Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Psychomania (1973)

Let’s Ride #27!

What happens when you combine frog worshiping cultists, a rich boy with a motorcycle gang, and a desire to live forever? You get 1973’s absolutely insane Psychomania! Known as The Death Wheelers in the United States, Psychomania tells us the story of Tom Latham, a well-to-do bad boy who leads a motorcycle gang called The Living Dead. His mother, a medium who channels the dead and their butler, the devilishly sinister Shadwell (a great butler villain name, by the way), hold the secret to eternal life, and Tom wants it. They finally give in to his desires and give him the secret: In order to live forever, you must die and really, really believe that you’ll come back to life. After killing himself by driving off of a bridge and then being buried atop his motorcycle, Tom comes back from the dead and encourages his fellow gang members to join him. A suicide montage ensues, and the gang unleashes a flurry of violent attacks on the locals. Only Abby, Tom’s girlfriend, resists the urge to commit suicide, but as pressure from Tom increases, she turns to the police for help. Can Abby stop Tom and his hooligan buddies before she succumbs to death? Watch Psychomania and find out for yourself!

The film was written off by critics of the day, but found its audience as the decades passed. Director Don Sharp tried very hard to find a balance between the absurdities of the film and the violence, but he failed in my opinion. I spent more time laughing at this movie than I did anything else. It’s absolutely goofy. From the massive helmets with Jolly Roger goggles to the ridiculousness of a rich boy running a gang of ne’er-do-wells and being part of a frog-worshipping cult, I found it very difficult to take any of the things that happen in this film seriously. For folks that enjoy this type of film, kudos to you. You’ll love this flick. It’s just not for me.

The film’s cast was good, with George Sanders (Shadwell), Nicky Henson (Tom), and Ann Michelle (Jane Pettibone) really standing out from the rest of the pack. I enjoyed the suicide montage and found it quite funny, which is an odd thing to say about the subject of killing oneself. The rest of the film is a goofy mess, but it definitely has its fans.

If murderous motorcycle gangs hellbent on immortality is your thing, give Pscyhomania a look. I think that you’ll enjoy it. I have a hard time recommending this film, but something tells me that a few of my followers already know and love this movie.

Thanks for checking out my post.