Skip to main content

Psychomania (1971) - Don Sharp


Psychomania is a product of it's time. A film that was created by a troupe of hippies that wanted it to be incredibly bad-ass. Only, the hippie culture and the outlaw biker culture always seem to run into this awkward wall. Scenes of light brutality are sprinkled with happy dancing and frolicking. It makes the picture odd. The pacing seems off a bit. Or maybe it was just suffering from an identity crisis.


This film is about a group of ne'er-do-well's that form the biker club known as The Living Dead. The leader Thomas seems to be a little odd. Apparently his folks know the secret to immortality. He learns that he must die and then he can come back as an unstoppable force. A force that knocks groceries out of old ladies hands, pushes strollers with their motorcycles, steals petrol, and shoplifts!



Thomas is killed, buried (lol), and comes back from the dead. So if it works for him it has to work for his mates, right? What kind of danger is this going to spell for the tiny town? Needless to say, his cohorts all kill themselves and then rove about as a destructive force out stealing gas and causing some mediocre crimes. Truly it is a strange plot. I would be lying if I didn't say it wasn't original.


The film is neat. It has it's moments and can pull you in. However, it looks really dated. If that kind of thing doesn't detour you from watching then you might be pleasantly surprised. Psychomania's main problem is it's indecisiveness when pertaining to it's theme. It should either be a gritty, grimy biker horror feature. Or a hippie dippy action romp. However, that appears to be my only real gripe.

When you watch this you have to take it all as it comes. It is corny. It is cheap. It's independent as hell but it makes up for it with creative charm. I recommend this to anyone looking for something different. If rare movies excite you than this might be right up your alley. 

Director: Don Sharp
Country: United Kingdom
Style: Outlaw Biker Horror


Did ya know...

The London Times said that this movie was only fit to be played at an SS Reunion Ceremony.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ju-On (2000) - Takashi Shimizu

Watching Japanese horror is similar to watching British comedy. If you enjoy dry whit then you probably enjoy the boys of Monty Python in drag. That's the joke, they're dressed like women. Get it? Well, that's British humor. But if you're like most Americans you probably prefer Adam Sandler farting his way across a football field and hooking up with chicks that are way out of his league. Americans usually prefer this more in your face, crass brand of humor. My point is funny in England is different from funny in the US. The same goes for J-Horror. What the Japanese consider scary is very different from what Americans consider scary and it shows in this horror film. Japanese horror is generally slow (a little too slow sometimes), suspenseful and creepy. Ju-On is a creepy effing film. The movie has almost no soundtrack. It is incredibly suspenseful and the pay-offs are pretty awesome, but I think that it was done better in the American version (cultural t...

Sleepy Hollow (1999) - Tim Burton

Tim Burton's take on the old Sleepy Hollow tale is really interesting. He adds his own flair of course. He delves very deeply into the original story by Washington Irving. The casting is usual for Burton. Johnny Depp of course in your lead. Helena Bonham Carter, thrown in for some flavor. The score is done by Danny Elfman. It's literally just the Ichabod Crane story run through the Tim Burton machine. But in a good way. Sleepy Hollow has a problem with a guy, running around, taking people's heads. Like, a lot of people. The town sends word for assistance and the nervous  Constable Ichabod Crane reports. He starts to unravel clues that take him down an incredibly strange path. With the Horseman still murdering patrons, Crane tries finding who's next before they lose their head.  I've always been a big fan of the Disney cartoon,  The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad . This movie is a far cry from Bing Crosby and quaint animations....

Le Manoir du Diable (1896) - George Melies

According to Wikipedia in August of 2011, Le Manoir du diable by Georges Melies is the first horror movie. Well, actually its a short film (about three minuets or so) but film was really hard to come by in that time so this counts as a film to me. The plot of the film is basic, you have your hero being tormented by demonic things in a crazy castle room... However, that plot isn't what brought the crowds. The thing that drove the popularity of these films was the fact that you were seeing motion on screen. I suggest going and seeing Hugo. That film is spectacular. It answered so many questions that I had. It really sets the scene and the tone. The film has strong christian overtones and actually ends with Christianity prevailing over the "tides of darkness". I provided a link at the bottom of this review for anyone that would like to see this pioneer in Horror Film. The movie uses very, very early "movie magic" that is an abundance of smoke and m...