The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film

The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film
Date	1983
Written by	Michael Weldon
Publisher	Ballantine Books
Pages	815

“	"Psychotronic films range from sincere social commentary to degrading trash. They concern teenagers, rock 'n' roll, juvenile delinquents, monsters, aliens, killers, spies, detectives, bikers, communists, drugs, natural catastrophes, atomic bombs, the prehistoric past, and the projected future. They star ex-models, ex-sport stars, would-be Marilyns, future Presidents (and future First Ladies), dead rock stars, and has-beens of all types."	”
	- From the introduction

The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film is a 1983 movie guide by Michael Weldon, with editorial assistance from Charles Beesley, Bob Martin (who was editor of Fangoria at the time), and Akira Fitton, which celebrates films treated with indifference or contempt by other movie guides. The name comes from the 1980 science fiction film The Psychotronic Man (which later became a RiffTrax presentation).

It contains entries for over three thousand films, with each listing the producer(s), director, writer(s), studio, year released, alternate titles, key actors, and a plot description. Unlike most movie guides, no quality ranking system is employed. However, an entry will occasionally note if the movie was particularly good, bad, laughable, and/or boring. The bulk of the movies described are of a cult or otherwise obscure nature. However, there are several films covered which have enjoyed mainstream success, so long as they fit the definition of a psychotronic film.

In 1996, Weldon published a follow-up volume entitled The Psychotronic Video Guide. It contains entries for over nine thousand additional movies that had been released since the publication of the first volume or had become more readily available thanks to a home video release. It also makes frequent mention of Mystery Science Theater 3000, referencing movies that had been featured on the show (including an erroneous citation for The Ghosts of Hanley House).

A considerable number of films that have been used on MST3K have entries in one of the volumes. In particular, The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film was virtually the only resource prior to MST3K to have mostly accurate information on "Manos" The Hands of Fate (other than referring to Torgo as Torga and citing Manos as being the name of the Master rather than the deity the cult worships).

Riffed movies listed in The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film

Mystery Science Theater 3000

• 12 to the Moon
• Agent for H.A.R.M.
• The Amazing Colossal Man
• The Amazing Transparent Man
• At the Earth's Core
• The Atomic Brain
• Attack of the the Eye Creatures (as The Eye Creatures)
• Attack of the Giant Leeches
• Avalanche
• The Beast of Hollow Mountain
• The Beast of Yucca Flats
• The Beatniks
• Beginning of the End
• Beyond Atlantis
• The Black Scorpion
• Blood Waters of Dr. Z
• Bloodlust!
• The Brain that Wouldn't Die
• Bride of the Monster
• The Brute Man
• The Bubble
• The Castle of Fu Manchu
• Catalina Caper
• Circus of Horrors
• City on Fire
• The Corpse Vanishes
• The Crawling Eye
• The Crawling Hand
• The Creeping Terror
• The Day the Earth Froze
• The Day Time Ended
• Day the World Ended
• The Deadly Bees
• The Deadly Mantis
• Devil Doll
• Diabolik (as Danger: Diabolick)
• Earth vs the Spider (as The Spider)
• Eegah
• Fire Maidens of Outer Space
• First Spaceship on Venus
• Gamera (as Gammera the Invincible)
• Gamera vs Barugon (as War of the Monsters)
• Gamera vs Gaos (as Return of the Giant Monsters)
• Gamera vs Guiron (as Attack of the Monsters)
• Gamera vs Jiger (as Gamera vs Monster X)
• The Giant Gila Monster
• The Giant Spider Invasion
• Girl in Gold Boots
• The Girl in Lovers Lane
• Girls Town
• Godzilla vs. Megalon
• Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster
• Gorgo
• The Green Slime
• Gunslinger
• Hangar 18
• The Hellcats
• Hercules
• Hercules Against the Moon Men
• Hercules and the Captive Women
• Hercules Unchained
• H.G. Wells' The Shape of Things to Come
• High School Big Shot
• The Horror of Party Beach
• Horrors of Spider Island
• The Human Duplicators
• I Was a Teenage Werewolf
• The Incredible Melting Man
• The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies
• The Indestructible Man
• Invasion of the Neptune Men
• Invasion USA
• It Conquered the World
• It Lives by Night (as The Bat People)
• Jungle Goddess
• Killer Fish
• The Killer Shrews
• King Dinosaur
• The Land that Time Forgot
• Laserblast
• The Last Chase
• The Leech Woman
• Lost Continent
• The Loves of Hercules
• The Mad Monster
• The Magic Sword
• The Magic Voyage of Sinbad
• "Manos" The Hands of Fate
• The Mask 3D
• The Million Eyes of Su-Muru
• The Mole People
• Monster A-Go Go
• Moon Zero Two
• Night of the Blood Beast
• Operation Double 007 (as Operation Kid Brother)
• Parts: The Clonus Horror
• The Phantom Planet
• Phase IV
• Project Moon Base
• The Projected Man
• Racket Girls (as Blonde Pickup)
• Radar Men from the Moon
• The Rebel Set
• Red Zone Cuba (as Night Train to Mundo Fine)
• Reptilicus
• Revenge of the Creature
• Riding with Death (as Gemini Man)
• Ring of Terror
• Robot Monster
• The Robot Vs. the Aztec Mummy
• Rocket Attack U.S.A.
• Rocketship X-M
• The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent
• Samson vs. the Vampire Women
• Santa Claus
• Santa Claus Conquers the Martians
• The Screaming Skull
• Secret Agent Super Dragon
• The She-Creature
• The Side Hackers (as Five the Hard Way)
• The Sinister Urge
• The Skydivers
• The Slime People
• The Space Children
• Space Travelers (as Marooned)
• Squirm
• SST- Death Flight
• Starcrash
• Stranded in Space (as The Stranger)
• Swamp Diamonds (as Swamp Women)
• The Sword and the Dragon
• Teenage Cave Man
• Teen-Age Crime Wave
• Teen-Age Strangler
• Teenagers from Outer Space
• Terror from the Year 5000
• The Thing That Couldn't Die
• This Island Earth
• The Time Travelers
• Tormented
• The Touch of Satan
• Track of the Moon Beast
• The Undead
• Undersea Kingdom
• The Unearthly
• Untamed Youth
• Village of the Giants
• The Violent Years
• War of the Colossal Beast
• Wild Rebels
• The Wild Wild World of Batwoman
• Women of the Prehistoric Planet
• World Without End
• Yongary - Monster from the Deep

Cinematic Titanic

• Blood of the Vampires (as Creatures of Evil)
• Danger on Tiki Island (as Brides of Blood)
• The Doll Squad
• The Doomsday Machine
• Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks (as House of Freaks)
• Legacy of Blood
• The Oozing Skull (as Brain of Blood)
• Samson and the Seven Miracles of the World
• The Wasp Woman

The Film Crew

• The Giant of Marathon
• Killers from Space
• The Wild Women of Wongo

The Mads Are Back

• Battle of the Worlds
• The Beach Girls and the Monster
• The Brain Eaters
• The Brain from Planet Arous
• The Choppers
• The Creature Walks Among Us
• The Devil Bat
• Dimension 5
• Glen or Glenda
• The Lost Missile
• The Monolith Monsters
• Mutiny in Outer Space
• The Neanderthal Man
• Night of the Ghouls
• The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues
• Phantom from Space
• Plan 9 from Outer Space
• T-Bird Gang
• Teenage Zombies
• The Tingler
• Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women
• Walk the Dark Street

Movie Jo Night

• The Cat Creature
• Daughter of the Mind
• Death Cruise
• Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell
• Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
• Gargoyles
• Haunts of the Very Rich
• Invisible Invaders
• Moon of the Wolf
• Satan's Triangle
• Scream of the Wolf
• Sorority Girl
• A Taste of Evil
• When Michael Calls
• Where Have All the People Gone

RiffTrax

• Alien
• The Alien Dead (as It Fell from the Sky)
• The Amazing Mr. X (as The Spiritualist)
• Assignment: Outer Space
• The Astro-Zombies
• Atom Age Vampire
• Attack from Space
• Attack of the Puppet People
• Beast of the Yellow Night
• The Blood of Fu Manchu (as Kiss and Kill)
• Bloody Pit of Horror
• The Brainiac
• The Bride and the Beast
• Bride of the Gorilla
• Carnival of Souls
• Casablanca
• Cat Women of the Moon
• The City of the Dead (as Horror Hotel)
• Contamination (as Alien Contamination)
• The Crater Lake Monster
• Creature from the Haunted Sea
• Curse of Bigfoot
• The Dark
• Day of the Animals
• Destination Inner Space
• Devil Girl from Mars
• The Devil's Hand
• Dinosaurus!
• Dr. Who and the Daleks
• Dr. Who: Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. (misprinted as Daleks - Invasion Earth 2150 B.C.)
• Dressed to Kill
• Fangs of the Living Dead (as Malenka, the Vampire)
• Flight to Mars
• Frankenstein's Daughter
• Giant from the Unknown
• The Girl from Rio (as Rio 70)
• Grizzly
• Halloween
• Hawk the Slayer
• The Hideous Sun Demon
• Hillbillys in a Haunted House
• Horror Express
• House on Haunted Hill
• The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant
• Invaders from Mars
• Invasion of the Animal People
• Invasion of the Bee Girls
• It Came from Outer Space
• Jack the Giant Killer
• Jaws
• Killers from Space
• Kingdom of the Spiders
• Kiss of the Tarantula
• The Last Man on Earth
• The Last Shark (as Great White)
• Last Woman on Earth
• The Little Shop of Horrors
• The Magnetic Monster
• The Man Without a Body
• Maniac
• Married Too Young
• Megaforce
• Mesa of Lost Women
• Missile to the Moon
• The Most Dangerous Game
• Mothra
• Neutron the Atomic Superman vs. the Death Robots (as Neutron Against the Death Robots)
• Night of the Lepus
• Night of the Living Dead
• Octaman
• Plan 9 from Outer Space
• Planet of Dinosaurs
• Planet of the Apes
• Poltergeist
• The Psychotronic Man
• Purple Death from Outer Space (as Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe)
• Raiders of the Lost Ark
• The Return
• Ruby
• Scared to Death (1947)
• Scared to Death (1980)
• SHE
• She Demons
• Sherlock Holmes and the Deadly Necklace
• Sherlock Holmes and the Scarlet Claw
• Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
• Snowbeast
• Son of Sinbad
• Starship Invasions
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope
• Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
• Superargo and the Faceless Giants
• Supersonic Man
• The Sword and the Sorcerer
• Terror By Night
• Terror in the Wax Museum
• Tourist Trap
• The Veil - Part 1 (as The Veil)
• The Veil - Part 2 (as The Veil)
• The Visitor
• Voodoo Man
• Warning from Space
• Werewolf in a Girls' Dormitory
• The Wizard of Oz
• The Woman in Green
• Wonder Women
• The X from Outer Space
• Yambaó (as Cry of the Bewitched)
• Zombie: I Eat Your Skin (as I Eat Your Skin)

Riffed movies listed in The Psychotronic Video Guide

Mystery Science Theater 3000

• Alien from L.A. *
• Angels Revenge (as Angels Brigade)
• Ator, the Fighting Eagle
• Being from Another Planet (as Time Walker)
• Boggy Creek II: and the Legend Continues…
• The Brain
• Carnival Magic
• Cave Dwellers (as Blade Master)
• City Limits *
• Cosmic Princess (as Space: 1999)
• Crash of Moons (as Rocky Jones, Space Ranger)
• Cry Wilderness
• Daddy-O
• The Dead Talk Back
• Deathstalker II (as Deathstalker II: Duel of the Titans)
• Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell
• Devil Fish (as Monster Shark)
• Doctor Mordrid
• Escape 2000 (as Escape from the Bronx)
• Final Justice
• The Final Sacrifice (as Quest for the Lost City)
• Gamera vs Zigra
• Hobgoblins
• I Accuse My Parents
• Kitten with a Whip *
• Lords of the Deep
• Mac and Me
• Making Contact
• Manhunt in Space (as Rocky Jones, Space Ranger)
• Master Ninja I (as The Master)
• Master Ninja II (as The Master)
• Mitchell *
• Munchie
• No Retreat, No Surrender
• Outlaw (as Outlaw of Gor) *
• Overdrawn at the Memory Bank
• The Phantom Creeps
• The Pumaman
• Robot Holocaust *
• Robot Wars
• Soultaker
• Space Mutiny
• The Starfighters
• Time of the Apes *
• Warrior of the Lost World *
• Wizards of the Lost Kingdom
• Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II
• Zombie Nightmare

* Mentions its appearance on MST3K

Cinematic Titanic

• The Alien Factor
• The Astral Factor (as The Invisible Strangler)
• East Meets Watts (as Dynamite Brothers)
• Rattlers

The Film Crew

• Hollywood After Dark

The Mads Are Back

• Cosmos: War of the Planets
• Deadly Prey
• She Shoulda Said 'No'! (as Wild Weed)
• The Yesterday Machine

Movie Jo Night

• The Fantastic Four
• Home for the Holidays
• Omoo-Omoo the Shark God

RiffTrax

• 1990: The Bronx Warriors
• Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe (as Abraxas)
• Adventures of Captain Marvel
• Alien Outlaw
• Amityville: The Evil Escapes
• The Apple
• Batman and Robin
• Beaks! (as Beaks: The Movie)
• The Bermuda Triangle
• Beyond Christmas (as Beyond Tomorrow)
• Blood Harvest
• Blood Theater (as Movie House Massacre)
• Bog
• Bounty Tracker (as Bounty Tracer)
• Breaker! Breaker!
• Cannibal World (as White Cannibal Queen)
• The Careless Years
• Cobra
• Cool as Ice
• Cyber Tracker
• Cyborg Cop 2
• The Dark Power
• Deadly Prey
• Death Promise
• Die Hard
• The Five Doctors (mentioned under Dr. Who)
• Double Dragon
• Dreamscape
• Earth Angel
• Firehead
• Fist of Fury (as Fists of Fury)
• Flash Gordon (1954 TV series)
• Flatliners
• Frankenstein Island
• Frozen Scream
• Future Force
• Future Zone
• The Galaxy Invader
• Ghost
• Ghosthouse
• Gymkata
• Hack-O-Lantern (as Halloween Night)
• Highlander
• High School U.S.A.
• Honor and Glory
• The House on Sorority Row
• I Believe in Santa Claus (as Here Comes Santa Claus)
• Ice Cream Man
• Ironheart
• It's a Wonderful Life
• Jaws 3
• Jurassic Park
• Karate Cop
• Kill and Kill Again
• Kill or Be Killed
• King of Kong Island
• Krull
• Ladyhawke
• Laser Mission
• The Last Slumber Party
• The Lost Boys
• Lovely But Deadly
• Martial Law
• McBain
• Miami Connection
• Mikey
• Mirror, Mirror
• Mutant
• Nightmare at Noon
• Nightwish
• Oblivion
• Omega Cop
• Planet Outlaws (as Buck Rogers)
• Point Break
• The Power
• Predator
• Prisoners of the Lost Universe
• Project Eliminator
• Psycho II
• Rats: Night of Terror (as Rats)
• Red Dawn
• Reefer Madness
• Rescue Me
• The Return of Swamp Thing
• The Revenge of Doctor X
• Road House
• Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare
• R.O.T.O.R.
• The Running Man
• Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny
• Shrunken Heads
• Silent Rage
• Sisters of Death
• Split Second
• Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• Star Trek: Generations
• Star Wars, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
• Stone Cold
• Street Fighter
• Sunset Strip
• Super Mario Bros.
• Swamp of the Ravens
• Terminus
• Terror at Tenkiller
• Things
• Treasure of the Amazon
• Troll 2
• Tron
• Uninvited 1988
• Velvet Smooth
• Viva Knievel!
• Warriors of the Wasteland
• What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
• When a Stranger Calls Back
• Winterbeast
• Woman Who Came Back
• The Wonderful Land of Oz
• Yor, the Hunter from the Future