The Psychotronic Man
Encyclopedia
The Psychotronic Man is a low budget science fiction
cult film
that opened in Chicago
April 23, 1980 at the Carnegie Theatre
. It was directed by Jack M. Sell and written, produced and starred Peter G. Spelson. This film is considered noteworthy for three distinct reasons. The first is that the name “psychotronic
” became the generic name for B-grade cult movies. In fact, after seeing the movie once movie critic Michael J. Weldon created an extensive list of reviews of obscure quirky films that he felt were under appreciated by the mainstream and then marketed it as the “Psychotronic Encyclopedia.” The existence of the Psychotronic Encyclopedia
prompted the creation of the Psychotronic Film Society at which point the term Psychotronic fell into generic use for this type of movie.
The second thing the movie is most noted for are the production circumstances surrounding it. It was one of the few feature films to be shot entirely in Chicago
since the days of the silent movie. It was also entirely produced outside any of the existing studio systems and financed by private funds. At the time Chicago
’s mayor Richard J. Daley
actively discouraged movie making because he felt the movies that were being made at that time period were mostly negative and rebellious, and he wanted Chicago
to be seen in a good light. As a result of this there were almost no permits issued to get scenes filmed. This meant all of the scenes including the downtown running gun battles and the high speed car chases with fake police cars were filmed illegally and without permission or prior notification. This is a fact that can be verified by the Illinois Film Board and by Peter Spelson's commentary track on the only DVD release of the movie
It is also known for what happened to it after it was made. It was only played commercially once in Chicago
, where it was made. The film did well, however, in the southern Drive-in theater
circuit, and in Europe
where pirated copies of the film, often under different names, proliferated.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
that opened in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
April 23, 1980 at the Carnegie Theatre
Carnegie Theatre
The Carnegie Theatre, or The Carnegie, is a theatre located in Workington, Cumbria, England. Originally built as lecture theatre with seating for around 330....
. It was directed by Jack M. Sell and written, produced and starred Peter G. Spelson. This film is considered noteworthy for three distinct reasons. The first is that the name “psychotronic
Psychotronic
Psychotronic is a film genre made up of horror films, spaghetti westerns, low-budget independent features, exploitation films that was coined by author Michael J. Weldon, best known for his books, Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film and Psychotronic Video Guide.Weldon also published the magazine...
” became the generic name for B-grade cult movies. In fact, after seeing the movie once movie critic Michael J. Weldon created an extensive list of reviews of obscure quirky films that he felt were under appreciated by the mainstream and then marketed it as the “Psychotronic Encyclopedia.” The existence of the Psychotronic Encyclopedia
Psychotronic Video
Psychotronic Video was a film magazine originally started by publisher/editor Michael J. Weldon in 1980 in New York City as a hand-written and photocopied weekly fanzine entitled Psychotronic TV. It was then relaunched by Weldon under its more commonly known name as an offset quarterly in 1989...
prompted the creation of the Psychotronic Film Society at which point the term Psychotronic fell into generic use for this type of movie.
The second thing the movie is most noted for are the production circumstances surrounding it. It was one of the few feature films to be shot entirely in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
since the days of the silent movie. It was also entirely produced outside any of the existing studio systems and financed by private funds. At the time Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
’s mayor Richard J. Daley
Richard J. Daley
Richard Joseph Daley served for 21 years as the mayor and undisputed Democratic boss of Chicago and is considered by historians to be the "last of the big city bosses." He played a major role in the history of the Democratic Party, especially with his support of John F...
actively discouraged movie making because he felt the movies that were being made at that time period were mostly negative and rebellious, and he wanted Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to be seen in a good light. As a result of this there were almost no permits issued to get scenes filmed. This meant all of the scenes including the downtown running gun battles and the high speed car chases with fake police cars were filmed illegally and without permission or prior notification. This is a fact that can be verified by the Illinois Film Board and by Peter Spelson's commentary track on the only DVD release of the movie
It is also known for what happened to it after it was made. It was only played commercially once in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, where it was made. The film did well, however, in the southern Drive-in theater
Drive-in theater
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
circuit, and in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
where pirated copies of the film, often under different names, proliferated.
Plot synopsis
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.The Psychotronic Man
- Peter Spelson - Rocky Foscoe
- Christopher 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
Production
- DirectionFilm directorA film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
- Jack M. Sell - ProducerFilm producerA film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
- Peter Spelson - MusicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
- Tommy Irons - CinematographyCinematographyCinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
- Jack M. Sell - EditingFilm editingFilm editing is part of the creative post-production process of filmmaking. It involves the selection and combining of shots into sequences, and ultimately creating a finished motion picture. It is an art of storytelling...
- Jack M. Sell - Art DirectionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
- Fred Becht