Maniac

Movies that have been banned is always interesting to watch. All of them may not be very good, but there are some that stand outside the ordinary horror category. Maniac is a perfect example. Banned from cinemas, cut down and released with less brutal murders, made a lot of fans angry. It finally got to be shown uncut, but after quite a long time, and could only be seen in certain countries. William Lustig´s disturbing tale of serial killer, left a big impact on many people. Looking at this motion picture now, you can tell it has grown old, but still looks very disturbing. I were actually surprised that a remake was going to be made, by director Franck Khalfoun, who only directed 2 movies earlier, in very different genres. Taking on such a classic, is Maniac ( The Remake ) better than expected, or should the original movie be left alone ?

Frank Zito ( Elijah Wood ) owns a mannequin shop, originally owned by his famliy for three generations. He is a very disturbed man, hunting for women. Frank was abused while growing up by his mother Angela ( America Olivo, who worked as a prostitute, not caring for Frank at all. After the death of Angela, Frank becomes the owner of the mannequin shop, but with his mental statement already gone wrong, things are about to get a lot worse. He finds new victims, as he scalping their heads, to use their hair on the mannequins heads. He experience disturbing hallucinations, that makes him even more angry. At some point, he seems to calm down for a moment, as he meets Anna ( Nora Arnezeder ). She is an artist, looking to open a art exhibit. As she gets to know more about Frank, she realise he have the perfect place, since he owns the mannequin shop. Frank begins to like Anna, and want to help her with her art exhibit. But his past haunts him, as he murders another girl brutally. Trying to get back on his feet, by helping Anna, he finds out she has a boyfriend. Now he feels unloved again, and there is no way he will loose this relationship he desperately wants with Anna.

I never thought i would say this. But Elijah Wood as a serial murder turns out to be a enormous surprise. He really does a powerful performance, in a very different character than he usually does. Let´s not try and compare this to the original movie. Because there are some differences, especially the way director Franck Khalfoun tries to portrait a serial killer. It´s not only visually stunning, the effects are really well done. The brutal murders are very detailed at some points, so if you have a fainted heart, i suggest you do not watch this one. Maniac sets out what it want to do, shock people. But not only that. This is a story of how a human being can become a monster after living a life in hell, when no one loves you. And this is one of the details i feel is shown very clear, while we follow Frank´s journey to eternal darkness. Let´s not forget the synthesizer score, by Raphael Hamburger, gives this motion picture a different feeling, almost like we are travelling inside a serial killers mind and hear his thoughts. One of the best remakes i have seen for many years, a very professional motion picture with really great acting and very disturbing scenes. And that Sweden did not give Maniac a cinema release is a disgrace, you have to let movies of this quality be let out on a big screen.

Rating: DDDD