Maniac
Review by Peter Syslo

MANIAC (1980) is an interesting and somewhat overlooked film, which came out in the era that I call, “The Golden Age of Horror” (1970s - 1980s). It is a William Lustig film (MANIAC COP, etc.) with Tom Savini effects; that gives you an idea of the “exploitative” flavor to the film, with the violence, gore, and the subject matter. The movie is basically a slasher film, but I think that it is ahead of its time, telling the story completely from the point of view of the killer (played brilliantly by Joe Spinnell). It is really a movie in the behind-the-killer sub-genre, which actually is a very popular area of horror, these days. It is reminiscent of films like BEHIND THE MASK, THE LAST HORROR MOVIE, MURDER SET PIECES, THE DEVIL’S REJECTS, MR. BROOKS (my other review this week), and the TV shows, “Dexter” and “Most Evil”. The “behind-the-killer” is fast becoming my favorite type of horror film, next to slashers – maybe it is actually the “new” slasher film. With the advent of reality television, DVD special features, and documentaries it is quite possible that the slasher has evolved into this new form.

MANIAC is directed by William Lustig and is written by C.A. Rosenberg and Joe Spinnell. The film stars Joe Spinnell, Caroline Munro, and Gail Lawrence and it features the special effects of the legendary Tom Savini. Basically, the movie is about a few days/weeks in the life of our killer, Frank Zito (Spinnell), on the gritty streets of NYC. You get to follow the action, along with him, as he preys upon each victim – in the second scene you get a pretty quick view into his mental state as he strangles and scalps a prostitute. What he does, is he places the scalps of his female victims on mannequins in his apartment, in an attempt to keep his victims with him (this stems from his mother issues as well, which the movie explains). As the film progresses, you get a better understanding of Zito ’s motives and it leads you up to the end where he becomes really unstable and is in danger of being caught or in danger of self-destructing. In short, the movie is more of a character study than a plot driven vehicle.

I did like this movie – it is pretty rough subject matter, at times, and it does leave you with that feeling that you have to take a shower (seriously, you feel filthy after watching it), but the film does have a certain charm to it. It has the gritty, urban backdrop of NYC, and the time period just seems to give it that certain “look”; the cinematography really brings out that appeal and you really feel the dangerous aspects of the city streets. Spinnell’s incredible portrayal of the Zito really brings the character to life and at times, it is almost tough to watch, as he goes through various emotional states; you really get the idea that he is genuinely disturbed. Also, you have Savini’s over-the-top effects which are just great visceral punctuation to Spinnell’s emotional/psychological scenes. For example, you have a couple “park ing” (actually Savini is the guy/victim in the scene) and Zito sneaks up on them and fires a shotgun at the man’s head, making it explode, gruesomely. The gore actually seems to serve as a shocking, “snap-out-of-it” device, which brings the viewer out of Zito’s head, back into the harsh reality.

Cutting to the chase: I liked MANIAC, it is a good behind-the-killer film, which was ahead of its time. The story of the killer’s motives are somewhat derivative and it is kind of the classic explanation for killers who have female victims, but the film is drawn together by the elements of Lustig’s direction, Spinell’s acting, and Savini’s effects - the result is a different sort of spin on traditional material. If you like the movies/shows that I listed above, you might like the film; but if you are more into mainstream horror or like a direct/straightforward picture, than you may not be into this. Actually, this film has that feel of being a horror movie for horror fans; at the time, it may have served up the blood and gore that would later draw people to the FRIDAY THE 13th films, and the 1980s action flicks. So, if yo u are looking for something nostalgic and exploitative give MANIAC a try – and watch the DVD feature on Joe Spinnell, it is really an extra treat.