DVD Review: PSYCHOMANIA (1972)

PSYCHOMANIA (1972) 

Label: Severin Films
Region Code: 0 NTSC
Rating: Unrated
Duration: 90 Minutes
Audio: English Dolby Digital Mono
Video: 16:9 Widescreen (1.78:1)
Director: Don Sharp
Cast: George Sanders, Beryl Reed, Nicky Henson, Mary Larkin, Roy Holder, Robert Hardy

Synopsis: The cult classic known as ‘the greatest British zombie biker movie ever made’ returns with the ultimate full-throttle restoration: Nicky Henson (Witchfinder General), Beryl Reid (The Beast In The Cellar) and Oscar® winner George Sanders (All About Eve, Village Of The Damned) star in this beloved ‘70s mind-blower about a motorcycle gang who burst from their graves to crush a world of psychedelic hippie pleasures under the wheels of black leather occult mayhem. You’ve got to believe it’s come back: Psychomania – from veteran horror director Don Sharp (Kiss Of The Vampire), the blacklisted Hollywood screenwriters of Horror Express, and featuring some of the wildest cycle stunts of the decade – has now been restored from the only uncut 35mm print in existence and packed with new Bonus Features produced exclusively for this edition.

Psychomania's a wild ride of culty 70's exploitation, a weird mash-up of the the zombie and biker movies of the day with a nice smattering of the occult thrown in, because why not, right? Tom (Nicky Henson, Witchfinder General) is the leader of a UK biker gang known as The living Dead, they have cool names like Hatchet, Gash, Chopped Meat and Hinky plus they're adorned in awesome skull and bones helmets and pretty much ride around and terrorize the populace of the surrounding area, the ginger-haired cutie Abby (Mary Larkin) is his lover, but she has some competition within the gang, the sexy biker chic Jane (Anne Michele, House of Whipchord) who always seems to be at Tom's side.

Tom's mother Mrs. Latham (Beryl Reid, Dr. Phibes Rises Again) dabbles in the occult and seances alongside her mysterious butler Shadwell (George Sanders, Mr. Freeze of the 60's Batman TV series). It's through his mum that he discovers that if he commits suicide believing 100% that he will return, not only be resurrected but he will also become invulnerable to injury, it's a suicide pact with the devil. Of course, it's only a short time before Tom rides straight off a bridge and into the river, his corpse washes up onshore a short distance away. 

At his funeral Tom is buried a bit strangely, no coffin for this guy, nope. He's buried upright straddling his motorcycle dressed in his leathers and helmet, which makes for a great resurrection scenario. You hear the motorcycle rev it's engine and then he bursts forth from the ground like a bat out of Hell. Reuniting with his gang most of the others are only too eager to make the suicide pact with Satan in order to earn immortality. Some are successful, but some lack the faith and just end up dead, not the desired undead status. Soon we have a squad of undead bikers raising Holy Hell on the street, impervious to harm they seem unstoppable but when you make a deal with the Devil surely things are never quite as they appear at the start.

Psychomania (1972) might come up a bit short in terms of nudity and blood and guts but this Eurocult classic does have some great atmosphere which is accentuated by John Cameron's acid-tinged guitar score. For a low budget cheapo it boasts some decent cinematography from Ted Moore (Goldfinger, Clash of the Titans), particularly the haunting opening shots of the bikers in a foggy graveyard, it's very effective at setting a macabre tone. We also have some decent direction from Don Sharp (Curse of the Fly, Witchcraft)and some action-packed motorcycle stunt work,  it really does makes for an entertaining watch with the hi-speed chase scenarios and pursuits, even if I wished it were ramped up with gore and sleaze. . 

Fans of 70's Eurocult and schlock cinema take note, this one's a winner. Sadly, veteran actor George Sanders committed suicide shortly after filming ended, leaving behind a succinct suicide note which read "Dear World, I am leaving because I am bored. I feel I have lived long enough. I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool. Good luck.". It's rumored he saw a rough cut of the film in Spain shortly before killing himself, no word on if that contributed to his decision to kill himself. 

DVD: Severin Films present Psychomania (1972) on DVD in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1), since the original negative is considered forever lost they sourced it from a surviving uncut 35mm print. All things considered it's a strong presentation with solid colors and a nice layer of film grain. The print is a bit worn with minor print damage but they are rather insignificant and shouldn't detract from your enjoyment. The English Dolby Digital Mono audio sounds fine with only minor snap, crackle and hiss. The dialogue comes through clean, audio effects and the acid-tinged guitar score from John Cameron sound fine. 

This UK cult classic gets some sweet Severin produced extras beginning with the making-of doc 
Return Of The Living Dead (20:25) with interviews with from actors  Nicky Henson, Mary Larkin, Denis Gilmore, Roy Holder and Rocky Taylor. All participants seem a bit surprised that anyone remembers this obscure zombie biker film, each offering a glimpse into making the film with kind recollections of director Don Sharp and veteran actor George sanders who committed suicide shortly after filming ended. There's also an interview with the composer of the score John Cameron with the Sound Of Psychomania (9:06) featurette, a nice interview with Cameron on composing the enjoyable acid-rock score. An interview with folk singer Harvey Andrews who speaks about performing the tune "Riding Free" in the film only to be replaced by an actor who lip-synced the song, noting that he finger-picked his guitar the actor is strumming, I never even noticed. There's also an appreciative Introduction by Fangoria Editor in Chief Chris Alexander (5:30) and the Original Theatrical Trailer (2:49).  

Special Features:
- Return Of The Living Dead: Interviews with stars Nicky Henson, Mary Larkin, Denis Gilmore, Roy Holder and Rocky Taylor (25:02)
- Sound Of Psychomania: Interview with Soundtrack composer John Cameron (9:06)
- Riding Free: Interview with Riding Free singer Harvey Andrews (6:25)
- Introduction by Fangoria Editor in Chief Chris Alexander (5:30) 
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:49) 

Verdict: Psychomania (1972) is a fun 70's slice of Eurocult, a definite product of it's time and while I think the absence of nudity and gore might turn off a few of the not-so adventurous types, I would have loved more gore and sleaze but what we get is fun. I found it to be quite a howl with a terrific acid-rock score, a squad of undead bikers with neat skull and bones helmets terrorizing a small town, what's not to love? If you haven't seen Psychomania (1972) I think you're missing out! 3 Outta 5 

 

Blu-ray Review: KNIGHTRIDERS (1981)

KNIGHTRIDERS (1981) 

Dual Format Blu-ray + DVD

Label: Arrow Video
Region: B/2
Duration: 147 Minutes 
Rating: 15 Certificate 
Video: 1080p Widescreen (1.85:1)
Audio: English Mono 2.0 PCM with Optional English SDH Subtitles 
Cast: Ed Harris, Patricia Tallman, Tom Savinni, Ken Foree, John Amplas
Director: George A Romero
Tagline: Ride to Love. Live to Die. 

I remember watching George A. Romero's follow-up to the zombie epic DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) for the first-time and the immediate disappointment that set in immediately afterward. The weird fantasy-action film left me cold, I wasn't sure what I had just watched or why Romero would stray from zombie film making to create such an odd film. I was about 15 at the time and just could not appreciate what George had put onscreen, I was a very unhappy teen. 

I revisited Romero's film as the new Millennium came and went with the Anchor Bay DVD with fresh eyes and it was quite a different experience for me, I could see the film's "chasing the dragon" theme more clearly and how King Billy (Ed Harris) and his troupe of jousting motorcycle carnies paralleled Romero's own long fought battles as an independent film director against commercialism in an industry built on hype and commercial success at all costs.

At the heart of the hard-to-categorize film is King Billy, played by a very youthful Ed Harris, the self-styled King Arthurian idealist whom leads a troupe of anachronistic medieval-styled jousters who dress in armor and sit atop motorcycles in lieu of horses. The troupe travel the country performing their Renaissance-esque show to the delight of drunken locals. Billy is a charismatic and lives according to a  strict code of honor and integrity but problems arise when the cash-strapped troupe come to a divide when a sleazy promoter Bontempi (Martin Ferrero) lures the troupe's star performer, Morgan the Black Night (80's splatter master Tom Savini) with the promise of fortune and fame. That's pretty much the story of the film, the corruption that plagues the troupe when the lure of commercial success infiltrates it's ranks in the face of King Billy's idealistic and unbending ways. 

It's quite a sight when the film opens with a scene of Billy sitting nude in the picturesque forest knelt in front of his sword in a silent moment of prayer, it's a gorgeous scenario that might have you believe it's a Medieval period piece until he straddles his motorcycle with his Queen (Amy Ingersoll). Harris is striking as King Billy, an ardent and stoic idealist in a reality that crushes idealism, it's not easy and you can feel him bend while swearing never to break. It's easy to admire his strict code in the face of financial woes and adversity but we also see the hardships his idealism forces upon the rest of the troupe. Example, when he refuses to give corrupt cops a payoff they beat the snot outta the character of Bagman (Don Berry) until a financial arrangement's can be agreed upon, the incident is one of several factors that drive a wedge between Billy and Morgan, whom felt Billy should have just paid the cops off, but his code of ethics forbid him from doing so and others must pay the price.    

There's a great cast of Romero familiars, notably John Amplas from MARTIN (1976) as the mime Whiteface, Romero's future wife (Christine Forrester) appears in a small role as do DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978) alumni Scott Reiniger, Tom Savini and Ken Foree. It's a real treat to see so many familiar faces from Romero's own troupe of performers. Some not so familiar faces include the wonderful Brother Blue as a tattooed medicine-man Merlin and Patricia Tallman (ARMY OF DARKNESS), whom would go on to feature in Savini's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990) remake, as the local-girl love interest of Sir Alan (Gary Lahti). We also have a sweet Stephen King cameo is author Stephen King as a rather slovenly drunken spectator at one of the jousting events. 

At over two and a half hours in length the film is overlong but certainly entertaining, the tone is off-kilter but the subverted Arthurian lore really comes through. there's a great cast of characters and some fun action-packed jousting sequences, the motorcycle stunt work is pretty dazzling. It's not a perfect film but it's the very definition of a cult-classic, a weird anachronistic fantasy action film from George A. Romero.  

Blu-ray: Arrow Video bring George A. Romero's KNIGHTRIDERS (1981) to 1080p Blu-ray with an MPEG-4 AVC encode and it's a damn sight better than my old standard def Anchor Bay DVD (2000) but it's not quite eye-popping either. Colors are strong, black levels are decent and the 1080p upgrade affords the film some minor depth. Overall it's a sharper image with some scenes being a bit sharper than others, it's a definite upgrade that I would call impressive but not quite stunning. The audio presentation consists of  quality English Mono 2.0 PCM with Optional English SDH Subtitles. It's clean and suffices, it's a basic stereo track with some moderate stereo channel separation and depth, Donald Rubinstein's folky score sounds quite nice and dialogue and effects are balanced and free of distortion  clicks and pops, very nice. . 

Reversible Artwork 

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include the audio commentary with George Romero, Tom Savini, John Amplas Christine Romero and film historian Chris Stavrakis ported over from the region 1 Anchor Bay DVD edition. It's an entertaining and informative track, everyone is is in fine form as they point out the myriad of actors onscreen and recall various production notes and anecdotes. 

We also get a selection of brand new High Rising Productions produced special features by way of three interviews with the principle cast. The Genesis of a Legend (13:08) features star Ed Harris reminiscing about his first leading role as King Billy in the film, he seems quite fond of the strange little film. 

A Date with Destiny (12:03) features 80's splatter master Tom Savini recalling his role as Morgan the Black Knight. If you don't already know Savini has acted quite a bit through the years including appearances in William Lustig's MANIAC (1980), Robert Roqriguez's PLANET TERROR (2007) and Kevin Smith's ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO (2008). He's also a director in hos own right, helming the fantastic 1990 Romero-penned remake of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990) also featuring  KNIGHTRIDER'S co-star Patricia Tallman

Medieval Maiden (17:43) features actress/stunt woman Patricia Tallman discussing moving to NYC just after college only to come back to her hometown of Pittsburgh to work with Romero on what would be her screen debut. She has very kind words for Romero from the perspective of a new actress, she also touches on becoming a stunt woman. 

Separate from the Blu-ray features we get an exclusive 35 page booklet with new writings on the film by author/critic Brad Stevens who does a great job framing the oddball fantasy film in context of Romero's filmography and sussing out the "chasing the Dragon' theme of the film. Calum Waddel offers up an interview with composer Donald Rubinstein, brother of producer Donald P. Rubinstein who worked on several Romero films including BRUISER (2000) and MARTIN (1976). Dan Yakar's archival interview with George A. Romero from American Film (1981) is great, he speaks of a meeting with American International Picture's Sam Arkoff and pitching a medieval period set King Arthur film, it was Arkoff's negative response and Romero's sarcastic quip in response that planted the seed for the film. 

Special Features:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation
- Optional English SDH subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Audio commentary with George Romero, Tom Savini, John Amplas, Christine Romero and film historian Chris Stavrakis
- The Genesis of a Legend (13:08)
- A Date with Destiny  (12:03)
- Medieval Maiden (17:43)
- Theatrical Trailer (2:27)
- TV Spots (:42)
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Nat Marsh
- 35 Page Collector’s Booklet featuring new writing on the film by author and critic Brad Stevens, an archival interview with Romero and a new interview with composer Donald Rubinstein, illustrated with original archive stills and posters

Verdict: KNIGHTRIDERS (1981) does not enter the top-tier of George A. Romero for me but I do enjoy it a bit more every time I watch, which is not to say I love it. Arrow Video's 2-disc Blu-ray/DVD does the film justice with very nice picture and audio quality and a decent array of special features, a recommend for fans of the film and a cautious endorsement for the uninitiated, it's an odd one. 3 Outta 5