Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

Joe Spinell plays Frank Zito. A very disturbed man with murder on his mind. He spends his day dealing with his demons. Then later takes strolls that end with the very brutal demise of single women and couples.

Maniac to me sets itself apart from the average slasher. There's alot more to this film than the killer who murders for the sake of it. I feel Maniac makes a successful attempt to uncover the motives of a serial killer. Spinell's performance isn't groundbreaking by any stretch. But what little he does accomplish paints a very disturbing and terrifying picture. Like it or not, there are people who fit this description among us. And this for me is Maniac's biggest strength, making it a very effective horror movie.

Maniac is weak on plot. But this is one of those rare cases where it doesn't hurt the film to me at all. We're dealing with a deranged individual. His random acts of violence fits perfectly with the very name of the film. The atmosphere at times creates a very chilling mood. The stalking scene especially, concerning the location. Stands out the most for me.

Most of the death scenes are pretty brutal and the gore is well done. One scene in particular instantly became one of my top favorite death scenes in a horror film ever.

I feel all fans of horror should give this movie a shot. Is it brutal and disturbing? Of course it is, it wouldn't be a real horror movie if it wasn't. Now, I'm not saying this is exactly what makes a horror movie good. But given the nature of the movie. It could've never worked out if it hadn't went too far a little bit. If you have a weak stomach for violence against women. Then I recommend skipping this or reading the low rated reviews before bothering with this.

I'll preface by stating that I am generally a huge fan of schlocky B horror films.

This movie has some decent gore and sick murders, but the premise is muddled and follows no logical order. The reason we are given for the Maniac's craze seems tacked on. There is no evidence to support it throughout the entire film. If there was more exposition it might have come out better but all we get is a poorly acted nutcase going around killing people with a quick "this is why" at the end.

The acting is mediocre, the story is lacking, the writing sucks. The worst part is watching with the director's commentary. He seems to think he was creating a gift to the genre and the entire film industry. He is dead wrong. Usually when I find a DVD in the $5 bin I can forgive it no matter how bad it is. The director's pompousness put the icing on the cake, I would not recommend this film to anyone.