Maniac (1980)

Director:

William Lustig

Writers:

C.A. Rosenberg (screenplay) and
Joe Spinell (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 November 1980 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Run from this man!

Plot:

A psychotic man, troubled by his childhood abuse, loose in NYC, kills young women and takes their scalps as trophies. Will he find the perfect woman in photographer Anna, and end his killing spree?

Plot Keywords:

Photographer | Mannequin | Park | New York City | Based On Ed Gein

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Joe Spinell	...	Frank Zito
Caroline Munro	...	Anna D'Antoni
Abigail Clayton	...	Rita (as Gail Lawrence)
Kelly Piper	...	Nurse
Rita Montone	...	Hooker
Tom Savini	...	Disco Boy
Hyla Marrow	...	Disco Girl
James Brewster	...	Beach Boy
Linda Lee Walter	...	Beach Girl
Tracie Evans	...	Street Hooker
Sharon Mitchell	...	Second Nurse
Carol Henry	...	Deadbeat
Nelia Bacmeister	...	Carmen Zito
Louis Jawitz	...	Art Director
Denise Spagnuolo	...	Denise
Billy Spagnuolo	...	Billy
Frank Pesce	...	T.V. Reporter (voice)
Candace Clements	...	First Park Mother
Diane Spagnuolo	...	Second Park Mother
Kim Hudson	...	Lobby Hooker
Terry Gagnon	...	Woman in Alley
Joan Baldwin	...	First Model
Jeni Paz	...	Second Model
Janelle Winston	...	Waitress
Randy Jurgensen	...	First Cop
Jimmy Aurichio	...	Second Cop
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andrew W. Garroni	...	Jerry (uncredited)
William Lustig	...	Al - Hotel Manager (uncredited)

Directed by
William Lustig

Writing credits
C.A. Rosenberg		(screenplay) and
Joe Spinell		(screenplay)
Joe Spinell		(story)

Produced by
Andrew W. Garroni	....	producer (as Andrew Garroni)
Judd Hamilton	....	executive producer
William Lustig	....	producer
John Packard	....	associate producer
Joe Spinell	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Jay Chattaway

Cinematography by
Robert Lindsay		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Larry Marinelli		(as Lorenzo Marinelli)

Makeup Department
Candace Clements	....	makeup artist
Tom Savini	....	special makeup and effects
Rob Bottin	....	makeup effects (uncredited)

Production Management
Andrew W. Garroni	....	unit production manager (as Andrew Garroni)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Adams III	....	second assistant director
Stephen Andrew	....	first assistant director
Nelia Bacmeister	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Richard Behrens	....	carpenter
Thomas Costabile	....	carpenter (as Tom Costabile)
Gary Martin	....	property master
Marla Schweppe	....	scenic artist
Nick Ward	....	property master

Sound Department
Rick Dior	....	re-recording mixer: Trans Audio
Clinton C. Elliot	....	assistant sound editor (as Clint Elliott)
Sanford Rackow	....	sound effects (as Sandy Rackow)
Gary Rich	....	sound mixer
George Schowerer	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Erno Sephy	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Jim Canatta	....	assistant camera (as James Cannata)
Robert K. Feldmann	....	key grip (as Robert Feldman)
Bob Halloran	....	best boy
Steven Hirsch	....	still photographer (as Steve Hirsch)
Kevin Jones	....	gaffer
Robert Lindsay	....	camera operator
Luke Walter	....	second assistant camera
Bobbi Leigh Zito	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Candace Clements	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
James Proser	....	assistant editor
Irving Rathner	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Ron Bacchiocchi	....	music engineer
Pete Levin	....	electronic music realizations (as Peter Levin)

Transportation Department
Ted Moskowitz	....	transportation

Other crew
Arthur Blum	....	production assistant
Jim Harte	....	production assistant
Janie Heath	....	production assistant
Randy Jurgensen	....	production liaison
Deborah Ledendecker	....	script supervisor
Laura Little	....	production office coordinator
Jason Lustig	....	production assistant
Edward Perchaluk	....	unit publicist
Janine Stover	....	script supervisor
Jerry Sykes	....	production assistant
Cecilia Verardi	....	production office coordinator (as Cindie Verardi)
Luke Walter	....	assistant: Mr. Spinell
Debi Zimmerman	....	production coordinator (as Debra Zimmerman)

Production Companies

• Magnum Motion Pictures Inc.

Distributors

• Analysis Film Releasing Corporation (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• René Chateau Productions (1980) (France) (theatrical)
• Citadel Films (1981) (Canada) (theatrical) (cut version)
• Media Home Entertainment (1981) (USA) (VHS)
• Hollywood Boulevard Diffusion (1982) (France) (theatrical)
• CMV Laservision (2000) (Germany) (DVD)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• Astro Distribution (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Another World Entertainment (2007) (Denmark) (DVD) (Special 2 Disc Edition)
• Blue Underground (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Blue Underground (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Grindhouse Releasing (2010) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Blue Underground (2010) (USA) (DVD) (30th Anniversary Special Edition)
• Blue Underground (2010) (USA) (DVD) (30th Anniversay Special Edition) (Blu-Ray)
• Cor Koppies Video (19??) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Elite Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Elite Entertainment (USA) (laserdisc)
• Video for Pleasure (VFP) (198?) (Netherlands) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Cinopticals  titles and opticals
• Don Elliott's Recording Studio  music recording
• East End Productions  post-production services
• F & B Ceco  equipment (as F&B Ceco)
• Qonexions  location buses
• Sound Mixers Studio  additional music recording (as Soundmixers)
• TVC Laboratories  color and chemtone processing
• Trans Audio  sound transfers

Also Known As:

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:(Banned) (original rating) | Australia:R (uncut) (2004) | Australia:R (cut) (1982-2004) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | West Germany:18 (cut) | Sweden:15 | Italy:VM14 (video rating) | France:-18 | Argentina:18 (re-rating) | Argentina:X (original rating) | Italy:VM18 | New Zealand:R18 | Italy:VM14 (DVD rating) | Finland:(Banned) | Canada:18+ (Quebec) (Original rating) | Portugal:M/18 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1989) | France:-16 | Norway:18 | UK:(Banned) (original rating) | UK:18 (video rating) (cut) | USA:R | West Germany:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Magnum Motion Pictures Inc.

Trivia:

A 1979 post-production ad for Variety magazine stated some of the cast as including Daria Nicolodi, Susan Tyrrell and Jason Miller opposite Joe Spinell. Nicolodi was offered the lead role but was unavailable, and no information has yet surfaced to reveal which roles were to be played by Tyrrell and Miller.

Goofs:

Continuity: The nurse is supposedly alone in the subway station, but during one shot (from inside the subway train as it pulls away) we can see several people walking about on the platform.

Quotes:

Frank Zito:[voice-over] This has got to stop. It's silly, and it's not getting us anywhere. You think they don't know. They do. I heard it and I know. They all know, and I don't like it anymore. But you don't listen do you. It's got to stop. Oh, you're right about them, all of them...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Holliston: Skunked (#1.3)" (2012)

Soundtrack:

Winter Love

An interesting Flick

Maniac is one of those hard to define flicks. Although, it would seem easy to lump this into one category because of the subject matter, this is actually a hard movie to categorize. It is not really a horror film and not really a slasher. Sure, it has its typical slasher suspense scenes with the random girl running and hiding from the killer and the gory moments are all there, but, there is something about this movie that separates itself from most of the others of its genre. This, in my opinion, is typical of Tom Savini special effects flicks from the early 80's. The grittiness, disturbing nature of most of those films will never be duplicated. And I am not talking about flicks like "Creepshow" or "Day of the Dead" (although, that one is disturbing), I am talking about films like "Friday the 13th", "The Prowler", "The Burning", and "Nightmare in a Damaged Brain" (even though Savini said he never worked on that flick it certainly looks like his style).

Maniac is simply about a man named Frank (played very well by actor Joe Spinell) who was tormented by his mother when he was very young. As a result of this, he grew up to be a sick person who murders woman, scalps them, and uses their hair to nail on to a collection of mannequins. He ends up falling in love with a woman named Anna (Caroline Munro), and when he sees her he seems to be a normal fellow. This all leads up to an interesting climax.

Now, the storyline is rather simple but the movie is suspenseful enough to hold your interest. I will admit, the first 40 minutes were a bit slow, but once when the story starts going more into Franks behavior when he is by himself and then when he acts towards Anna, things start picking up.

Of course, Savini's gore scenes are excellent just like the rest of his stuff. We get to see Savini in the movie himself in a rather famous scene where he gets his brains splattered all over the inside of a car. Though, as a gore fan myself, this is definitely not the goriest flick I have seen. But after listening to the cast and director talk about the movie, I don't think it was meant to be. Joe Spinell himself said that the flick wasn't as violent as a Hershell Gordan Lewis film but was meant to be more realistic and shocking. So, when watching this movie it is important to know this instead of going into the movie expecting a real gore-fest.

I enjoyed this movie, but that is just me. Many people don't like this movie, but if you haven't seen it yet this is for you to decide. I just hope this review helps out. 7/10