Classic satanic zombie flick Psychomania coming to Blu-ray from BFI Flipside
If you watched British television in 1970s or have been haunting discount store delete bins for the past 30 years, you might be familiar with Don Sharp’s ludicrous and awesome 1971 undead biker romp Psychomania.
The movie was a staple for UK kidlets growing up in front of the boob tube and, because of it lapsing into the public domain in the U.S., it was one of the most mass-produced and easily available horror films of the VHS boom in the early ‘80s, a bootlegging trend that continued with hard media’s shift to DVD.
This writer bought Psychomania on videocassette for $9.99 at K-Mart when he was 12. It was the first VHS tape I ever bought and I adored the film ever since. And the score by John Cameron might just be the greatest psyche-rock soundscapes of all time.
RELATED: Composer John Cameron on making the music of Psychomania
Now, 7 years after Severin Films remastered the movie for their gorgeous DVD release, Psychomania is screaming to Blu-ray (and DVD) in a deluxe Dual Format edition from BFI Flipside, stuffed with special features including interviews with cast members, rare short films, a new interview with Nicky Henson, a new short film about Lewis Leathers and more. This jaw-dropping gift to Psychomania fans streets on September 26. And yes…it is a PAL release so if you’re in North America, for the love of Shadwell…get yourself a region-free player!
Here’s the synopsis: Upon discovering a dark family secret, Tom Latham (Nicky Henson), the leader of hell-raising teen motorcycle gang The Living Dead, decides to take drastic measures to ensure his gang’s superiority. Through his devil-worshiping mother (Beryl Reid), Tom makes a pact with Satan to ascertain the secret of immortality. Using this information he encourages his fellow riders to end their lives, safe in the knowledge that they’ll soon return from the dead to invulnerably terrorize the locals.
RELATED: 8 Amazing portrayals of Satan in horror cinema
Psychomania will be launched with a screening at BFI Southbank (NFT1) on Wednesday, September 14 at 8.30pm, followed by a Q&A with actor Nicky Henson, hosted by Flipside curators Vic Pratt and William Fowler. It will also be screened at the Starburst International Film Festival in Manchester on Friday, August 26 and around the country as part of Scalarama during September.
Here’s a look at the full features for the Psychomania DVD/Blu-ray:
- Newly remastered in 2K from preservation negatives and presented in both High Definition and Standard Definition
- Return of the Living Dead (2010, 25 mins): interviews with stars Nicky Henson, Mary Larkin, Denis Gilmore, Roy Holder and Rocky Taylor
- Sound of Psychomania (2010, 9 mins): interview with soundtrack composer John Cameron
- Riding Free (2010, 7 mins): interview with ‘Riding Free’ singer Harvey Andrews
- An interview with Nicky Henson (2016, 14 mins): the star of Psychomania recalls his time on the film
- Hell for Leather (2016, 8 mins): documentary about Lewis Leathers who supplied the film’s costumes
- Remastering Psychomania (2016, 2 mins)
- Discovering Britain with John Betjeman: Avebury, Wiltshire (1955, 3 mins): the celebrated British poet narrates this travelogue about the Avebury stone circle and nearby burial grounds
- Roger Wonders Why (1965, 19 mins): a church-made amateur film which sees two Christian biker youths visit the legendary 59 Club, where they meet its founder, Reverend Bill Shergold
- Original theatrical trailer
- Wilson Bros Trivia Track (2016, onscreen text): a newly-produced subtitle trivia-track by the horror aficionado siblings
- Illustrated booklet with new writing by Vic Pratt, William Fowler and Andrew Roberts; and full film credits
Gas up the bikes, baby and kiss the frog. It’s time to ride with The Living Dead!
