Maniac

It'll get your blood pumping, before it starts spilling down your forehead.

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.

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.

If it’s possible to be both impressed and appalled by a movie’s pull-no-punches savagery, Maniac earns that dubious distinction.

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.

This poor man’s Norman Bates, though, doesn’t make us wonder what makes him tick; he makes us want to shut our eyes.

"...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.

Very very sick acting and character by Elijah Wood. Movie has a good idea, but i don't like the way of presenting that.

(going to watch again) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------