Maniac is a bit like watching an amputee play hopscotch: there’s no way that it’s polite to stare for this long, but you just have to see if this guy’s gonna make it to the end.
this movie was awesome! it was down right dirty and nasty and brutal. Frodo goes around scalping chicks and becoming more and more insane by the second. The film follows basically the same plot as the original although this time it is from a first person perspective. This works out really great and just hearing Elijah's voice is creepy as hell and he truly looks like a maniac when you do get a glimpse of his reflection. That is another difference, Elijah. No longer do we have a big disgusting slob as the killer but this time its lil ol Elijah. This change could have been devastating but it really works. And then were the film truly is with the gore. They hold nothing back. Right from the opening sequence I knew I was in for one hell of a ride. Way more than one woman is murdered and scalped and it is done in ruthless fashion. This movie was creepy as hell and Elijah, Aja, and friends show us (once again in Aja's case) is that remakes can be great!
This is one of my favorite horror movies I have ever seen (only bested by the original Evil Dead). Wile a remake, it takes on an identity of its own. It is perfect. A true horror movie, no monsters, or demons, or jump scares, it is about a psycho rooted in realism. And oh what a psycho Wood makes. I never knew he had this kind of performance in him. The first person cinematography is very original and is somehow pulled off, and the music is one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard.
Slasher-movie fans, however, need not be put off by the stylized camera work and arty patina: this is down and dirty genre filmmaking, and the various slaughters, excruciatingly detailed scalpings and other atrocities are no less gruesome because of the highfalutin approach.
The movie, told from the killer’s point of view, is genuinely unsettling and propelled by a terrific, buzzing synth soundtrack straight out of the early ’80s. But the only suspense is in which woman will be the next victim.
Unfortunately, with only the bare outline of a script, no acting is required. The structure of the film is 89 minutes of brutality with a college degree. This is a warning, not a recommendation.
"...interesting from a technical perspective but not nearly as compelling as one would want." Ahh, critics. I am not quite sure what you are looking for in a film told from the first-person perspective of a maniac, but this one does the trick. If you are looking for some sort of magical insight into the mind of a crazed individual, you will not find here it because, as one would imagine, there is not much to be found. "Mommy issues" are sufficient enough to move the experience forward. It is gory, creepy, and interesting. This will definitely satisfy most horror fans (especially those of the slasher variety).
Remake of a film I have not seen yet, Maniac is a horror film that walks through the grounds of the darkest violence to psychological thriller. The film has an intense performance by Elijah Wood as a psychopathic murderer who puts the scalps of their victims in mannequins, some parts may be disturbing and unpleasant for some, but I believe that fans of the genre will love it.
The film uses a lot the P.O.V. of the main character, Frank Zito (Wood), as we see him hunting innocent women, this way the director force the viewers to share the predatory instinct of Frank and the nature of his unbalance. The film focuses a lot on this and although it works most of the time in some sequences it feels unnecessary.
The film looks professional enough although the modest budget comes to notice, the picture is not as clear as I would have liked but it doesn't looks bad. The music is haunting, that is a good point and the production design deserves an applause becasue the grim museum of mannequins is creepy.
I liked it, it's not a great movie but it's fine enough
Maniac is not shy when it comes to violence and sex but does however contain a simple story line made into a complex situation that at times, is difficult to follow.
(going to watch again)
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