The Psychotronic Man (1979)

A man discovers that he has psychotronic powers--the ability to will people to die. He begins exercising that power.

Director:

Jack M. Sell

Writers:

Phil Lanier, Jack M. Sell

Stars:

Peter Spelson, Chris Carbis, Curt Colbert

Cast

Cast overview:
Peter Spelson	...	Rocky Foscoe
Chris Carbis	...	Lt. Walter O'Brien
Curt Colbert	...	Sgt. Chuck Jackson
Robin Newton	...	Kathy
Jeff Caliendo	...	Officer Maloney
Lindsey Novak	...	Mrs. Foscoe
Irwin Lewin	...	Professor
Corney Morgan	...	S.I.A. Agent Gorman
Bob McDonald	...	Old Man

Storyline

Just as Rocky thinks the world is proceeding along quite well, he dashes out of his shop in a kind of trance, as though possessed. Once outside he is driven to hunt for a victim and after he has found someone, he kills them with whatever forces are latent in his subconscious.

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Plot Keywords:

poliziottesco | north american poliziottesco | barber | psychotronic film | subconsciousness | 

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Sell Communications

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bomberman

Filming Locations:

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

International Harmony, Spelson Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min 81 min (Amazon Video)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Astrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Riffed by the the former MST3K crew of Mike J. Nelson, Bill Corbett & Kevin Murphy under the name Rifftrax in 2017.

User Reviews

Weird with a capital "W"

Here's another great contender for my own personal award of "Most Demented Film I ever watched", but the least I can say is that it was very interesting. "The Pschotronic Man" begins with the longest and most unnerving opening credits ever, but they're quite sinister and atmospheric what with the really creepy music and odd color schemes and everything. This is one of them rare films that already make you feel uncomfortable before it even properly takes off. The slow-paced story introduces Rocky Foscoe; a barber with a few issues that may or may not be caused by the fact that he consumes his own hair shampoos and conditioner lotions. Rocky starts having strange visions, like himself flying around in a car and such similar tomfoolery, and he gradually becomes the world's first and only Psychotronic Man. Basically, this just means that he's an older, fatter and sleazier male version of "Carrie" who can inflict stuff only by using his overdeveloped willpower. At first, Rocky doesn't comprehend the powers that have been granted to him and even seeks professional help to make the unbearable headaches go away, but then he gradually learns how to control his skills and use it against the people he doesn't like, like his own wife who's in the way of his love affairs.

"The Psychotronic Man" is overall a pretty cool flick, but sadly director Jack M. Sell wasn't quite sure which narrative tone to maintain. Does this story require a dramatic, mysterious or exploitative tone? Or perhaps a combination of all three? This indecisive behavior leads to an illogical structure and uneven pacing, for example when a moody love-making sequence is immediately followed by an extremely violent murder vision. The film is also slow and uneventful. Especially considering the plot outline, they could have made this into a far more grotesque and trashy cult experiment; even bearing in mind the budgetary restrictions. The overlong chase sequence, for example, is the least spectacular one in the history of cinema. The cars just drive in straight lines and at snail pace, without tricky maneuvers or causing flamboyant accidents. Still, there's some greatness to find in this oddball production, like the creepy sound effects that are frequently repeated, including a church bell chiming and half the tune of Ennio Morricone's classic music for "Once upon a time in the West". I bet the composer of this film was the only person who had great fun on set.

Bizarre film, to say the least, but it did offer us the collective term for everything in cult, horror and trash cinema that is unique and indescribable. Psychotronic power!