Maniac (1980)

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

Director:

William Lustig

Writers:

C.A. Rosenberg (screenplay), Joe Spinell (screenplay)

Stars:

Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Abigail Clayton

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 L. Brewster	...	Beach Boy (as James Brewster)
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

Storyline

Frank Zito misses his mother, who was killed in a car accident years before. She was abusive to him, and made money selling her body, but Frank still misses her. He tries to keep her from leaving him, and reform her evil ways, by killing young women and putting their scalps on mannequins which he displays around his apartment. Photographer Anna D'Antoni takes a picture of him in the park, and he pursues and befriends her. Is she the one he has been looking for or just another mother wannabe?

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Plot Keywords:

extreme violence | serial killer | serial murderer | weirdo | psychotronic film | 

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Taglines:

Your terror is unreal because the horror is insane. It's your turn to experience the maniac. There is nowhere to run and no time to pray.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

18+

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original budget of the movie was $48,000 in cash. $6,000 of which came from Joe Spinell which was part of his $10,000 salary from the movie Cruising (1980) that he recently completed before filming began. $12,000 came from Andrew W. Garroni and the rest ($30,000) came from William Lustig which was from their profits in the adult film business. The three of them put all that money into a stock market account and the amount grew to $135,000 as production continued. It was British producer Judd Hamilton who came up with the rest of the money (around $200,000) to complete the movie as part of a condition that his then-wife, Caroline Munro, would be cast as the heroine.

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Goofs

The prostitute's head moves in between shots.

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Quotes

Frank Zito: I told you not to go out tonight, didn't I? Every time you go out, this kind of thing happens.

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Alternate Versions

In Australia, the film had originally been banned for 11 months from 1981 to 1982 until a version with 1 minute and 50 seconds removed was eventually given an R rating. This version was released in cinemas and in 1984, given a video release through Video Classics. In 2004, Umbrella Entertainment submitted the uncut version to the Classification Board and it passed with an R rating. The uncut version was released on DVD in 2005.

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Connections

Referenced in American Maniac

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Soundtracks

Non gettarmi la sabbia negli occhi
Written by Leo Chiosso/Gigi Cichellero
Performed by Gino Bramieri

User Reviews

A vicious little gem

Maniac is a hard movie to like. It's ugly, brutal, grimy, slow paced and has scenes which make you feel really dirty. But it has the "B-movie" feel which helps a lot. The gritty realism given by director William Lustig(Maniac Cop) is effective. Tom Savini's gore is perfect and as realistic as it could get. But the star of the movie is Joe Spinell(RIP) who wrote this movie and played the "hero", Frank.

Frank is an amazingly damaged individual. He is a vicious, remorseless killer but apparently has the emotional maturity of a child. Joe Spinell must have gone into some really dark and disturbing area for researching this role because it's a fantastic performance. I daresay, it's Oscar worthy. But because of the low-budget nature of the film and the fact that there was too much gore, Spinell didn't even get a Golden Globe Nod.

It's so uncomfortable to watch Frank's horrible apartment and his pathetic living that it's a welcome sight to see beautiful, sweet Caroline Munro. The film has a remarkable scene(apart from the exploding head scene) where a nurse is stalked in a subway station. It's a masterpiece of escalating suspense and tension. The conclusion is foregone but the way the conclusion is reached is fantastic.

Ultimately, the movie is not perfect with some dull, repetitive scenes and unnecessary scenes which are obvious padding. But there is one perfect thing about this movie and it is Joe Spinell. Do watch it if you like Grindhouse-style movies and like your horror "in-your-face".

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 March 1981 (USA)

Also Known As:

Maniac

Filming Locations:

Hotel St. James, 109 West 45th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$350,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Magnum Motion Pictures Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1