Indie Gems: Maniac

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Let's go out with a bang.
 
Okay, so technically yesterday was the last day of October, but really anytime is a good time for horror.
 
Maniac follows Frank (Elijah Wood, who I'm officially adding to my list of Creepy Fucks in Film this year, along with Peter Sarsgard in Lovelace and Sharlto Copley in Elysium) a timid antique mannequin owner with more than a few issues. He suffers from migraines, hallucinates, and judging from that, he has some serious mommy issues. He also happens to be a serial killer. We see him stalking and murdering several women. He scalps them and brings their scalps back to his shop to decorate his mannequins with. He eventually meets Anna, (Nora Arnezder) a French artist that is interested in using his mannequins in one of her shows. This friendship alone is enough to make us fear for her.
 
Maniac is shot almost entirely from Frank's point of view. At first, we only see Elijah Wood's face when he sees his own reflection, and only a few vital moments actually let us things from our own point of view and not his. I thought that was a very interesting thing to do. This film made a lot of checks off the typical slasher film list (Boobs, people running to stupid places, no one has a cell phone) yet it strangely felt fresh. The score was incredible (and I shit you not, the credit goes to a guy named Ron. Just Ron.) It was like a mix between Drive and Halloween. It's also incredibly gory, we're talking very in-your-face gore here.
 
This is currently on Netflix Instant in the U.S. I definitely recommend watching it if you get the chance. (Side note: I never did see the original. This one is a remake)

Grade: B+
 
Memorable Quote: "I came all the way across town to be with you in your time of need." - Frank (Elijah Wood)


Comments

  1. s.November 1, 2013 at 12:49 PM

    I really have to see this one. The soundtrack bit definitely got me even more interested!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamNovember 1, 2013 at 4:33 PM

      Yes! Go to Netflix and stream it! There's a scene with an ax and a mouth that I really can't get over.

      Delete
  2. Dan O.November 2, 2013 at 1:58 PM

    Good review Brittani. The POV angle felt like it was a bit too much of a gimmick from the beginning. It did offer some neat, cool and grisly killings, but overall, just felt like a stylistic maneuver done to get our minds off of the lame script.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamNovember 2, 2013 at 9:02 PM

      Well if you look at it that way, then they totally succeeded with distracting me. lol

      Delete
  3. AnonymousNovember 4, 2013 at 4:10 AM

    Elijah Wood is really and truly a creepy fuck. I really want to see this now. Looks pretty great. Especially the POV. If I had Netflix, I'd be adding this to my queue as we speak.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamNovember 4, 2013 at 8:44 AM

      Aww, I wish you had Netflix to watch this! He really is a total creep. Even more creepy than he was as Kevin in Sin City.

      Delete

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