Wood’s characterThere is a slasher film that you have likely been sleeping on, Maniac, and you need to watch it tonight.
Let me clarify, I am talking about 2012’s Maniac. The film features some serious talent. That includes the director, Franck Khalfoun and writers Alexandre Aja, Grégory Levasseur, and Joe Spinell.
Elijah Wood (Toxic Avenger) gives an absolutely chilling performance as Frank, the owner of a vintage mannequin restoration shop in Los Angeles. Frank is a deeply disturbed and traumatized serial killer haunted by visions of his deceased, abusive mother.
He stalks and murders young women, scalping them and attaching their hair and clothing to his mannequins to recreate images of his mother. The film is shot almost entirely from Frank’s subjective point-of-view (POV), immersing the viewer in his distorted and horrifying reality.
Frank’s life becomes complicated when he meets Anna (Nora Arnezeder). She is a beautiful photographer who uses his mannequins in her art. As their relationship develops, Frank struggles to suppress his violent urges, leading to a brutal and inescapable confrontation between his psychotic compulsion and his desire for connection.
Maniac, a remake of the 1980 film of the same name, is well written and performed, and brutal as hell. It aimed to push the envelope of what is considered acceptable in cinema at the time. And it succeeded.
If you love intense, brutal, and messed-up movies, Maniac is for you. You can find it on AMC+, Apple TV, Paramount+, Pluto, and Plex.
