Maniac

This movie has a relatively "classic" plot, serial killer and all that jazz but what makes this movie unique and definitely worth the watch is the fact that 99% of the movie is in first person view. This adds a creative twist into what exactly a serial killer sees and achieves something that so few films can pull off. Elijah Wood does an incredible job portraying a messed up man and really gets into the role. All in all the acting was really good, the plot was basic yet somehow very interesting and the filming was incredibly well done. If you have an extra hour and a half this is 100% worth watching.

I am not writing a review because unlike the others (not pointing fingers and i apologize if i offend) i don't want to spoil anything and don't want to say anything majorly about the story I see that people rate it for something the movie doesn't give itself out to be.

I have not watched the original but what i have understood is that people seemed irritated that some "proffesional" reviewers wrote it off as a women hating, violent movie nasty, instead of focusing on the themes of the film.

Now that i have read some of the reviews for this film, it seems that a lot of reviews say the same thing. Just a violent nasty and judges/rates it on that. IT Isn't. I think its wrong to say that it isn't violent. It has violence that makes you want to turn away. But its not about that. It doesn't rely on violence. The main character is a troubled man that tries to live his life, dealing with his issues. He doesn't have anyone and doesn't know how to deal with them alone.

Its a 1st person psycho-drama with a sad but beautiful techno music to blend in with the neon lighted feel of this movie.

The acting of Elijah wood is brilliant in that he mostly needs to act with his voice. The story is sad and i cant help but feel sad for the main character. Much like The Voices staring Ryan Reynolds, the movie focuses so much on there psychological problems that it just comes of as tragic and sad.

This isn't a horror movie with no story and disposable characters. This is a character built, character driven sad movie that is beautiful both visual and story wise.

Now this movie isn't for the weak of heart or for people that have weak stomachs. The kills in this movie is realistic and very gruesome looking. Although it lacks tension, it's better than a lot of the redundant slasher movies that go straight to DVD. What is unique about this movie is that it put you in the view point of the killer and for the most part goes in a first person view direction. And just with that this movie can get difficult to watch at points. Watching this movie was liked watching a slasher version of "Enter the Void" except instead of a wandering spirit, it's in the view point of the killer. Elijah Wood is really good at playing this obsessive, creepy or mentally unstable psycho killer roles. And he really nails it in this one as well. Although it lacks in tension it makes up for it with the visuals and the psychological aspect of things. Now I haven't seen the original and while this is a remake, I think it's a stand alone film. It's a disturbing film from start to finish and will have most people's attention that can handle it, all the way through. Psycho slasher movie fans will most definitely enjoy this one.

7.6/10

This movie is disturbing and disgusting but if you're watching it that's the point. It had a lot of points that made me feel -- for lack of a better word -- plain icky.

Elijah Wood does a great job dialing up the creep factor -- he is incredibly believable as an unadulterated psychopath. Maniac recently got banned in some locales because of its content, so that alone says that it does well in the horror genre.

It's unsettling, creepy, gross. It does what it sets out to do pretty well. The direction is good in this film as is the cinematography; for a remake it was exceptional!

Updated for the internet dating era and given a first person point-of-view treatment that forces us to view everything from the title character's perspective a la 'Enter the Void', this contemporary take on William Lustig's 'Maniac' is more innovative than your average genre remake. While Elijah Wood's face is often obscured due to the way the film is shot, the film also benefits greatly from his casting as, with big blue eyes and milquetoast mannerisms, he seems like anything but your average serial killer. There is also more attempt to explore his damaged childhood and his desire for a girlfriend. This time round, his love interest mistakes him for a gay platonic friend due to his obsession with "dolls" (mannequins) and reluctance to hit on her. The mannequins also figure better into the plot here with Wood actually owning a mannequin store. The film does, however, disappointingly ditch Joe Spinell's curious obsession with photographs as a form of preservation from the first film, which in turn renders his dressing up of the mannequins a tad random. The violence, while quite graphic, also does not have the same shock value this time round, and while the film maintains the original's semi-supernatural ending, the effect is not quite the same knowing that it is coming. Overall though, the 2012 'Maniac' offers some substantial improvements on the original, the point-of-view cinematography is frequently breathtaking and the incorporation of 'Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' footage is excellent. The music is at least as atmospheric, if not more so, and Wood is really quite creepy.