Silly yet sometimes atmospheric tongue in cheek biker / horror film is quite enjoyable if one knows not to take it too seriously and is prepared to just have a good time. I've seen it described here as "kitsch" and that's as good a way to put it as any. It does have a weird ambiance going for it at times, and includes some moments that are just plain hysterical.

Written by Julian Zimet and Arnaud d'Usseau (also the writers of "Horror Express") and directed by Don Sharp ("The Kiss of the Vampire", "Rasputin: The Mad Monk"),its opening credits sequence does make you think that you're going to be in for a more serious experience, but soon enough it becomes more amusing than anything else. The actors know exactly what they're doing and play it all with a wink in their eyes.

Nicky Henson ("Witchfinder General") plays Tom, leader of a bike gang dubbed The Living Dead. He gets wind of what kinds of things his well to do mom (Beryl Reid) and butler (George Sanders) are up to, and is intrigued. What he wants most of all is to learn how to come back to life after dying. He gets his wish, and then wants his comrades to have the same experience, although it takes them a while to warm up to the idea. Meanwhile, a police inspector (Robert Hardy, Cornelius Fudge in the "Harry Potter" series),is investigating the destructive antics of the bikers and is confounded by the fact that these crimes seem to be committed by "dead" people.

Cult film lovers are sure to get into the wacky spirit of this thing. It's exciting at times, at least in the chase sequences, and viewers will likely howl with laughter seeing Tom ride his bike right through a "brick" wall, knowing that nothing can happen to him once he's returned from the grave. One of the best scenes of all takes place in the morgue. Henson is a hoot in the lead, while Reid and Sanders offer fine support; interestingly, this was Sanders' final film, as he would commit suicide not that long after. Mary Larkin is appealing as Abby; she and Ann Michelle make fine eye candy as the two female members of the gang.

Overall, this is paced well and it delivers enough entertainment value to make it a great curio for lovers of strange cinema.

Eight out of 10.

This was the final film of George Sanders. Apparently, this film was the one he was working on when he decided to kill himself. Well, after seeing the sort of silly and stupid film this was, I can easily see why Sanders decided to end it all--it must have been to atone for being in this hilariously bad film! PSYCHOMANIA has cult favorite written all over it. You certainly can't accuse this of being a good film, but there is a certain kitschy silliness about it that make it fun.

The film begins with an incredibly lame-o biker gang called "The Living Dead"--wow, THAT'S subtle. They spend most of their time acting out in many really dumb and wussy ways. This is definitely NOT a biker gang in the tradition of the Hell's Angels--most like Hell's Wussies. Anyway, the head of the gang has a mother that is into the occult and toads (why toads?!?) and somehow he learns that if he kills himself and believes he's coming back, he can--and be immortal! Once back, Tom convinces the rest of the gang that life is great when you are dead and one by one they start killing themselves. Believe it or not, this is all very funny--and my daughter and I found ourselves laughing at these scenes. Once undead, the zombie bikers look pretty much like anyone else--they just seem to enjoy killing people. Again, it ain't sophisticated, but it is, in a VERY low-brow way, quite funny.

So what happens next? Do the undead punks kill off each and every person in the UK? Do they form a band--after all, they already had nice stylish hairdos and clothes!? Do they decide to follow George Sanders' lead? See this film for yourself to find out for certain.

PSYCHOMANIA is chock full of silly stunts, psychedelics, incredibly dumb and ineffective police, mumbo-jumbo, frogs and an incredibly deadly earnest style--it takes itself very, very seriously. And, undoubtedly, it's dumb...but funny because of its dumbness. However, it's obviously not a film for everyone--mostly for bad movie fans and for anyone who likes laughing at the 1970s.

I'd give the film a 2 for quality, a 4 for the frog and an 8 for being so dang funny--though it's supposed to be a horror film! An overall score of 4 seems reasonable.

By the way, was the leading character's mother a toad?! I'm not sure about this...but I think it's the case. Crazy man!

A gang of merry nihilist biker ruffians called the Living Dead terrorize a small town. After charismatic leader Tom Latham (smoothly played by Nicky Henson) kills himself and returns to life, the other members follow suit so they can all become seemingly unstoppable undead marauders.

Director Don Sharp keeps the delightfully daft story moving along at a brisk pace, adroitly crafts a seriously weird off-kilter tone that's both campy and creepy in equal measure, and stages the thrilling biker action with rip-roaring gusto. Moreover, the gloriously bonkers premise proves to be a whole lot of whacked-out fun; the scenes in which the bikers all commit suicide and wreak all kinds of nasty anti-social havoc are gut-busting insane marvels to behold. Beryl Reid and the ever-suave George Sanders keep their dignity as aging occultists, Mary Larkin and Ann Michelle are appropriately fetching as motorcycle mamas, and Robert Hardy does well as a hard-nosed police inspector. John Cameron's crisp cinematography provides a pleasing bright look. Ted Moore's funky-throbbing score hits the right-on get-down groovy spot. Cool trippy surprise ending, too. A total loopy hoot and a half.