Maniac (2012)

As he helps a young artist with her upcoming exhibition, the owner of a mannequin shop's deadly, suppressed desires come to the surface.

Director:

Franck Khalfoun

Writers:

Alexandre Aja (screenplay), Grégory Levasseur (screenplay)

Stars:

Elijah Wood, Nora Arnezeder, America Olivo

4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nora Arnezeder	...	Anna
Brian Ames	...	80's Man 1
America Olivo	...	Frank's Mother
Genevieve Alexandra	...	Jessica
Liane Balaban	...	Judy
Jan Broberg	...	Rita
Aaron Colom	...	Alley Man
Joshua Delagarza	...	Martin Nunez (as Joshua De La Garza)
Alex Diaz	...	Puppeteer #2
Megan Duffy	...	Lucie
Eli Dupont	...	Young Frank
Luis Fernandez-Gil	...	Waiter
Dan Hunter	...	Nick
Devra Korwin	...	Saleswoman
Akbar Kurtha	...	Pharmacist

Storyline

Just when the streets seemed safe, a serial killer with a fetish for scalps is back and on the hunt. Frank is the withdrawn owner of a mannequin store, but his life changes when young artist Anna appears asking for his help with her new exhibition. As their friendship develops and Frank's obsession escalates, it becomes clear that she has unleashed a long-repressed compulsion to stalk and kill.

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Plot Keywords:

photographer | oral sex | mirror above bed | fellatio | tied up while barefoot | 

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Taglines:

I warned you not to go out tonight

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 January 2013 (France)

Also Known As:

Alexandre Ajas Maniac

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,571, 23 June 2013, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$20,551, 7 July 2013

Company Credits

Production Co:

La Petite Reine, Studio 37, Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Dolby Digital (Surround Sound)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film's running time is about two minutes longer than the original film, Maniac (1980).

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Goofs

When Frank drives his van back to his studio apartment, it's night. Upon changing scenes, it's now day - not sunrise in this case as it would take quite some time before the sun would come up.

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Quotes

Lucie: You are totally not what imagined.
Frank: Really? What did you imagine?
Lucie: Uh... fat, with long black hair and greasy skin full of acne.
Frank: You should see the other picture I was about to send.

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Connections

References Maniac (1980)

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Soundtracks

Haunted Sequence
by Robin Coudert (as Rob)
(p) 2012 La Petite Reine © 2012 Reine Multimedia Publishing / Because Editions
Maniac © 2012 La Petite Reine / Studio 37

User Reviews

A Remake that exceeds the original.

I saw this movie at an advanced screening of what I thought was a restoration of the original movie. Instead, I got treated to movie that I didn't even know was being released. The Maniac remake is a really good movie and better than its predecessor, which was more notable for its Tom Savini gore effects and unconventional leading man than for actually being a good movie.

This flick, like the previous Maniac, dispels the idea that psychopaths are cool or bad ass. Here, Frank (Elijah Wood) is a weirdo loner that spends his days restoring antique mannequins and his nights stalking, murdering, and scalping beautiful young women. His grip on reality is so fragile that he has to chug anti-psychotics just to keep his hallucinations under control. Then he meets a pretty young French girl that actually seems to like him. Instead of offering redemption, the burgeoning relationship only makes him more unstable.

The murders are bloody and brilliantly shot and they're made dramatically more by disturbing the film's central gimmick, almost the entire movie is presented from the killer's POV.

The new Maniac does a solid job of capturing the grind-house spirit of the original film. There's plenty of sick humor, sex, and gore all well captured by director Frank Khalfoun. He also partnered with Alaxander Aja (High Tension, The Hill Have Eyes), a co-writer and producer, on the disposable P2 which sucked despite, not because of him. Then he made the superior crime flick Wrong Turn at Tahoe. Now, after watching Maniac, I have to say he is officially a director to keep an eye on. Elijah Wood also does great work as Frank, although I admit it took me a little while to get used to the idea of the stoner dork from Wilfred as a murderer. He definitely won me over by the end, though.

There are minor problems here and there, like the way the whole city is always completely deserted when Frank is stalking a victim. Still, this is a great little movie, very violent, and if you're a gore hound that's also interested in the psychology of a killer, you should watch this immediately.