Maniacal

I'll put as much imagination into this review as the film makers put into making maniacal: 1. Halloween Rip-off. 2. Shot on Video 3. Geriatric teenagers 4. Non-actors made me develop weeping, stinking, buboes. 5. Weak story. 6. Fell asleep three times trying to watch it. 7. Caused actual physical pain. 8. Will never watch it again. 9. Have made better with my own camcorder, but anything I've made is safely in a cupboard, never to be seen again. 10. Every copy of this film should be sealed in concrete and dumped in the North Sea.

Why don't these low budget film makers try harder? If you're trying to get into the business (which surely these folks are), then why not identify your shortcomings and inject the whole proceedings with a bit more imagination and a better story? I just don't get these slasher rip-offs at all. Bleh.

MANIACAL marks the return of the Eighties slasher movie. Back then, we had real psycho killers: Jason, Freddie, Michael Myers etc. Nowadays all we get are special effects. Maniacal presents the story of Gilbert Gill, a confused young man who is alienated from his family and society. Like the Columbine killers and other sociopaths, Gilbert goes on a bloody killing spree, targeting local youths. He is finally hunted down by the local sheriff and his own father, in one of the most terrifying stand-offs I've seen in years....And Maniacal is filmed like an eighties movie, so it doesnt rely on smoke and mirrors. It looks like the good ol' days are coming back!!!

Looking uncannily like one of the Fairbrass brothers from camp 90s pop group Right Said Fred, bald psycho Gilbert Gill (Lee Webb) escapes from a mental institution in order to return home and finish the job he started several years earlier: murdering his family! But with his beautiful sister (Perrine Moore, who can't act but certainly knows how to scream) spending the night at a friend's house, how many innocent teens will be slaughtered before Gilbert finally gets to his sexy sibling?

As you can probably tell, originality is not something that this production can boast; neither can it claim to be stylish, slick, professional, well-edited or blessed with a talented cast. However, despite all of these drawbacks, Maniacal actually proves to be quite enjoyable thanks to a genuine sense of fun from everyone involved (who are obviously fans of the slasher genre), some gloriously bad gore, and, of course, plenty of welcome T&A. With these elements in place, it's easy to have a good time with this hokey slice of z-grade horror.

Director Joe Castro handles the film's special effects, but proves to be about as good at providing convincing gore as he is at coaxing credible performances from his actors: the kills in this film are undeniably messy (there are umpteen head-squishes, organ removal, and assorted other nastiness), but they also look incredibly fake (although not quite as fake as the tits on Brooke, the girl in the obligatory shower scene!).

Cheesy, cheap and cheerful, Maniacal offers nothing particularly new to the genre (although the killer's death by Drano was inventive), but at least it doesn't commit the sin of being boring; watch if you're in the mood for some silly low-budget nonsense.

Maniacal is basically a Halloween rip-off with a little bit of Slumber Party Massacre and Sorority House Massacre mixed in. All in all, it is a very enjoyable film the suffers in a few departments. One of these departments is the acting...

A lead cannot carry a film on her looks alone. Yes, Perrine Moore is beautiful but she needs acting classes. This leads to one question... WHY wasn't Heather Ashley (DJ) the lead? She is a natural actress and makes the best of her usually sex-obsessed character's dialog. No wonder she has done like five movies in the past year alone. She is deserving of better material. Deborah Huber is great as the mother in the beginning too. She is also deserving of better material and also shines in her Eyes of the Werewolf and Blood Sisters performances. The rest of the cast is okay but they don't shine like these two actresses. Another department it suffers greatly in is camera work...

I know this is a very low budget film, but they could have at least used a tripod more often. Now the tape I saw was a screener copy so the image may be cleared up by the time of release. The cinematographer has done better work in the past.

The writing is okay for a film of this genre but it is all a cliche. I have a feeling it was meant to be that way. The direction is adequate but doesn't feel like Joe Castro really put his effort into it like Blood Sisters and Terror Toons.

All in all, a entertaining throwback to early eighties slasher films that resembles them is every department.

PS: GIVE HEATHER ASHLEY AND DEBORAH HUBER BETTER MATERIAL!!!