STARRING GEORGE SANDERS, BERYL REID, NICKY HENSON, MARY LARKIN, ANN MICHELLE AND ROBERT HARDY.
REVIEW BY SANDRA HARRIS. ©
I don't normally like motorcycle movies. In fact, I hate 'em with every fibre of my being, haha. They're just not my thing. Except in this case, that is. Any film that begins with motorcycles being ridden slowly around a fog-wreathed graveyard to the awe-inspiring sound of swirly, twirly gothic prog rock is okay with me. Vintage British gothic horror is definitely my thing. PSYCHOMANIA, even if it's a little bizarre in places, is as fine an example of the genre as any you'll see.
I said it was a little bizarre in places and I stand by that, but the strangeness only adds to the fun and doesn't detract from it at all. Yes, a sensible plot might have been nice but you can't have everything. The fantastic folk-horror music, the presence of Hollywood royalty George Sanders and Beryl Reid and the eerie circle of standing stones known as 'The Seven Witches' more than make up for any shortfalls in the storyline.
Anyway, let's take a look at the plot, such as it is, haha. Nicky Henson plays Tom Latham. He's the ultimate 'bad boy' motorcycle hoodlum, complete with the long shaggy 'Seventies hair, the big mouth and the bad attitude. He likes frogs, of all things, and he has a burning desire to live forever.
He's the cheeky Cockney-sounding leader of a gang of motorbike teens known as 'The Living Dead,' a gang that are a thorn in the side of the local constabulary, headed by Robert Hardy who ended up playing Siegfried in gentle English drama series ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL.
It's all good so far, but here's where things get weird. I mean, weird-er. Tom's mum (Beryl Reid) is a rich eccentric type who more than just dabbles with the occult, she holds séances and makes full-on pacts with the Devil with the full knowledge and co-operation of her posh snooty butler, Shadwell. All in all, it's a pretty strange household to which Tom belongs.
Shadwell is magnificently played by George Sanders in his last ever film role. He committed suicide not long afterwards, a tragic and lonely end for such a brilliant actor. And he was only sixty-five as well. God love him, he could have gone on acting for another twenty years like Christopher Lee, but sadly it wasn't to be. He's great in PSYCHOMANIA as the butler with supernatural powers. The power to turn someone into a frog for all eternity, for example. A very useful power to have...
Anyway, for reasons that are never made very clear in the film, Tom gets the idea into his head that if he kills himself, he can come back as an invulnerable member of the real living dead. The possibilities for causing motorbike-related chaos to the local townspeople suddenly become endless.
His funeral scene is truly bizarre. There's no excuse for it. But it's terrifically unmissable fun and the accompanying singing is great. The guy doing the singing is as cute as a button too, just saying.
Once Tom inexplicably comes back from the dead, anyway, the gang (Hatchet, Gash, Chopped Meat, Bertram, Abby and Jane) are queuing up to follow suit. Cue a number of utterly hilarious suicide attempts. Check out the tower block scene and the drowning scene in particular for sheer cinematic silliness.
These 'un-dead'motorbike teens are not terribly ambitious. They have the whole world at their disposal and yet they really only seem to have it in for the local shopkeepers. They drive through the local stores on their 'hogs' and hassle 'the man' or, as is more accurate, young mums with babies in prams and old folk just out picking up a chop and a few spuds for the tea. It's a bit sad, really.
The gang really teach those old dears to think twice before coming to the shops to get a bit of something for the dinner. And as for those young mothers, well, they really show them what's what...!
They remind me of when Homer Simpson from THE SIMPSONS puts together a motorcycle gang called THE DEVIL'S PALS (or was it the Christ-punchers, as per Moe's idea?) consisting of
himself, Ned Flanders on a scooter, Carl Carlson from the power plant and Lenny Leonard driving his little lawn-mower. Homer gets the idea when he crosses local motorcycle gang THE HELL'S SATANS.
'Slow down,' Lenny says in one scene. 'I gotta empty my grass-bag...!'
THE LIVING DEAD are about as scary as THE DEVIL'S PALS, which is to say that they're not very scary at all. That's what I'm trying to say.
However, when they do get the bright idea of using their 'un-dead' status to bring down, as George Sanders so succinctly puts it, 'the entire establishment,' Mummy Latham and Shadwell the butler decide that it's time to do something drastic about these naughty droogies, sorry, motorbike teens. What on earth do they have in mind? I think you'll be pleasantly... confused. Yeah, that's it. Pleasantly confused...!
This marvellously fun folk-horror romp is out now in a super-duper Dual Format Edition courtesy of the BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE FLIPSIDE. In addition to your DVD or Blu-Ray, you'll have access to a very generous amount of special features including interviews with Nicky Henson, Mary Larkin, Denis Gilmore, Roy Holder and Rocky Taylor, all stars of the film.
There's also an interview with soundtrack composer John Cameron and a documentary about Lewis Leathers who supplied the film's groovy and far-out costumes. You've gotta admit, you'll be getting plenty of bang for your buck, or however the expression goes.
Anyway, enjoy the film and, if you get a chance, don't forget to 'come join his (Tom's) company' and watch, awestruck, as he 'rides his sweet machine like a bomb.' You'll have great craic altogether. Even the 'sound of holy revving' couldn't drown out the noise of all the fun you'll be having...
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY OF SANDRA HARRIS.
Sandra Harris is a Dublin-based novelist, film blogger and movie reviewer. She has studied Creative Writing and Film-Making. She has published a number of e-books on the following topics: horror film reviews, multi-genre film reviews, womens' fiction, erotic fiction, erotic horror fiction and erotic poetry. Several new books are currently in the pipeline. You can browse or buy any of Sandra's books by following the link below straight to her Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B015GDE5RO
You can contact Sandra at:
http://sandrafirstruleoffilmclubharris.wordpress.com
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