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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

("The Death Wheelers" or "The Frog" or "The Living Dead" or "Death Wheelers Are... Psycho Maniacs") 

directed by Don Sharp

UK 1973

 

Upon discovering a dark family secret Tom Latham (Nick 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-worshipping 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 terrorise the locals.

Packed with gothic tropes, black humour and eccentric performances (including George Sanders final screen role), Psychomania is a cult horror classic brimming with exciting action and fantastical mayhem.


Posters

Theatrical Release: January 5th, 1973

Reviews                                                         More Reviews                                                    DVD Reviews

 

Comparison:

Geneon - Region 0 - PAL vs. Severin Films - Region 1 - NTSC vs. BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray vs. Arrow - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Eric Cotenas for all the DVD Screen Caps!

 

1) Geneon - Region 0 - PAL - LEFT

2) Severin Films - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND

3) BFI Video Region 'B' - Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray RIGHT

 

Box Covers

  

Distribution

Geneon

Region 0 - PAL

Severin Films
Region 1 - NTSC
BFI Video - Flipside #33
Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
Arrow Video - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:25:36 (4% PAL speedup) 1:30:24 1:30:29.999 1:30:30.000
Video

1.61:1 Original Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 5.42 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.78:1/1.63:1 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 7.14 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 46,904,130,914 bytes

Feature: 26,566,333,824 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.02 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 35,275,557,085 bytes

Feature: 26,598,373,056 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.01 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

 

Geneon

 

Bitrate:

 

Severin Films

 

Bitrate:

BFI Blu-ray

 

Bitrate:

Arrow US Blu-ray

 

Audio English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono

English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono

LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit

LPCM Audio English 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit
Subtitles none none English (SDH), and none English (SDH), and none
Features Release Information:
Studio: Geneon

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen letterboxed - 1.61:1

Edition Details:
� none

DVD Release Date:
Amaray

Chapters
 

Release Information:
Studio: Severin Films

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1/1.63:1

Edition Details:

 

DVD Release Date:
Amaray

Chapters

Release Information:
Studio:
BFI Video Publishing

 

1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 46,904,130,914 bytes

Feature: 26,566,333,824 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.02 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:
• Return of the Living Dead (2010, 25:02): featuring interviews with stars Nicky Henson, Mary Larkin, Denis Gilmore, Roy Holder and Rocky Taylor
Sound of Psychomania (2010, 9:06): interview with soundtrack composer John Cameron
Riding Free (2010, 6:25): interview with 'Riding Free' singer Harvey Andrews
An interview with Nicky Henson (2016, 13:57): the star of Psychomania recalls his time on the film
Hell for Leather (2016, 7:52): documentary about the company who supplied the film's costumes
Remastering Psychomania (2016, 1:44)

Discovering Britain with John Betjeman: Avebury, Wiltshire (1955, 3:04): the celebrated British poet narrates this travelogue about the Avebury stone circle and nearby burial grounds
Roger Wonders Why (1965, 18:23): 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
Fully illustrated booklet with new writing by Vic Pratt, William Fowler and Andrew Roberts; and full film credits

Blu-ray Release Date: September 26th, 2016
Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters 15

Release Information:
Studio:
Arrow

1.66:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 35,275,557,085 bytes

Feature: 26,598,373,056 bytes

Video Bitrate: 35.01 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:
• Brand-new interview with star Nicky Henson (13:57)
• Return of the Living Dead, an archive featurette containing interviews actors Henson, Mary Larkin, Denis Gilmore, Roy Holder and Rocky Taylor (25:02)
• Sound of Psychomania, an archive interview with composer John Cameron (9:06)
• Riding Free, an archive interview with Riding Free singer Harvey Andrews (6:25)
• Hell for Leather, a brand-new featurette on the company who supplied the film s costumes (7:52)
• Remastering Psychomania, a look at the film's restoration from the original 35mm black and white separation masters (1:47)
• Theatrical trailer (2:50)
• Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil
• FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Collector's booklet containing writing by Vic Pratt, William Fowler and Andrew Roberts)

 

Blu-ray Release Date: February 21st, 2017
Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters:12

 

 

 

Comments

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Arrow - Region 'A' - Blu-ray February 2017: The 2K restored Arrow is very similar, visually, it is marginally brighter, slightly cooler skin tones and has a few pixel shifts but the image quality is the same (same max'ed out bitrate), for the most part showing the same wonderful grain texture.

Audio, linear PCM, is likewise duplicated with the same 24-bit transfer. The score is by John Cameron (1988's Jack the Ripper, The Ruling Class, Silver Dream Racer, Night Watch) and sounds as rough-n-ready as the film's action. It, also, offers optional English (SDH) subtitles, however the Arrow Blu-ray is region 'A'-locked.

The Arrow has the same film-related supplements including a 14-minute interview with star Nicky Henson, the same, 25-minute, Return of the Living Dead, an archive featurette containing interviews actors Henson, Mary Larkin, Denis Gilmore, Roy Holder and Rocky Taylor, 9-minute Sound of Psychomania archive interview with composer John Cameron. The Arrow also has the 6.5-minute Riding Free interview with singer Harvey Andrews, the 8-minute Hell for Leather, a new featurette on the company who supplied the film's costumes - and the brief remastering Psychomania, a look at the film's restoration from the original 35mm black and white separation masters. Both have a trailer for the film. Arrow lose the Discovering Britain, and Roger Wonders Why, video pieces and the Wilson Bros Trivia Track, but add their own reversible sleeve packaging featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by the Twins of Evil and first pressing orders get a collector's booklet containing writing by Vic Pratt, William Fowler and Andrew Roberts).

Region 'A'-locked audiences should be happy Psychomania is available to them on Blu-ray. It's quite a unique film filled with surprises. Absolutely recommended!

***

ADDITION: (September 2016) BFI Region 'B' - Blu-ray: Firstly, Psychomania is a highly unusually and rip-roaring film experience. I don't know what I was expecting but not a supernatural biker flic. The comparison captures indicate a significant improvement for the 1080P - notable in the dramatic color shift, detail and grain support. The Blu-ray has a dual-layered transfer with a max'ed out bitrate. The restoration is quite impressive.

BFI use a faithful linear PCM mono track (24-bit) and supports the motorcycle engines growing with formidable depth.  There are optional English (SDH) subtitles on the region 'B'-locked disc.

BFI totally stack the Blu-ray disc with extras. Return of the Living Dead from 2010 features interviews with stars Nicky Henson, Mary Larkin, Denis Gilmore, Roy Holder and Rocky Taylor and runs over 25-minutes. Sound of Psychomania is also from 2010 interviewing with soundtrack composer John Cameron for just shy of ten minutes. Riding Free is a 6.5 minutes interview with singer Harvey Andrews. Plus there are new supplements including a 14-minute, 2016, interview with Nicky Henson recalling his time on the film and Hell for Leather a new, short, documentary about the company who supplied the film's costumes. There is a brief piece on remastering Psychomania plus Discovering Britain from 1955 with John Betjeman: Avebury, Wiltshire the celebrated British poet briefly narrates this travelogue about the Avebury stone circle and nearby burial grounds. Roger Wonders Why is from 1965 - a church-made amateur, 18-minute, film which sees two Christian biker youths visit the legendary 59 Club, where they meet its founder, Reverend Bill Shergold. There is an original theatrical trailer and the film has the options of a Wilson Bros Trivia Track from 2016. It's a newly-produced subtitle trivia-track by the horror aficionado siblings. The package has a fully illustrated booklet with new writing by Vic Pratt, William Fowler and Andrew Roberts; and full film credits. It is 'Dual Format' and a DVD disc is included.

Exceptionally strong Blu-ray release of a very cult-ish 70's effort. I'm going to enjoy watching this again - Psychomania is a wild ride. Absolutely recommended!

***

ON THE DVD: Geneon's barebones, menu-less DVD represents the film's American cut running five minutes shorter due to the absence of an early seance sequence along with a scene in which ? presents ? with the bullfrog that he has captured. The image is a composite of two sources, which becomes vertically squashed at ... This is also the case with the Severin DVD - the Blu-ray of which was canceled due to the source material - in which the first part (which does contain the seance sequence and other footage deleted from the US release) - is framed at 1.78:1 with the previously missing footage sourced from upscaled video. At the same point as the Geneon disc, the framing switches to 1.63:1.

 


DVD Menus
. Severin Films - Region 1 - NTSC
 

 

BFI Video - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

 

 

Arrow Video - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

 

 


CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

Subtitle Sample

 

 

Screen Captures

 

 

1) Geneon - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Severin Films - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND

3) BFI Video Region 'B' - Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) Geneon - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Severin Films - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND

3) BFI Video Region 'B' - Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) Geneon - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Severin Films - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND

3) BFI Video Region 'B' - Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


 

1) Geneon - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Severin Films - Region 1 - NTSC - SECOND

3) BFI Video Region 'B' - Blu-ray - THIRD

4) Arrow - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Geneon - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Severin Films - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) BFI Video Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


1) Geneon - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Severin Films - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) BFI Video Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 


1) Geneon - Region 0 - PAL - TOP

2) Severin Films - Region 1 - NTSC - MIDDLE

3) BFI Video Region 'B' - Blu-ray - BOTTOM

 

 

More Blu-ray Captures

 


 

Report Card:

 

Image:

Blu-ray

Sound:

Blu-ray

Extras: BFI Blu-ray

 
Box Covers

  

Distribution

Geneon

Region 0 - PAL

Severin Films
Region 1 - NTSC
BFI Video - Flipside #33
Region 'B' -
Blu-ray
Arrow Video - Region 'A' - Blu-ray


 




 

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