Year: 1980
Runtime: 90 mins
Language: English
Director: Jack M. Sell
A man discovers that he has psychotronic powers–the ability to will people to die. He begins exercising that power.
Warning: spoilers below!
Haven’t seen The Psychotronic Man yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!
Read the complete plot breakdown of The Psychotronic Man (1980), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
Rocky Foscoe is a Chicago barber whose routine life is disrupted after a late-night drive along Old Orchard Road. While parked, he experiences a nightmare in which his car appears to hover in mid-air, a vision that unsettles him and prompts a visit to a doctor for an explanation.
When he tries to return to work, anxiety grips him and he has a full-blown attack, forcing him to flee the shop and leaving his mistress worried about his behavior. Driven to make sense of what happened, he heads back to the road, where an enigmatic old man offers help and mentions that strange things have been happening on that stretch—even hearing screams from the sky, hinting that Rocky’s car may have truly floated.
Rocky endures another sudden episode, and in the chaos the old man fires a shotgun at him. Rocky responds with a sudden, overwhelming force, killing his would-be helper with what seems to be a psychic power. Five hours later, Chicago police discover the old man’s body and a trail of tire tracks from Rocky’s car that abruptly stop, as if the car had floated away into the night.
That same night, a newspaper item about the old man’s death catches the doctor’s attention, leading him to connect Rocky to the killing and to alert the authorities. Later, Rocky himself reappears and, in a confrontation with the doctor, kills him with his psychic powers. When the police arrive, they wrestle with whether the events point to something supernatural or dangerously real.
The next day, the police consult a psychologist at the Chicago Institute of Psychology, Professor, who advances a parapsychological theory. He suggests that Rocky has tapped into a latent power of his subconscious mind, a force he terms psychotronic energy that could fuel his extraordinary and dangerous abilities.
Back at home, the tension intensifies as Rocky visits his mistress and returns to a tense standoff with his wife. Mrs. Foscoe becomes a focal point of the mounting danger as their confrontation spirals toward violence, with Rocky’s powers hovering on the edge of eruption.
Outside, the investigation grows more urgent. Officer Maloney and other officers stake out the residence, trying to anticipate Rocky’s moves, while the pursuit expands into downtown Chicago. Rocky keeps ahead, at times seemingly lifting the car itself, until a dead end forces a crash and a desperate scramble on foot.
In a warehouse confrontation, Rocky seizes a gun from an officer he has trapped, then climbs toward the roof of a nearby hotel, leaving a security guard dead in his wake. The chase continues into a boiler room, where he uses his psychic powers again to kill one of the pursuing officers and escapes to a tower in an adjacent building. A SWAT team is brought in, only to find itself facing a foe who might not be easily stopped.
A new figure arrives: S.I.A. Agent Gorman. He orders the police to capture Rocky alive so his extraordinary abilities can be studied for national security. The sheriff plays along, bluffing that Rocky has one last chance to surrender, but the moment of surrender never comes. Instead, Rocky is shot after a tense standoff, falls from the tower, and disappears from sight. The streets below reveal no body, leaving the trail unresolved.
In the final shot, the camera returns to the woods along Old Orchard Road, where Rocky’s presence lingers and the cycle feels poised to begin again, leaving viewers with a haunting sense that his power—and the mystery—may never be fully laid to rest.
Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:52
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Ordinary people grappling with dangerous abilities that spiral into chaos.If you liked the desperate struggle against a deadly ability in The Psychotronic Man, this collection features similar stories. Discover films where characters are cursed by their own power, leading to psychological breakdowns, violence, and a haunting sense of inevitability.
The narrative typically follows a protagonist who unexpectedly gains a formidable, often destructive, ability. Instead of empowerment, this leads to a loss of control, forcing them to confront the horrific consequences of their actions. The story is a downward spiral of violence and paranoia, culminating in an ambiguous or bleak resolution.
These films are grouped by their shared focus on the dark side of power—specifically, the terror of being unable to stop the destruction one causes. They create a cohesive experience of anxiety and moral dread, anchored by a fast-paced, high-intensity plot.
Desperate characters on the run, hunted by forces they can't comprehend.Fans of The Psychotronic Man's frantic urban pursuit will find more tense, fast-paced movies here. This selection focuses on stories of fugitives being hunted, often while dealing with internal psychological turmoil, creating a uniquely anxious and claustrophobic viewing experience.
The plot centers on a fugitive, often possessing a secret or unique trait, being relentlessly pursued. The chase is physical and psychological, with the protagonist's sanity tested as trust evaporates and enemies close in. The narrative is linear and propulsive, driving towards an uncertain or open-ended conclusion.
They share a core structure of a frantic, high-stakes chase combined with a pervasive mood of paranoia. The similarity lies in the fast pacing, high intensity, and dark tone that makes the viewer feel the protagonist's relentless anxiety and claustrophobia.
Don't stop at just watching — explore The Psychotronic Man in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The Psychotronic Man is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.
Track the full timeline of The Psychotronic Man with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape The Psychotronic Man. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of The Psychotronic Man that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.
Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about The Psychotronic Man: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.
Discover movies like The Psychotronic Man that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.
The Psychotronic Man (1980) Scene-by-Scene Movie Timeline
The Psychotronic Man (1980) Movie Characters, Themes & Settings
The Psychotronic Man (1980) Spoiler-Free Summary & Key Flow
Movies Like The Psychotronic Man – Similar Titles You’ll Enjoy
Psychopaths (2017) Film Overview & Timeline
Maniac (1981) Plot Summary & Ending Explained
The Terminal Man (1974) Full Summary & Key Details
Psychotronic (2017) Story Summary & Characters
A Psycho’s Path (2019) Story Summary & Characters
The Psychic (1977) Story Summary & Characters
The Power (1968) Story Summary & Characters
Something Weird (1967) Film Overview & Timeline
Psychic (1992) Film Overview & Timeline
The Manster (1959) Film Overview & Timeline
Man-Made Monster (1941) Story Summary & Characters
Mind Over Murder (1979) Ending Explained & Film Insights
Maniac (1963) Plot Summary & Ending Explained
The Hypnotic Eye (1960) Ending Explained & Film Insights
Psychomania (1973) Full Summary & Key Details