Vinegar Syndrome has released the 1987 serial killer comedy Psychos in Love on a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack. Will you fall in love with this cult film? Read on to find out!
Psychos in Love is written and directed by Gorman Bechard. He has 23 directing credits on IMDB but I have not seen or heard of any of them. The film stars Carmine Capobianco (as a co-writer) as Joe the owner of a bar/strip club who just happens to love killing women and cutting them to pieces. Debi Thibeault also stars as Kate, she is a manicurist by day and a killer of men by night. These are our two love birds that we meet in the film, who can’t seem to find a decent date. They get bored with hearing their victims drone on about the weather or other inconsequential small talk.
The film is very campy and at times comes across as a satire in the vein of a low budget Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker. It’s mixed with a Troma-esque sense of humor. There are running gags about hatred for grapes, and gratuitous shots of breasts and cheap gore.
Psychos in Love is shot in a documentary style with frequent fourth wall breaks. The gags are hit and miss so your enjoyment will vary. I thought there were some chuckle worthy moments but there are some real groaners in here too. It’s a likable film with a fun idea behind it. If you go into it thinking of the film as something a group of friends are making in their basement it adds to the charm. I did enjoy it but I didn’t love it.
The film clocks in at 86 minutes long and there are certain parts of the film that drag just a bit even at that length. The cover art gives the film viewer a sense that there will be a nightmarish amount of violence and blood spilled. While there is some gore it’s all done in a comedic fashion. There are some shades of social commentary but it seems like nothing is really taken serious. I found the most amusing parts were the actual “bad” film making parts and not as much with the jokes themselves. It’s a hard movie not to at least like because the actors are so genuinely silly.
The picture is a newly scanned and restored in 2k from the 16mm original negative. Vinegar Syndrome did their normal fantastic job of bringing to HD a film that you wouldn’t expect. There are no obvious issues with the picture quality and the colors were nice and vivid, making that blood splatter extra fun.
The audio is 1.0 DTS-HD MA and belays the cheapness of the production. The dialog is clear but there is some inherent hiss noise and the highs can be irritating to the ear. I noticed especially at the end a heavy use of ADR that did not come close to syncing up with the actors. Of course that could be from the original source. However, in the special features interviews with lead Carmine Capobianco his microphone was not working properly and it is a major disappointment that this wasn’t fixed as it appears multiple times.
Speaking of special features there are a massive amount included in this release.
Special Features:
- 10 page booklet
- 30 second intro with director Gorman Bechard and lead actor Carmine Capobianco
- Commentary with Bechard and Capobianco
- Commentary with Bechard
- Directing the Psychos – 11 minute interview
- Playing a Psycho – 15 minute interview with Capobianco
- Discussing Psychos – 20 minute chat with the creators
- Carmine Capobianco Q&A, Cinema Wasteland 2016 – 49 minute interview from Ohio horror convention
- Making Psychos – 13 minute VHS documentary from 1986
- Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery and Promotional Images
- 10 minutes of Outtakes and Extended Sequences
- Alternate Opening Credit Sequence
- Highlights from the stage play – 13 minutes
- Trailer in HD
*The slipcover version is only available directly through VinegarSyndrome.com and is limited to 2000 copies.
Psychos in Love Final Thoughts:
Psychos in Love doesn’t quite pull off what it was going for, but I was pretty entertained by it anyway. Vinegar Syndrome does their typical great job with transfer and a load of special features. The audio issues are irritating but don’t ruin the experience as this release seems to be the definitive version on Blu-ray.
This Blu-ray is available at Amazon or other fine retailers with the slipcover version sold separately as listed above.
Note: This Blu-ray was sent to us for review. This has not affected our judgement or editorial process in any way. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding this process.
