‘What Could Have Been’ is a continuing look into the reels of film history, analysing movies that could have been something special, but due to problems with script, production, budget, or any other type of issue, did not reach its full potential.
A rush job of a film, the slasher mystery thriller Schizoid (1980) came about when writer and director David Paulsen bumped into the film’s producer, Menahem Golan, asking him if he’s got any good ideas. Coming up with something for the next day, he was given a measly two weeks to polish off a script, and a few more weeks before it went into production. . . the only other stipulation, there’s got to be a starring part for Klaus Kinski.
Not usually a recipe for success, it is immediately evident that this is guerilla film making at its most rushed. But, at the same time, something rather interesting happened – a cast came together that makes this murder mystery a bit more complex. . . more on that a little bit later.
Following advice columnist Julie Caffret (Marianna Hill – High Plains Drifter), perhaps she needed to take some of her own advice, as she has recently divorced nice guy Doug (Craig Wasson – four years before his big role in Brian De Palma’s Body Double), even though they still work together at the newspaper. He’s putting all of his attention and energy into wallpapering his office.
Her life is not only complicated due to the divorce, but she has been receiving threatening messages put together with pieces of cut-out magazine letters. But don’t worry too much, Lieutenant Donahue (Richard Herd) says that it can’t be anything that should be taken too seriously, so just keep ignoring them.
Trying to deal with her complex emotions, she is part of a rather large therapy group run by eccentric psychologist Pieter Fales (Kinski – Double Face). Perhaps a bit too Freudian, he crosses the boundaries by attempting to sleep with every one of his female patients (including the columnist), while also giving some weird looks towards his psychotic teenage daughter, Alison (Donna Wilkes) – who dresses like someone right out of a film noir. Who knows, all of this might be typical behavior for Germans.
With a wide array of patients, including a stripper and spinster, perhaps the most mysterious is awkward handyman Gilbert (Christopher Lloyd – five years after One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). . . who always seems to be around all the women – maybe he is just lonely.
Of course, one after one, the women of the therapy session start falling to a black gloved wielder of scissors. . . but with the cops showing very little interest in taking the whole thing seriously, poor Julie must try to take care of the threats herself.
Bringing together one of the best cast of possible whodunits you’ll ever see in a low budget slasher flick, it’s an absolute treat trying to figure out if it’s the handsy Dr. Fales, the stalkerish Mr. Fix-It Gilbert, her too nice for his own good ex Doug, or perhaps the teen angst emanating Alison.
Though it’s got its flaws (the rush job and low budget impacting a more dynamic story and visuals), Schizoid is a late-night treat thanks to its stellar cast. . . something that is still a bit hard to believe. The audience gets Kinski oozing oodles of sexual weirdness, Wesson at his cheerful and wallpapering best, and Lloyd channeling his most awkward shyness (with a mustache to boot), making for a hat trick of perfection. So, don’t snip this one from your list. . . it’s worth taking some advice and embracing it.