‘Love hurts…’
Psychos in Love is a 1986 [released 1987] American black comedy horror film produced, edited, photographed and directed by Gorman Bechard (Galactic Gigolo; Cemetery High; Disconnected) from a screenplay co-written with Carmine Capobianco. The latter provided the Casio CZ synth score and also co-stars with Debi Thibeault.
The $75,000 movie was filmed on 16mm. Some scenes were improvised and the fourth wall is broken.
Psychos in Love was released by Vinegar Syndrome on September 26, 2017, as a Blu-ray + DVD combo with the following special features:
• Region free Blu-ray + DVD combo pack
• Newly scanned and restored in 2k from the 16mm original camera negative
• Commentary track with: Gorman Bechard (writer/producer/director) and Carmine Capobianco (writer/actor/music)
• Commentary track with: Gorman Bechard
• “Directing the Psychos” – Interview with Gorman Bechard
• “Playing a Psycho” – Interview with Carmine Capobianco
• “Discussing Psychos” – With Gorman Bechard & Carmine Capobianco
• “Making Psychos” – Making-of featurette
• Director’s introduction
• Carmine Capobianco Q&A from Cinema Wasteland 2016
• Original trailer
• Behind the scenes photo gallery
• Promotional image gallery
• Rough edit outtakes & extended scenes
• Alternate opening credit sequence
• Highlights from the “Psychos in Love” stageplay
• Four short films directed by Gorman Bechard
• Booklet with essays by Art Ettinger & Matt Desiderio
• Special ‘I ♥ MY VCR’ sticker
• Original cover artwork by Derek Gabryszak
• Reversible cover artwork
• English SDH Subtitles
Plot:
Joe (Carmine Capobianco), a bartender in a strip joint, and Kate (Debi Thibeault), a manicurist, meet after trying to find a significant other for a long time. They share a hatred for grapes and are both murderers.
Before meeting Kate, Joe murdered many women after bringing them to his home. A cannibal plumber, Herman (Frank Stewart), blackmails the serial killers…
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Reviews:
“Although at times the pacing is sluggish and only about half the jokes are funny, it does have a zany originality […] While certainly not for the squeamish, Psychos in Love does have a certain grotesque charm and may achieve a minor sort of cult status among fans of the bizarre.” TV Guide
“This critic didn’t like this movie when he first saw it back in the late ’80s, and nothing has changed since then. He didn’t find it funny, inventive, or scary.” DVD Talk
“There’s really not much of a plot to Psychos in Love but there is a lot to enjoy. The film’s humor hits most of its marks, never taking itself too seriously, however several running gags, such as the grape monologue, quickly wear out their welcome. The lead actor’s self awareness, that they are characters in a low budget slasher picture, also tends to cause more confusion than it does laughter.” DVD Drive-In
” …on top of being funny, gory, and, of course, sexy, it’s got a sweet and tender side. I don’t know why I’m acting all surprised; after all, the word “love” is in the freaking title. It’s just that I was genuinely moved by the film’s love story…” House of Self Indulgence
“It’s a black comedy, obviously, that owes more than a little debt to Paul Bartel’s 1982 Eating Raoul, minus that film’s smugness. But hands down the reason it works is due to the natural chemistry of stars Carmine Capobianco and Debi Thibeault.” Fervid Filmmaking: 66 Cult Pictures of Vision, Verve and No Self-Restraint
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” …does a great job of successfully combining elements of horror and comedy perfectly. A lot of horror comedies have trouble pulling this off but that wasn’t the case with Psychos in Love. The humor is actually very funny…” HNN
“This is a really clever, funny, quick-paced, well acted indie flick that never takes itself seriously and knows exactly what kind of movie it is.” Anything Horror
“Psychos in Love is exceptionally well-made for an amateur feature too. The editing is excellent, with the pace moving quickly through the film’s many murder segments. The first clue that it’s more than just your average horror film are the very funny interview segments in black & white that seem quite prophetic in the current reality TV obsessed culture.” Silver Emulsion Film Reviews
“Chintzy synth music, a topless new wave chick, non sequitur monologues to the camera, even a theme song… if you’re in the right frame of mind, it doesn’t get better than this.” Nathaniel Thompson, DVD Delirium Volume 4
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Main cast:
- Carmine Capobianco – Model Hunger; The Sins of Dracula; I Spill Your Guts
- Debi Thibeault – Cemetery High
- Cecelia Wilde – Pledge Night
- Robert Suttile
- Lum Chang Pang
- Danny Noyes
- Herb Klinger
- Wally Gribauskas
- Peach Gribauskas
- LeeAnne Baker – Mutant Hunt; Breeders; Necropolis
- Michael Citriniti
- Angela Nicholas –The Domicile
- Eric Lutes – Legend of the Mummy; Legion of Fire: Killer Ants!
- Ed Powers
Release:
The film was released on VHS in 1987, distributed by Wizard Video. It was released on DVD by Shriek Show, a division of Media Blasters, in 2009. The special features include commentaries, a behind the scenes look at the film’s production, multiple beginning credits, longer scenes, the film’s trailer, a picture gallery, and parts of the 2003 stage production.
Filming locations:
Goshen, Hartford, Naugatuck, Waterbury and Watertown, Connecticut
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Watch trailer on YouTube
