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Maniac [1980]

Starring: Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Abigail Clayton, Kelly Piper, Rita Montone
Director: William Lustig
Format: PAL
Released: 29 Jul 2002
RRP: £14.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Wonderfully Sick - By: Stefan, 10 Oct 2007
This is a exellent film, well made , good effects & very "Twisted" script.
Not for the faint-hearted.
Once banned in the "Video-Nasty" scares of the 70/80s.
WARNING THIS IS A REGION 1 DVD it will only play on multi.region DVD, other wise you will either get nothing or a black & white picture {this needs to be seen in color}.
Really made me cringe. 'Real' Horror! - By: Pallus the Phallus, 12 Jul 2007
I consider myself to be a hardened horror fan.
But I wasn't ready for this film -it reallly did give me the creeps.

It's the way it's shot & the convincing character of the Maniac that just makes the whole thing more believable than the average horror. This is how you imagine real-life psychotic killers to be.

I was starting to dread the next slaying whereas I'm usuallly relishing it with glee.

**SLIGHT SPOIL.. I especiallly found the first-person perspective during some murder scenes a bit discomforting as it's as if the viewer is invited to relish the thought of participating in such nastiness themselves.

So I didn't reallly enjoy this as much as something like "House of a Thousand Corpses" which is more my kind of fantasy horror jolly. But that doesn't mean this isn't a 'good' film -it's just a bit TOO realistic for me to easily enjoy as 'entertainment'. I felt a bit exhausted by the end & although, like I say, I think it is a good film, I didn't feel compelled to watch it a second time.

Those seeking the most graphic depictions of gore a la 'The [rubbish] Hostel' may not find this film as impressive as these reviews suggest. -This isn't a splatter-fest & there isn't THAT much visuallly explicit gore (in the UK version anyway), the impact of the film is in the gritty realism & believability of the deranged Maniac.


Effective shocker. But is it entertainment? - By: Cartimand, 07 Nov 2005
Bill Lustig coaxed a lifetime-great performance from Joe Spinell in the compelling, but thoroughly unpleasant gore-fest that is Maniac.

Whilst the blood 'n guts in a Romero or Fulcio horror is so OTT as to provide comedy value as well as shocks, the gore in Maniac feels so real (courtesy of Tom Savini in expert form) as to make the viewer feel uncomfortably like a guilty voyeur at the scene of something exceedingly nasty.

As an insight into a profoundly troubled mind & the shocking consequences of horrific childhood abuse (more hinted at than explained), Maniac also works pretty well. It cleverly treds the fine line between the viewer understanding what has made Frank Zito (Spinell) into the monster he became, whilst never sympathising with the appallling acts he commits.

Somewhat surprisingly for a low-budget movie in the gore-fest/video nasty category, Maniac is rather well acted. Spinell himself is scarily believable. The actress (sorry not sure of her name) in the extended toilet scene gives one of the most convincing depictions of utter terror ever seen. Whilst it is perhaps a little far fetched that anyone could falll for the dubious charms of Frank Zito, Caroline Munro plays a blinder as the beautiful, talented (if somewhat naive) photographer.

So, in my humble opinion, it is the sheer realism & honesty of Maniac that makes it work. On the occasions when it descends into more a supernatural horror style (including one scene in the cemetary ripped unashamedly from Carrie, & the final scene with the mannequins) its potency becomes diluted.

Enough quibling though. Fans of the genre will surely acknowledge Maniac as a very effective & truly disturbing horror movie.

The DVD is reasonably well-equipped. The remastered picture quality & sound are as good as you'd expect, the documentary about Spinell is fascinating & poignant, the director's commentary is insightful & amusing, & the critics' outraged reviews are hilarious.

Be warned though; you will probably feel like you need a bath after watching Maniac!

watchable - By: Mr. Rb Francis, 07 Jun 2005
i actuallly liked this film,it has a simple plot,the main character is creepy but cunning...if u like seeing woman bumped off this film is for u..far worse & boring films than this..
Boring - By: , 02 Oct 2004
This film has a lot of good reviews, which is what prompted me to rent this movie. Supposedly ultra-gory & with a great psychological perspective, I was reallly looking forward to watching this movie, but I hated it!!! I don't know if its to do with age, perhaps that this film just simply doesn't cut it for people of my generation, or if its just me, but I found the movie slow, boring, the gore to be a joke, the lead actor as irritating, & alll in alll about as scary as an episode of the teletubbies!

The main character, the "maniac" is this guy who stalks young woman & kills them, removes their scalps & takes them home with him so he can attach them to the many mannequins he has in his room. Lovely. However, although this sounds nice & gory, the special effects are so fake that I just spent those scenes laughing. I actuallly wasn't even sure for a minute or so whether or not the mannequins were actuallly supposed to be the bodies of his victims...I mean, the other special effects & props were so fake it was hard to tell for a while! Oops. You should see the "scalps" he takes home, they look like the kind of wigs you would fund in a child's dressing up box or in a cheap joke shop. Please! I mean I know it was the 80's, but there were better things at the filmakers' disposal than that! I reallly wonder whether or not the director is just having a joke!

I found the characters in this movie to be superbly annoying, the serial killer is very gross to look at, I know its shalllow but I expect a little eye-candy in my cheap, sleazy horror flicks! But that aside he is also quite amusing. Its funny to see him going from totallly crazy, rocking back & forth muttering incoherent dribble, to this suave, charming, artsy type when he is trying to win over the affections & trust of a young photographer woman. This young photographer is who I find to be most annoying though, I mean she doesn't think it's strange that a complete stranger just turns up on her doorstep proclaiming "you took a picture of me in the park. Can I come in?" Doesn't she wonder how the hell he found her address? What he wants from her, a total stranger? No, of course not, she invites him in & then agrees to go on a date with him.

Yes, that's the worst thing about the whole movie, not the fact that the special effects are reallly lame or most of the acting is rubbish, but the fact that the plot makes absolutely no sense at alll! How anyone gets "a psychological insight into the mind of a serial killer" from "Maniac" is beyond me. It just seems like a bunch of random, idiotic scenes alll jumbled together & topped off with the most spectacularly implausible & moronic ending of alll.

But this is one of those films that's so bad it's actuallly quite good, & so if you feel like a laugh with your friends then I would recommend this film for you! It would also serve well in a drinking game. But if you are looking to be scared then look elsewhere. Also there are some slow points which you might want to skip through, such as the photography session scene. Although the music to that scene is pretty damn funny.