Maniac (1980) Movie Info
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | Maniac (1980) |
| Director | William Lustig |
| Screenplay Writer | C.A. Rosenberg, Joe Spinell |
| Based on Novel by | — (Original screenplay) |
| Lead Actors | Joe Spinell |
| Cast | Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro, Abigail Clayton |
| Genre | Horror, Slasher, Psychological Thriller |
| Release Date | December 26, 1980 (United States) |
| Duration | 1h 27m (87 minutes) |
| Budget | Low-budget independent horror film |
| Language | English |
| Country | United States |
| Box Office (Worldwide) | Cult horror success |
| IMDb Rating | ~6.4/10 |
| Notable For | Extremely graphic violence, Tom Savini gore effects, disturbing atmosphere |
| Cult Status | Considered one of the most infamous grindhouse slashers |
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The story of a truly psychotic, and very ugly guy that kills women and scalps them so he can put their hair on mannequins. This is one of the flicks you hear about a lot in the circles of cult horror. Savini is involved in more ways than one, and as always makes a difference. Several scenes really shine due to his work, with probably the best shotgun headshot ever put on film, nasty and beautiful.
The fact is, this isn’t a great flick. The best things about it are the killings, which happen left and right, and that the killer isn’t a one dimensional killing machine, but instead a character that’s probably a lot more realistic than we’re used to. He’s not evil or unkillable. He’s sick and regretful and lashing out at his dead hooker mother by killing women and pretending they’re her. We’re not really given a chance to fear him, because we’re usually feeling as sorry for him as we are his victims.
At the same time, there’s some creepy scenes, usually when he’s at home with his bloody mannequins talking to himself.
Some trivia, the song Maniac from Flashdance was originally going to be for this film, but wasn’t used and the lyrics were changed for Flashdance. Also pornstar activist Sharon Mitchell plays a nurse that’s a friend of one of the victims. Also the headless girl in the end is the same one used in Friday the 13th.
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