Just watched: Maniac (1980)

The chokes on him

Considered one of the darker of the early ’80s slashers, Maniac mixed things up a bit by following the murderer instead of the “good guys” as most slashers did. Depending on what you are looking for, this can be either a good thing or a bad thing.

Maniac tells the story of Frank Zito, a man who was abused by his mother as a child, and now spends his time killing women, slicing off their scalps and nailing them to the mannequins he keeps in his home. While some consider this film to be tasteless and unwatchable (including Gene Siskel who walked right out of the film) it actually can be viewed as how a person can be affected by abuse, not just as a child, but as an adult as well.

If you're looking up at this you're probably about to die

If you are watching Maniac just for the violence and gore then you shouldn’t be disappointed. Tom Savini doesn’t disappoint again with the highlight being the shotgun scene partway through the film. However, if you are expecting your typical slasher you may be disappointed. There’s a lot more story and drama in this than most, and it doesn’t have drunk teenagers, excessive nudity, and the “good guys”  to root for that you may be used to.

And while seeing the movie through the killers eyes and through his thoughts may appeal to some, to others the mystery of the who-dunnit, and why they are killing will simply not be there. The film also leaves you feeling kind of dirty, everything from it’s grungy look to Frank spending time with his mannequins. There’s also a part of the story that seems like a bit of a stretch, which can take some wind out of the story.

Frank is one messed up dude

Maniac has a low budget look to it, and it should, as it was shot for very little money, and even uses adult film stars as some of the actresses because they couldn’t afford “real” actresses. Director William Lustig had shot some porn films so he probably had connections.

Availability: on VHS, DVD and blu-ray, you should be able to get yourself a copy for less than $20 or once again for Americans it’s available to rent on Amazon Video for $2.99

If you love violence and gore, or want a look into a serial killer’s viewpoint then you should check out Maniac, but if you are expecting a “fun” movie like many other slashers could be viewed as, you may want to look elsewhere.