With the upcoming release of the Maniac remake, it seemed fitting to discuss the original 1980 cult classic directed by William Lustig and written and starring Joe Spinell. Though the Alexandre Aja produced remake differs from the source material, at its core it remains the same. This is a story about a tortured soul who can no longer keep his inner demons at bay. Though he is at constant odds with himself, his dark urges consistently consume him.
The film begins with a particularly nasty beachside murder where the viewer is looking through the eyes of Frank Zito (Spinell), a psychotic killer and the main character. As the film progresses, we follow Frank and get a firsthand look at what life is like for a serial killer. Here’s a hint, it’s creepy and gross.
While Frank seems to be making an attempt to keep his murderous rage at bay, he can rarely hold back and more often than not ends up brutally killing and scalping nearly every woman he comes across. These scenes are particularly gruesome and look extremely graphic and real, due to effects work by the now legendary Tom Savini.
Savini also played a small part in the movie, as a poor schmuck who gets his head blown off with a shotgun in the film’s most gory and horrific scene. This, like many of the scenes in this low-budget indie, was shot guerilla style with no permits. Even crazier, Savini produced the realistic looking head explosion by actually shooting a mold with a shotgun through a car windshield at point blank range. The crew had a truck waiting off camera that he hopped into directly afterwards so they could split before the police arrived.
This guerilla mentality shows in the final product with many of the shots looking quick and dirty, but effective. Though it may not be on the same level as something like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Maniac still provides an interesting and, for the time, unique take on the slasher genre.
The remake, directed by Franck Khalfoun, sees Elijah Wood in the starring role as the killer, which he plays slightly different than Spinell, however the main beats are still present. The remake does deviate from the original quite a bit, but that will be discussed more in our review, which will be out when it hits theaters.
Maniac is a classic 80s horror flick through and through. In fact, it could be credited as one of the films that kicked off the 80s slasher craze. Though it drags in parts, has some ridiculous dialogue, and has some serious sound issues, it’s still a must-see for horror fans.
