Severin | Buy at Amazon | Review by Dan Taylor
I am not too proud to admit when I'm wrong. A trash film lover since a tender age, I have avoided the 70s Brit zombie biker flick PSYCHOMANIA at every twist and turn. Frankly, the concept seemed idiotic and goofball – even to me – and the cheapie VHS boxes showcasing the helmets adorned with oversized skull and crossbones made me wonder why it was in the "Horror" section and not filed with the other "Comedy" titles.
After receiving the new Severin disc – as well as some well-intentioned prodding from trusted pals who rarely steer me wrong when it comes to overseas trash – I decided not to ship the disc off to a reviewer and settled in for a spin. At worst I figured that my original impressions would be confirmed and I could send it off to somebody who might appreciate its charms. At best, I'd actually like the flick and have to eat a little crow.
Waitress? One plate of crow, please!
Tom Latham (Nicky Henson of THE WITCHFINDER GENERAL) is the leader of The Living Dead, a UK motorcycle gang that also includes such members as Hatchet, Hinky, Chopped Meat (!) and Bertram (!!). A somber oddball with a mother who communes with the dead and a butler/manservant who never ages and becomes enraged at the sight of a cross, Tom wants fellow biker and groovy galpal Abby to cross over to "the other side" with him. Alas, she has promised her mother that she'll go shopping in the morning and will not be killing herself.
Desperate to know the secrets of the afterlife, Tom convinces his doting mother (Beryl Reid) and Shadwell the butler (George Sanders) to allow him to explore their home's "locked room" – the last place Tom's dad was seen alive. Before long, Tom learns that the secret to eternal life is the belief that you're going to come back when you cross over. A car chase with the cops gives him his chance and pretty soon the bikers – who seem to have a healthy gentle hippie streak in them – are burying him atop his motorcycle at The Seven Witches, a creepy rock outcropping brimming with supernatural forces and eerie fog used to great effect in the opening credit sequence.
Naturally, Tom "believed" and comes back as a super-strong, hog-riding member of The Living Dead. And I don't just mean the motorcycle gang. Pretty soon the charming leader convinces most of the gang to take the plunge and come back to wreak havoc on the squares.
If it all sounds a little ridiculous, well, it is. The screenplay by HORROR EXPRESS scribes Arnaud d'Usseau and Julian Zimet has its tongue planted firmly in its cheek while director Don Sharp (OUR MAN IN MARRAKESH with Tony Randall and Klaus Kinski) effortlessly juggles cheesy horror, cheeky humor and genuine supernatural spooks with ease. If the guys from Monty Python's Flying Circus had decided to make a horror film instead of THE HOLY GRAIL, I could easily imagine it playing a bit like this.
Though these "zombies" aren't much like what you might expect in the period immediately after Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and what few effects there are can hardly be described as "special" PSYCHOMANIA possesses a unique charm that made me wish I hadn't steered clear of it for all those years.
