Psychomania [The Death Wheelers] * (1973, George Sanders, Nicky Henson, Beryl Reid, Robert Hardy, Roy Holder, Patrick Holt) – Classic Movie Review 5865

Director Don Sharp’s ridiculous, exotically awful 1973 British horror movie curiosity Psychomania [The Death Wheelers] stars Nicky Henson as motorbike gang leader Tom Latham, who discovers the secret of rising from the dead.

So he kills himself, gets buried with his bike, and returns from the grave to wreak havoc forever. Pretty soon, all the bikers from his gang, the Living Dead, follow suit and suddenly these motorbike monsters have the power to terrorise the countryside till doomsday.

Beryl Reid, as Henson’s mum who has the secret of immortality, and George Sanders, as a Kawasaki-riding Devil worshipper called Shadwell, are embarrassed in this violent, unsavoury and often unintentionally funny horror movie. With its truly weird and peculiar premise, at least it is different, different from good that is, a mesmerising train wreck, or bike crash of a movie.

It is written by Arnaud d’Usseau and Julian Zimet [Julian Halevy], shot by Ted Moore, produced by Andrew Donally, scored by David Whitaker and designed by Maurice Carter.

Tragically, and shockingly, Sanders committed suicide soon after filming, leaving a note saying he was ‘bored’. It is his final feature film.

The movie has three other alternative titles: The Death Wheelers, The Living Dead and The Frog.

Also in the cast are Robert Hardy as Chief Inspector Hesseltine, Roy Holder as Bertram, Patrick Holt as Sergeant, Mary Larkin as Abby Holman, Denis Gilmore as Hatchet, Ann Michelle as Jane Pettibone, Miles Greenwood as Chopped Meat, Peter Whitting as Gash, June Brown as Mrs Pettibone, Lane Meddick as Mr Pettibone, Rocky Taylor, Alan Bennion and Bill Pertwee.

June Brown (Dot Cotton in EastEnders) has a non-speaking role as the grieving Mrs Pettibone.

Forty years later Henson said he has always thought the film was terrible, though he was welcomed to the BFI Southbank for a special screening of Psychomania in 2016.

Don Sharp also has frogs in cemeteries, pacts with the Devil, mysterious suicides and the living dead in his film 1964 Witchcraft.

Henson’s double Cliff Deakins was injured in a stunt accident.

RIP Robert Hardy, who died on 3 August 2017, aged 91, at the actors’ retirement home in Denville Hall, Northwood, London.

RIP Fawlty Towers actor Nicky Henson.

RIP There’s a Girl in My Soup and Fawlty Towers actor Nicky Henson, who died on 15 December 2019, aged 74, after a 20-year battle with cancer.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5865

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