The better cast and resources Jess Franco manages to get, the less original results he seems to deliver. COUNT DRACULA and JACK THE RIPPER are two good examples of decently-funded mediocrity. DARK MISSION is of the same ilk. Plot in one sentence: Christopher Mitchum (CLOCKWORK TERROR) is our hero, an American special agent posing as a newspaperman to infiltrate the Colombian drug lord’s (the ever-decent Christopher Lee) organization.
Despite it’s obvious drabness, DARK MISSION is hard to resist because of the killer cast.
Mitchum, Lahaie, Lee, Richard “Ninja Master Gordon” Harrison and a Eurocine regular Henri Lambert (TRANS-EUROP EXPRESS) are all onboard, acting out yet another insanely boring scenario for Daniel Lesoeur.
Cinematography is rather competent with an occasional elaborate tracking shot. There’s some stock footage of helicopters used in the poorly-edited action scenes which is in different aspect ratio from the main bulk of the film. Some of the dullest Jess Franco films at least have amazing poster artwork and memorable music.Unfortunately, DARK MISSION has a very poor score. It’s weak and inappropriate. Probably is just a collection of some stock cues. Daniel J. White’s contribution would have been very welcome. Something extraordinary for a Eurocine product: there’s no nudity whatsoever (unless you count the Richard Harrison bathroom scene) and zero sexual tension. This plays very much like a TV film with unadventurous framing and simplistic action at even intervals. Christopher Lee and Brigitte Lahaie do their best with the dull dialogue they’ve been given and emerge with dignity. Lahaie gets to do both an impressively emotional scene and an over-the-top action one. Seeing her lead the troops whilst firing a huge machine gun is a true highlight.
Christopher Mitchum’s performance is only marginally better than the totally wooden one he’d delivered in CLOCKWORK TERROR. Antonio Mayans has a supporting role as a doctor.
Although DARK MISSION is a well below average film, it does have a fairly clear story and some amusingly frantic action scenes so there’s something to salvage for the more dedicated enthusiast here.
Gorgeous giallo artwork – totally misleading, of course.
Weak frights, muddled intrigue, “subtle” outfits and some totally schizo wallpaper patterns await the viewer in Pete Walker’s deservedly little-known murder mystery yarn.
Man with a great face
Plot in one sentence: Upon learning of Samantha‘s upcoming wedding, a very intense-looking man (Jack Watson) travels to London from up North and before you know it Samantha‘s friends start getting picked off by a killer…
Remember - SCHIZO is a British picture, not an Italian one. So expect bleak visuals, sour jokes and social commentary instead of blunt humour, dazzling camera-work and out-of-sync dubbing.
Lynne Frederick looks great (even in a yellow vinyl raincoat) and her distress is, for the most part, very convincing.
Nasty wallpaper.
Absurd macho posturing amidst some gaudy interiors.
Usually, 70’s fashions can be a plus, but some of the décor in SCHIZO is definitely too much. SCHIZO is perhaps worth watching for a slice of Britain (and a certain style of filmmaking) that is no more.
A co-op bus...
There’s some wonderful low-budget violence, rather nasty in concept and modest in execution.
It's not uncommon seeing hammered people on Friday nights... Lynne Frederick acting scared.
SCHIZO is a kind of film to put on while ironing your shirts or something. It hasn’t got the density, originality or drive to merit full attention. The last half hour or so is close to excellent and does redeem the preceding boredom to an extent, though.
This has to be my favourite Pete Walker film, together with THE COMEBACK.
There's no need for you to watch BLOODY PSYCHO. Really, there isn't. Unless you're craving for some obscure, shot-on-16mm, incoherent, unambitious gore film. Plot in one sentence: A psychic doctor comes to a castle where a series of murders begins. After an atmospheric opening BLOODY PSYCHO begins to fall apart. The plot is hard to make sense of, and is nothing original. Peter Hintz underacting as Dr. Vogler made a better impression than he did while going way over the top in Fulci's HOUSE OF CLOCKS. PLUSES:The low-budget yet atmospheric score tells an entirely different story from the film it accompanies. It elevates the proceedings above dreary at times. MINUSES:Editing is rudimentary. Some unbearably long takes are left in. An occasional special effect is impressive, but the majority of them is very basic. Only very keen enthusiasts will be able to scrape some redeeming value out of this incomprehensible mess. BLOODY PSYCHO doesn't care for being understandable. It exists only to deliver the obligatory quota of cheap gore modestly sprinkled across the ninety minutes of a poor supernatural film. If you can help it, avoid BLOODY PSYCHO. But, if you're still reading at this point, you'll probably get suckered into viewing it.
