Maniac

10/10/2015

Mannequinac! Having not seen the original film that this is a remake of, I have no frame of reference. Entering into it oblivious to any sort of bias or guideline, this Maniac proves to be a nifty shocker, one that is not without style even as it puts churnings in your stomach. It's the stylings that I imagine have upset a lot of horror fans, the first person approach and avant-garde sheens strip the pic of genuine suspense. Yet it's a brave film in that respect, as is the casting of Elijah Wood as the titular maniac. Story is hardly original, boy had major mommy issues to deal with and has grown up disturbed. He has taken a career creating mannequins, but with real lady hair! Cue a bloody rampage of scalping - but wait! A pretty lady photographer has befriended him... So it is

11/18/2025

32/100 Frodo! Say it ain't so!! Actually, far from being typecast, Elijah Wood has grabbed quite a variety of roles including this one as a totally psychopathic - but likable - manikin maker and does a fantastic job. Unfortunately, that's the only good thing about this dark and very uncomfortably slow remake of the 1980 film. Apparently, someone didn't think the original was depraved enough. -- DrNostromo.com