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Psycho
From Texas |
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Wheeler is a drifter who rolls into a sleepy southern town.
Through flashbacks we discover that he grew up poor and abused
by his sluttish mother, and that he has become a man with
murderous tendencies. He strikes up an unlikely friendship
with a kind local man named Mr. Phillips, a rich widow who
happens to be in the process of planning an engagement party
for his daughter Connie. In a twist of fate, Wheeler hooks up
with a dimwitted thug named Slick, and the two are hired by an
unknown businessman to kidnap Phillips and keep him captive at
a cabin in the boonies. Slick is put in charge of guarding
Phillips while Wheeler goes back into town to raise hell and
to prey on Connie.
“A Psycho From Texas” is an odd little movie that feels like
it materialized out of some bubbling, backwoods swamp. The
origins of the movie itself are sort of a mystery; some sources
have this one listed as being made in 1974, although it’s
generally agreed upon that it didn’t make its debut until 1981.
It’s quite possible that it was made over a period of years;
many of the styles and attitudes projected in the movie indicate
seventies drive-in roots…tack on the fact that it went under
two other titles (“The Butcher” and “Evil + Hate = Killer”).
On the other hand, the presence of Linnea Quigley in a small role
leads me to believe that (at least some of) it was shot in the
early eighties, as she didn’t begin her career as “Queen of the
B’s” until the late seventies. In any event, “A Psycho From
Texas” unleashed itself during the heyday of slasher cinema,
armored with a lurid title and a sleazy, violent edge. Even
though it contains elements, this movie is NOT a bonafide slasher
flick and it doesn’t really function as a journey into the mind
of a psychopath either. It’s more akin to a (weak and uneventful)
rip-off of violent, “home-invasion” thrillers like “Fight For
Your Life” (a sub-genre that was popular in the seventies).
Technically, “A Psycho From Texas” is as bad as can be expected.
First of all, there are scenes that take place in bars and
restaurants where obviously the only people on the set are the
principle actors, yet we hear endlessly looped crowd noises in
the background (add the loud, twangy country music that plays in
just about every scene and you’ve got some truly SHRILL audio).
The makers also thought it would be a real hoot to add a comic
“BOIIINNNGG” sound effect at random moments…even during scenes
that would behoove the movie to take a more intense approach.
The movie also suffers from bad editing and continuity. One
particular instance finds Phillips escaping from the cabin with
Slick in hot pursuit and a long, ridiculous chase scene between
the two plays out for roughly a third of the film until Phillips
decides to finally kill the bastard. The majority of the acting
is terrible too…I know that it seems pointless to judge a film of
this caliber on it’s technical merits, as no viewer will probably
ever take any of it a bit seriously…but once seen, it’s pretty
apparent that the creators set out to make a straightforward crime
thriller, with their ill-conceived stabs at intentional and
(low-budget affected) unintentional humor clashing with the violent
atmosphere that we’re supposed to buy into.
To give credit where it’s due, “A Psycho From Texas” has a few
fleeting moments that verge on the slasher-esque. In one scene,
Wheeler chases Connie’s ditzy gal-pal around a basement with a
knife. Later, the maid of the house comes home to put away the
groceries as she sings a chilling black spiritual (juxtaposed with
the scene where Phillips murders Slick…probably the most effective
moment in the film) before finding the girls’ corpse in a closet.
She flees from the house throwing one of the most over-the-top
conniptions while flailing about the yard.
What’s probably the most memorable thing here (and probably one
of the main reasons why people have actually sought this one out)
is the appearance of Linnea Quigley. She has a bit role as a bored
barmaid who comes into Wheeler’s path. After rebuffing his advances,
he proceeds to strip her naked and make her dance at knifepoint…
adding insult to injury by pouring a pitcher of beer on her head and
forcing her to straddle an unconscious man. A pretty sick scene
that is illustrated on many of the various box-artworks “A Psycho
From Texas” had.
A woman is shown covered in blood during a flashback, a couple of
shootings, a woman found naked and dead in a closet with scars all
over her, and a slightly nasty pitchfork to the neck. Nothing really
special, but not completely barren of bloody tidbits.
Loaded. Lots of banjo pickin’, juice harp, and harmonica.
Basically the kind of stuff that would be more at home in a movie
about big-breasted girls being pursued by a butterball sheriff as
they attempt to smuggle moonshine over the county line in a big rig.
Tons of country music…you know you’re in for a rough time when you’re
watching a shitty movie and one of these songs contains direct
references to the main character. Another thing that’s interesting
here is that the movie seems to be set during the holidays, although
the only signifiers are one character wishing another a
“Merry Christmas” and the inclusion of some Christmas tunes in
seemingly random scenes.
Eh, I would actually grant this one half a star. A skid-row
curiosity that isn’t all that interesting...I was pretty bored
throughout. Bad movie aficionados and fans of Quigley will probably
want to check it out, although I also see it as being one of those
movies that irony buffs and hipsters would fall prey to while out at
the video store playing “lets-rent-the-worst-movie-we-can-find-and-watch-it”
(on that thought, I think it would be a scream if it developed some sort
of cult following) . On the surface, “A Psycho From Texas” is alluringly
lurid, but ends up being a bust.
Review By: The ScareMaker
