Psychomania
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Psychomania (originally released in the United States as The Death Wheelers) is a 1973 British outlaw biker horror film starring Nicky Henson, Beryl Reid, George Sanders (in his final film) and Robert Hardy.
Plot
Tom Latham, an amiable psychopath and the leader of a violent teen gang named "The Living Dead", enjoys riding his motorcycle with his girlfriend Abby and loves his mother. Tom dabbles in black magic and spends much time at an ancient ruin located in the Surrey countryside known as "The Seven Witches" (a Stonehenge-like circle of standing stones). In a similar vein, his mother and her sinister butler Shadwell get their kicks out of holding séances in their home while they worship some sort of Frog God. Tom's father vanished in a mysterious room shortly after Tom's birth, a room which Tom enters on his 18th birthday and where he sees the Frog God.
This incident leads to Tom committing suicide and, with his mother's help, Tom returns from the dead. Being one of the "undead" means that Tom cannot be killed and has superhuman strength, which he demonstrates when he massacres the people drinking at the local pub. One by one, his fellow bikers commit suicide with the goal of returning as one of the "undead", gathering at "The Seven Witches" to plan their campaign of terror against the locals. Only Abby refuses to commit suicide.
Police Chief Inspector Hesseltine is overwhelmed by the crime wave committed by bikers who are known to be dead; believing that someone is stealing the corpses of the dead bikers, he releases a false report that Abby has died. Hesseltine and the other police plan to trap the culprit when he shows up to claim Abby. Tom and the other bikers kill all the policemen while seizing Abby. However, Tom's mother grows disgusted with the crimes committed by her son and decides to break her bargain with the Frog God. Tom and the other bikers tell Abby to commit suicide but she again refuses to, instead shooting Tom, who is immune to the bullets. As Tom prepares to kill Abby, his mother performs a ritual which breaks the pact. Tom's mother is transformed into a frog while Tom and the rest of the undead bikers are turned into stone, becoming new standing stones at "The Seven Witches". Abby is left alone surrounded by the stones that once were her friends.
Cast
- George Sanders as Shadwell
- Beryl Reid as Mrs. Latham
- Nicky Henson as Tom Latham
- Mary Larkin as Abby Holman
- Roy Holder as Bertram
- Robert Hardy as Chief Inspector Hesseltine
- Ann Michelle as Jane Pettibone
- Denis Gilmore as Hatchet
- Miles Greenwood as Chopped Meat
- Peter Whitting as Gash
- Rocky Taylor as Hinky
- Patrick Holt as Sergeant
- Alan Bennion as Constable
- John Levene as Constable
- Roy Evans as Motorist
- Bill Pertwee as Publican
- Serretta Wilson as Stella
- Denis Carey as Coroner's Assistant
- Lane Meddick as Mr. Pettibone
- June Brown as Mrs. Pettibone
- Fiona Kendall as Monica
- Martin Boddey as Coroner
- Heather Wright as Girl with Parcels
- Penny Leatherbarrow as Woman in Police Station
- Larry Taylor as Lorry driver (uncredited)
