serial rape murderer. The film is punctuated by several almost psychedelic attack scenes, which bristle with an energy rarely seen in films of this budget. Ultimately the doctor tries to use the killer as a tool to release him from his miserable marriage, attempting to hypnotize his patient to do his bidding. This sequence must be seen to be believed: as the diminutive woman-hater sleeps he is plagued by visions of his victims. Acid rock cranks on the soundtrack, a woman with Gene Simmons makeup whispers "Kill...kill," another go-go dances. It doesn't get any better than this, folks. And hardly anyone lives happily ever after. The director also made the equally mean-spirited BLOOD MANIA which is worth a look, but PSYCHO LOVER deserves a cult following.

You have to love a film that so freely admits that it has stolen a major plot element from a (then) current popular film... in fact a character actually mentions that she had just seen this great film called "The Manchurian Candidate" and goes into detail about the plot that the film then goes on to replicate... you have to admire their honesty!

Other than that there is the delightfully silly scene where they attempt to stage a suspenseful cat and mouse scene in a fully lit, sparsly furnished room that is about the size of a small car... and somehow manage to drag it out for several minutes AND make it work (to a point at least).