Editorial Review:Description:Frank Zito (a career performance by co-writer/co-executive producer
Joe Spinell of ROCKY and THE GODFATHER fame) is a deeply disturbed man, haunted by the traumas of unspeakable childhood abuse. And when these horrific memories begin to scream inside his mind, Frank prowls the seedy streets of New York City to stalk and slaughter innocent young women. Now Frank has begun a relationship with a beautiful photographer (
Caroline Munro of THE SPY WHO LOVED ME), yet his vile compulsions remain. These are the atrocities of a human monster. This is the story of a MANIAC.
Experience MANIAC like you've never seen or heard it before. Directed by
William Lustig (MANIAC COP, VIGILANTE) and featuring landmark gore effects by
Tom Savini (DAWN OF THE DEAD, FRIDAY THE 13th), this notorious classic was censored all over the world for its graphic violence and remains banned in England and Germany to this day. But MANIAC is more than just one of the most relentlessly depraved films of our time; it is quite possibly one of the most disturbing horror movies ever made.
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Average Rating:
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3 stars for the effect by tom savini
i got this movie becasue of the high praise it got on amazon.some of it was well deserved,like the praise for tom savini's sfx.but the story of the movie was kind of boring at times when hes not killing anyone.i eman its an ok movie that any horror fan should watch at least once,rent maybe unless you LOVE gore and blood then i say you should buy it.there are plenty of special features on the disc which is good and its directed by wiwlliam lustig(maniac cop,uncle sam)so if your a fan of his run and get this movie.aside from the few laggin story parts the movie was good and the end was a shocker that you have to see to belive.your either gonna love,hate or fall somewhere in between with this movie.not for anyone who dosent enjoy horror,blood or guts.
Rating: -
Cult classic for a reason
Despite being a cult classic Maniac is a movie that is far too overlooked in the horror genre as nothing more than a sleazy exploitation flick with no merits at all except the gore, which was done by Tom Savini. But I have to heavily disagree; Maniac has a lot more going for it than one might think. Upon its release in 1980 Maniac was attacked for its graphic violence, which most of the victims were women. Many deemed this nothing more than vile trash and looked upon as nothing more than 1 step above porn (but barley at that). Maniac was heavily censored and even banned in many places as well.
The funny thing is at the time of the release there were other movies just as shocking if not more so than Maniac, but yet this is the one that people attacked and probably helped gain the movie more attention over the years. As I stated before there is a lot more going for Maniac than simply gore and sleaze.
The screenplay by C.A. Rosenberg & Joe Spinell was fairly solid nothing here really stands out, but overall it's well written for the genre that it is in. Frank Zito played by Joe Spinell is the typical serial killer with mother problems. If you look at most serial killers many of them had some kind of psychical and or mental abuse from their mothers at a young age. Rosenberg and Spinell never really stray from that and offer anything different, but what they have works well and is an interesting character study of a man trying to at times fight his urges.
Maniac marked the feature film debut for William Lustig (unless you wanna count the porn flicks he made prior under the name Billy Bagg). Lustig is an often overlooked filmmaker who did some solid work, but never really got the attention he deserved. He got his start at the time when filmmakers like John Carpenter, Dario Argento and George Romero were at the peak of their career. Lustig though has built up a following, but he never really reached the success like other filmmakers from his era.
William Lustig is a big fan of 70s exploitation and it clearly shows with Maniac; Lustig manages to create a really gritty and uneasy feel through out the picture and always keeps the pace moving along even when there is no action. The murder scenes are quite graphic and bloody, but while the gore is great the highlight is the murders are very mean spirited. Starting around the mid 80s and you can even make a case for the early 80s as well, too many movies would have kill scenes that were sort of fun, which is cool, but I prefer movies like this where the deaths give you an uneasy feel.
Like I said Maniac has a lot more going for it than people might realize. The shotgun blast to the head easily rates as one of the greatest murders this genre has ever seen. I'd even go as far to say possibly the best death scene in the genre, but there is far more here than just shocking murder scenes. The scene in which, Frank stalks a young nurse (Kelly Piper) leaving the hospital all the way to the subway and than in the subway is a classic example of suspense and tension; the whole set up is excellent and downright chilling.
And the scene when Frank attacks Rita played by Abigail Clayton (under the name Gail Lawrence) was another prime example of a scene filled with suspense and tension. William Lustig again is able to make more than just sleazy exploitation flick and delivers a movie that is quite disturbing and even chilling in many areas. William Lustig in his day was an excellent filmmaker who never really hit the big time despite being very deserving of it.
The acting was mostly good and Joe Spinell probably best known as Gazzo from Rocky and Rocky II gives the best performance of his career. Frank Zito is a classic character and far scarier than most horror movie villains since people like Frank are out there. He isn't the boogeyman who can survive multiple gunshots, stabbings and being set on fire. He's as human as his victims and Spinell is downright chilling in the role, which is a lot more complex than some might realize.
Maniac is a nice piece of 80s exploitation cinema with plenty of sleaze and violence, but again has a lot more to offer than just that. The only problem with Maniac is the final act, while isn't bad or anything, but does fall a bit flat. But besides that Maniac was excellent and a must see for horror fans.
Rating: 
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Filth and mayhem
This has to be one of the sickest films ever made. You know what? I loved/love every minute of it. You can feel the sleaze rolling off of the screen and into your living room. You get the full feel of 100% grime and filth of the backstreets of New York. Joe Spinell is just amazing and the goddess with captivating eyes aka Caroline Munro is just always wonderful to watch. The music by Jay Chattaway gives an uneasy feeling to an already "know to be" uneasy film. Tom Savini does the ever wonderful special effects further proving that he is an effects god.
William Lustig has created a masterpiece of cinematic filth and mayhem. The commentary track is very insightful and there is a fantastic documentary about Joe Spinell as well as an awsome radio/audio interview with Spinell and Caroline Munro. Also, one of my favorite adult film actresses Sharon Mitchell has a small part as "Nurse #2".
(be sure to also check out William Lustig's "Maniac Cop" and "Vigilante")
Rating: -
He's a nut worth seeing
I first want to say that Blue Underground did a very good job encoding this film. The bitrate looked high and the colors were rich, as far as I could tell.
As for the movie, I have to say Joe Spinell did a fantastic job as the serial killer. His pockmarked face and crazy eyes really gave his character that extra creepiness which made the movie a good watch. It's amusing to see how Spinell's character can smoothly transition from a psycho-killer to an effeminate hairdresser who gives advice on how to wash blood out of hair. And he gives this advice to one of the few mannequins he has in his tiny apartment.
Added bonus is Tom Savini's appearance as some regular joe who picks up a girl at a club. However, that's not the interesting part: his exit is interesting or shall I say spectacular! I didn't expect it and nicely executed, too.
See this movie if you like to chuckle at serial killers who have weird mannerisms. In other words, if you have an eye for detail and like to focus on those small things which most people overlook. It will help you enjoy this film that much more.
As a warning, this film will only appeal to a certain type of horror fan or viewer. It's not for everyone but I think it's worth viewing even one time.
Rating: -
Worth watching, but no misunderstood masterpiece....
I remember when this film came out, and Gene Siskel walked out of the film when Tom Savini's character's head blew up from a shotgun. I thought that was good for Gene, but then decided to rent the film anyway. While it isn't a masterpiece, Maniac has some genuine creepy moments and is worth watching.
The film has a really seedy vibe to it due to being shot in NYC in 1980, years before it was "cleaned up" by Giuliani. There's an air of desperation in the film, a whispering brutality. However, while it has great special effects that still hold up today, it's still not as artistic or as great as it could have been. Joe Spinnell (who stars and co-produced) stars as the deeply disturbed title character, a man who was abused as a child and now is reeking havoc on NYC streets and collecting his victims back in his apartment. There's some great atmosphere, and a great chase in a subway bathroom, but overall the film just feels incomplete. It teeters on the edge, but doesn't become an underrated, misunderstood masterpiece. The film should be viewed more as an 80's time capsule than a great piece of cinema. Many think this film is a masterpiece, and while it's better than most slasher films from the 1980's (most of which were terrible), it's not a work of genius or art. But it should be viewed at least once, though....
