Psychos in Love is a really silly film that came out the ’80s and quickly became a cult favourite on the VHS market. It’s heavily influenced by the cult film The Honeymoon Killers, but I actually prefer this. It’s kind of as if Troma remade The Honeymoon Killers as a ridiculous horror comedy.

The title characters are a strip club owner, Joe (Carmine Capobianco), and a young manicurist, Kate (Debi Thibeault). They both hate grapes, but soon they realise they have more in common than just this—they are both bloodthirsty killers. Soon they go on a romantic rampage of murder. At one point they think of settling down, but they soon meet a cannibal plumber named Herman (Frank Stewart). 

You almost feel disappointed that THAT Troma opening music isn’t at the start of the film, because it’s so similar in production values and tone to Troma. It has insane levels of blood and solid amounts of T&A, of course. However, it works mostly due to its knowing satire on the rom-com genre, and it’s one of the better takes on the serial killer romcom. It’s no Sightseers, even though the budgets probably weren’t too dissimilar. 

It’s incredibly likeable if you don’t have any problems with gore, and at 86 minutes it’s at pretty much the perfect length (if it was a minute over it would be too much.) The acting is pretty awful, but the two leads have undeniable chemistry, which probably due to the smart if messy script from director Gorman Bechard and Capobianco. The career of Bechard has made an interesting turn in recent years, with documentaries on The Replacements (told by fans not the band) and a profile of the recently deceased Grant Hart, which was incredibly insightful. 

The disc itself is ridiculously loaded with commentary tracks, interviews, a making-of feature, an intro by Bechard, a Q&A, and even highlights from a stage adaptation! It also includes a booklet, which is a rarity for Vinegar Syndrome, and the film both on DVD and Blu-Ray. 

★★★½

Ian Schultz

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