Maniac [Blu-ray]

As I have been a die hard fan of the original 1980 version by William Lustig, I was both excited about this remake and highly skeptical at the same time. I was worried that too much would be changed about the story or the characters or that this would just be seriously mediocre and forgettable. Some horror remakes are horrible and don't respect their source material, give the audience too much unneccessary backstory info about the main character that ruins the mystery that made him/her scary, or they focus too much on the gore and body count that the characters and storytelling totally suffer for it. Thankfully this horror remake in no way suffers from of any of those aforementioned horror remake issues.For those that are wondering as to how this movie is different from the original well you can rest easy as the changes are truly minor. Frank Zito(Elijah Wood) is much younger this time, Frank has mannequins because he owns a shop where it's his job to do restorations on them, more back info is given on Frank's mother, the way that he meets the beautiful Anna(Nora Arnezeder) is different, other than that a bit of updating of technology comes up.The intensity of Frank's being Norman Bates like in that he is a mama's boy of whom never recovered emotionally from his mother's death. Also his intense desire to murder women, scalp them, and affix their scalps to mannequins. Frank's emotional detachment and inability to relate to other people still remains intact. His stalking of sexy women still remains either from driving around or from charming them on the net. Frank is still a psychotic schizo and a total emotional wreck. Other than that Frank still remains a methodical serial killer with any tool necessary to carry it out.The musical score by Robin Coudert is great in that it makes a great reference to the 80's with it's synth elements plus the music fits the darkly toned moods, the dark alleys, and the sinister as well as terrifying and suspenseful scenes in the movie. Also there is a little bit of beautiful cheery music as well.The cinematography by Maxime Alexandre is perfect in that it showcases the dark and eerie side of L.A. at night in the alleys, in much of the neighborhoods, and when the lights are out, also there are some very beautiful shots of the day time that effectively go for the little bit of cheerfulness in this movie plus the false sense of security that the characters have. The building interiors are very well lit and do a great job of showing the audience the differences between Frank's poor, gloomy, and depressing home versus the beautiful and lavish lifestyles of the more rich and well to do characters.The gore is a work of genius that even reminds me alot of not only the brilliant gore that Tom"Sex Machine" Savini was behind in the original movie but also any of Savini's gore effects for that matter. The gore effects in this movie are the most realistic looking that I have seen to date.My most favorite kills are Frank sticking a knife up through the bottom of this one woman's head causing the knife to go right into her mouth and this one guy of whom Frank forcefully jams a knife right between this one guys lips. Two great examples of the excellent kills that this movie has to offer.The lighting is not only beautifully done with the interiors of peoples homes and in some of the alley and street corner shots, but also in some scenes to where the light would make certain scenes look decidedly beautiful from the ethereal and dream-like look that the lighting would give scenes such as the art exhibit scene for example.Besides some 80's like music, this movie even payed one sweet homage to the 80's with for instance one person having synthesizers and tall punker boots in her home and there were several characters in passing with 80's looks with their hairstyles and clothing. I realize that Punk rock is a late 70's thing but I know that there were some punk bands that crossed over into the 80's.While there isn't alot of nudity, the nudity that this movie has is just superb.Another great feature of this movie is the first person stalker camera perspective that is fondly reminiscent of Dario Argento's Giallo movies from the 60's and 70's. Also, it brings to mind that same perspective in Friday the 13th.Q. Lazzarus's awesome song Goodbye Horses appearing in the soundtrack and even better with a brand new mix of the rocking song really helps as well. Especially as it fondly brings The Silence of the Lambs to mind.Overall, this remake is a win win. If you have seen the original and love it as much as I do or even if you have never seen the original, this movie still stands remarkably well on its own as well. This version does remarkably well what few horror remakes can. It takes everything that's great about the original, gives reference to not just the original but also the 80's as well, best of all besides perfectly adapting all that was great about the original it also updates it to the 21st century without overdoing it plus making the current ideas work so perfectly. The musical score is also great at keeping the viewers ability to stay with all that goes on to get them invested. The editing and pacing is so well done that this movie is never boring once. Elijah Wood may not appear on the camera all of the time but his performance while not entirely as mind-blowing as the late great Joe Spinell's, he still carries the character of Frank Zito and the movie perfectly on his own merits. Yes this movie is disturbing but it's so well done as was the original that it is a definite must see. 10 stars out of 10!!!

My rating is more of a 3.5Thank you for reading!Maniac is a 2012 slasher film directed by Franck Khalfoun, written by Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur, and starring Elijah Wood and Nora Arnezeder. It is a remake of the 1980 film of the same name, and follows the violent exploits of a brutal serial killer.When comparing ‘Maniac (2013’ to its source material in terms of its cinematic narration this remake absolutely takes the cake. ‘Manic’ 2012 takes a chance in making the entire plot told from an almost exclusively first-person point-of- view (sans some exceptions to this) and this is a clever way of submerging an audience in to a story that otherwise may not have the appeal (sue me, I can’t think of a better word) of others like it or those in a completely different genre when taking the entirety of the plot in to consideration. Even the breaks in this format of story-telling serve a purpose in capturing the essence of a character that in many ways feels constantly “outside of himself” and ultimately becomes a story where it is fair to say that reconciliation of some point is what truly drives ‘Manic’ a long. The audience being so privy to these heinous actions and receiving some amount of insight regarding the motivation behind these murders carried out (hold that thought) is easily appreciated by those that are open to engaging with subject matter that is that is naturally unsetting to say the very least.Now - I’m not the biggest fan of horror movies and I’m not afraid to admit this. With that said, it’s hard for me to enjoy movies that equip ‘jump scares’ like it’s going out of style, and in many ways I would further assert that these can can be unequivocally distracting or exhausting. ‘Maniac’ is true to its obvious allegiance to the category of ‘Slasher Film’, and substitutes moments that favor shock-value over those that are made to illicit what is ultimately a natural reaction when one is surprised or caught off guard. I applaud Khalfoun for going in to this direction because I certainly don’t need a story or plot to follow to feel compelled to finish a film - but, boy, including one certainly doesn’t hurt.I certainly can’t say whether this last point is reflecting of complaints I would make to its predecessor (Because I’ve never actually seen the entirety of the original), but something about the overarching plot and how it develops seems awfully contrived; in addition to this, the way in which the story escalates seems awfully premature in a way that I feel takes away any amount of empathy or understanding for ‘Frank’ that It feels like I am 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 to have once the conclusion arrives. Without inching in to territory where I could possibly be “blaming the victim” there are so many scenes where Frank’s victimization of the women in this film is hardly met with the amount of struggle I might expect given the context in which their interactions occur. This leads me to believe that Frank’s charm is in some amount of charisma that makes it easier for vulnerable people to let their guard down around him, but even opportunities where this happen are bare-minimum efforts at best (“At least there was a happy ending” followed by “I may have found the last real romantic?” Puh-leease…..). And his last victim suddenly having an epiphany about who he is when there is reason to believe that these murders are considered a “regular occurrence” or have been making headlines in the news and regularly discussed in various social circles? Don’t even get me started, honestly.Movies like this one really shouldn’t bother me or lead me to tangents about their real-world applications, and yet here I am. The largest flaw is in the attempt made to balance the motivations for the murders Frank carries out using what could be an underlying medical condition (Did I say could? Yeah, I did, on purpose) or the interactions he has with women he approaches or initiates some amount of potentially intimate interest. Vignettes in which symptoms commonly associated with some amount of psychosis (Talking to oneself, whatever else could be considered cliché etc) are brazenly contrasted with scenes in which Frank experiences some amount of rejection with very little else tying all of his victims together. I shouldn’t even be compelled to ask, but I will anyway: Does Frank have a serious medical condition, or is he just another loser that can’t take ‘no’ for an answer?'Manic' suffers in that it simultaneously reveals too much and too little about its self in a desperate (but in some ways impressive) attempt to come together as one cohesive unit.I dare to call this movie ‘watchable’ or ‘enjoyable’ in that people with a sensitive stomach or prolonged aversion to violence can certainly make it through watching ‘Manic’ once.But worth sitting through twice?That’s simply up for debate.I would recommend (Even if not strongly).

This is not a film you can love but as a horror movie it does it's job terrifyingly well. It's not going to make you jump out of your seat -it's not that type of film. Instead you tend to see things from the point of view [POV] of Frank [Elijah Wood], a mentally disturbed individual whose gone seriously off the rails following his mothers death. The film opens as we watch two girls hail a taxi in a rundown part of the city. One gets in, the other walks on. She notices a vehicle across the road and we realise were looking through Franks eyes. This sets the scene for the rest of the movie as we tend see things the way Frank sees them and we get to experience his torment as he tries to fight his inner demons.The film is gory in places, but unlike most it doesn't rely on blood and guts to keep the viewer fixed, instead it's almost as though you -the viewer are committing the crime and that's what's so disturbing -that first person POV [very reminiscent of Strange Days]. It isn't even a fast paced movie, the pace is very much a stroll but it all adds to the tension and Elijah Wood plays the part to perfection.I'd actually like to rate this as a 1 star because I found it disturbing on so many levels, yet it does what a good horror movie should, hence the 5 star rating. It's not a brutal film [like Wrong Turn], does not revel in dismemberment or slow torturous deaths and doesn't play on the victims fear, it's just 'clinical' and detached in the kills and that's part of its 'horror', it all seems so plausible.The single disc DVD comes with limited features comprising Play, scene select, set up and two extras; interviews and the trailer, so the disc itself is nothing special, but despite my reservations I'd have to recommend this if you're into the slasher/homicidal maniac type films but it won't please all as much of the horror is psychological being in your own mind.

Not for sensitive people. This thriller follows a deranged serial killer as he kills and scalps women. The events are seen almost entirely through the killer's point of view, brining the viewer into the monster's mind. Suspense and plenty of gore, this picture is a must for horror fans.

This film is simply crazy, tagged as a 'Modern horror classic' for once they are right! I haven't seen a film in so long that has left me feeling uneasy but this did. Elijah Wood as a maniac... genius bit of casting. The 'point of view' focus of the film might annoy a few people but I found it added to the overall feel and look of the film. If you want a little freak out... watch this movie!

One of the best horror films that I have seen in a long time don't let the star of this film put you off , it's a must buy for any horror fans.

A very disturbing graphically violent movie that somehow manages to be beautiful as well. Thrilling cinematography and apt, exciting music make this movie a work of art but it is definitely not for everyone.