PSYCHOMANIA
(1971) Director: Don Sharp
Image Entertainment
PSYCHOMANIA
(1971) Thanks to independent companies like Image Entertainment, the strangest, most unusual films have been given the DVD treatment as of late, and this film is no acceptation to that category. One of the only movies to marry the horror and biker genres, this British-made entry is different to say the least!
We are immediately introduced to "The Living Dead," a tough bunch of Brit biker troublemakers led by Tom, played by Nicky Henson (THE CONQUEROR WORM, OLD DRACULA). Tom's mom is a comely, frog-worshipping (?) psychic who holds seances in her manor. Her butler, Shadwell (George Sanders) is an odd bloke who freaks out when a family tries to offer an antique cross in appreciation for a spiritual session. Much like Telly Savalas in Mario Bava's LISA AND THE DEVIL, Sanders' character might even be Satan, yet this is never revealed.
Tom finds the secret of immortality by entering a strange room that claimed his father's life. He learns that through an unfearing suicide, he can return from the dead and live on forever. After a hilarious funeral session that has him buried while mounted on his bike, Tom drives out of the ground and convinces the rest of his gang to commit suicide in order to achieve the same results.
PSYCHOMANIA is silly in many ways, but it's nonstop, fun nonsense. Henson is quite good in an "Alex" of CLOCKWORK ORANGE type role, and anyone who's seen the sweet and pleasant-seeming Beryl Reid in BEAST IN THE CELLAR can relate to her being cast in another sinister role. George Sanders (who committed suicide a year after this film was made, but hopefully not from the experience) looks imposing, but his depression in later years caused him to sleepwalk through all of his acting during this era. There's also a commanding performance by Robert Hardy (DEMONS OF THE MIND) as a police inspector.
The film was PG-rated and is bloodless, but it has some great, cheap thrills as the bikers run cars off the road, terrorize shopping centers, and we even get to see sexy teen starlet Ann Michelle (THE VIRGIN WITCH) run down a baby carriage on her bike in the middle of a grocery store. Watching the gang (with names like "Hatchet" and "Chopped Meat") knock themselves off is also very amusing, as the film tends to lean towards black comedy, courtesy of an oddball screenplay by Julian Zimet and Arnaud d'Usseau (HORROR EXPRESS). The guitar-driven rock soundtrack by John Cameron is memorable, but I wish I could say the same thing for the sappy hippie song, "Riding Free."
When you first put on the DVD of PSYCHOMANIA, the image appears to be marked up, muddy and flat. But after a few minutes, it explodes into a vision of great colors, and incredible definition and detail, especially for an older, low budget flick. The picture is letterboxed in its original 1.66:1 aspect ratio. Even though the beginning titles look a tad squeezed, the rest of the presentation appears to fit everything in fine. The mono sound is also acceptable, and there's a Spanish language track as well. There are no extras, but just having this title on DVD is an extra for any diehard fan of British sleaze.
Originally released on a double bill with HORROR EXPRESS (where it was sometimes called THE DEATH WHEELERS), and then becoming a late night TV staple, PSYCHOMANIA is a welcomed addition to any horror fan's DVD library. I recommend watching this on a Friday or Saturday night with Elite's disc of HORROR HOSPITAL, another unusual British horror film. Happy viewing! (George R. Reis)