I first saw Maniac fairly early on, perhaps in 2012. I was pretty into Alexander Aja at that time, and I saw an independent movie produced by and starring Elijah Wood also produced by Aja so naturally I watched it.
Maniac was so recent but so long ago. Long ago in that Texas Chainsaw, Halloween, and probably other stuff I can't think of had recently been remade or sequelized, and also graphic "horror porn" was still sorta in the zeitgeist.
This is sort of a remake of the William Lustig 1980 same titled film which I actually rewatched recently and both times I've watched Maniac 2012 I've thought how was this a remake? I get it basically it's a horror movie where the killer is obsessed with mannequins kinda, but other than that they're pretty unrelated.
Elijah Wood is a maniac killer whose eyes we literally see out of in the rip off of the idea in Enter The Void. He goes around slicing off women's scalps and having freak episodes, and basically that's the plot. It's made with a gimmick in mind, that of seeing from his point of view, which I will give it credit for in that it is original, and never caught on in any significant way.
Is the movie good? I mean, interesting question. Gimmicks can work, I will not dismiss them outright. Director Franck Khalfoun certainly made a unique, highly watchable movie. Almost certainly made on a shoestring budget with a lot going to the gimmick, it doesn't feel cheap. Also it is eerie and memorable. For years I been sitting here saying, remember that first person slasher movie I saw once?
Maniac is not essential but it is a good movie and worth a watch. 4 stars.
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