A psychopathic man goes on a killing and mutilation spree in New York City.A psychopathic man goes on a killing and mutilation spree in New York City.A psychopathic man goes on a killing and mutilation spree in New York City.
- Director
- Writers
- C.A. Rosenberg(screenplay)
- Joe Spinell(screenplay)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- C.A. Rosenberg(screenplay)
- Joe Spinell(screenplay)
- Stars
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Videos2
Abigail Clayton
- Rita
- (as Gail Lawrence)
James L. Brewster
- Beach Boy
- (as James Brewster)
Frank Pesce
- T.V. Reporter
- (voice)
- Director
- Writers
- C.A. Rosenberg(screenplay)
- Joe Spinell(screenplay) (story)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWilliam Lustig and Joe Spinell say they didn't always have the necessary permits to film on location in New York City. Certain scenes (including the infamous shotgun through the windshield scene) had to have been filmed quickly and afterwards the crew had to run away before the cops arrived.
- GoofsThe 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; they all disappear in the next shot.
- Quotes
Frank Zito: I told you not to go out tonight, didn't I? Every time you go out, this kind of thing happens.
- Alternate versionsThe film was rejected for a cinema certificate in 1981 by the BBFC and also for a video rating in 1998. It was finally released in the UK on the Anchor Bay label in 2002 after receiving 58 secs of cuts to a prolonged strangulation scene and to a sexualized stabbing sequence.
- ConnectionsEdited from Inferno (1980)
Top review
Watch Only for the Shock Value
Maniac is just another word for psycho, and that's exactly what the main character was.
"Maniac" is about a man named Frank Zito (Joe Spinell) who is certifiably insane. He kills women for their scalps (in a couple of cases) or just to purge. His apartment room is full of mannequins clothed in the garb or the scalps of his victims.
It's 1980 quality, so don't get your hopes up with this one. In the first 20 minutes or so I saw the longest strangle scene on film juxtaposed with the most gruesome head shot scene on film. So, I went from being bored stiff with an unnecessarily long throttling-someone-to-death scene to a WHOA! Death scene.
Like most scary movies of any time period, don't expect any real answers or a thoughtful plot. In "Maniac" things just happened. Watch only for the shock value--which it had more of in 1980--and nothing else.
"Maniac" is about a man named Frank Zito (Joe Spinell) who is certifiably insane. He kills women for their scalps (in a couple of cases) or just to purge. His apartment room is full of mannequins clothed in the garb or the scalps of his victims.
It's 1980 quality, so don't get your hopes up with this one. In the first 20 minutes or so I saw the longest strangle scene on film juxtaposed with the most gruesome head shot scene on film. So, I went from being bored stiff with an unnecessarily long throttling-someone-to-death scene to a WHOA! Death scene.
Like most scary movies of any time period, don't expect any real answers or a thoughtful plot. In "Maniac" things just happened. Watch only for the shock value--which it had more of in 1980--and nothing else.
helpful•30
- view_and_review
- Jun 15, 2021
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $350,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 27 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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