I hate to say it, but I don’t think Hysterical Psycho was released to the public as first time director Dan Fogler intended. When the film first starts up, there’s an anecdotal voice-over that informs us the final product was supposed to be mostly black and white, but “since the post production house screwed it up, it shall forever be known as the red-headed stepchild version.” It’s a disappointing shame, too, because the black and white filter would have absolutely fit Fogler’s intended atmosphere, blending off-broadway overproduction with bloody, vile brutality. Incomparably independent in every sense of the word (estimated budget of $150,000), this bizarre horror comedy has been sitting around since 2009, but thanks to the emerging Video On Demand marketplace, Fogler’s passion project is finally reaching nationwide audiences – but is it truly ready?

Playing as a Hitchcockian mystery and horror homage all wrapped in one,...