Review of Maniac (2012) by Chazzyc . — 28 Jun 2016

A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Last House on the Left, The Amityville Horror, Cabin Fever, The Wicker Man. These are all classic horror films. On the other hand, I believe these classic horror films have not been remade into classic remakes. In my opinion, many remakes fail to capture the energy, wisdom, and likeness of the original. It is very difficult to capture lightning in a bottle twice. Especially horror movies, many directors, producers, and writers of horror all tend to follow the same format, and end up being predictable, bland, and lifeless. However, director Franck Khalfoun (P2, High Tension) brings some new life into a cult classic, a new direction, and in my opinion a new better film. I believe that Maniac (2012) is a rare exception of the remake actually being better than the original.

Much like the 1980 cult classic, Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings, The Goodson) plays Frank. Frank is socially awkward, and a vicious serial killer. Frank collects the scalps' of his victims, and puts the finishing touches on his mannequins. One day he meets a beautiful, artistic woman, named Anna. Played by Nora Arnezeder (Safe House). The two bond, and everything seems to be going well at first. Elijah Wood may be short, and doesn't seem all that threatening. But he really does a fantastic job as the character Frank. Elijah Wood brings a new take on Frank, that we didn't see in the original. For example, in the remake we get more of an understanding and backstory (his childhood with his mother). The original was more of a typical slasher, violent guy, and killer with messy hair, etc. But Elijah Wood is a very normal looking guy, and I think that adds to the film. We almost feel sympathy towards him. Everything from his childhood, how people treat him, etc.

I honestly believe this is the best film by Franck Khalfoun. He is becoming on of my favorite directors. He really brings a new artistic take on a very good cult classic. Even though he changes a few things from the original, he stays true to the original source material. For instance, the violence (train station ANKLE SNAP scene made me CRINGE).

Also, this film has some of the best cinematography and camera scenes I've seen in a very long time. Every shot was gorgeous, and unique. I personally can't remember the last time I've seen a film, where a majority of the film is the main character's P.O.V. Maybe someone can let me know down in the comment section. The P.O.V. I thought was very well done, and it truly does add a to the movie. The viewer's literally get to go inside the killers world, and become apart of this character, both physically and mentally.

So these are my final Bitchin' Buddha thoughts on Maniac (2012). I love this movie! This really is one of my favorite horror films, and just one of my favorite films in general. It's unique, gory for a reason, character development is good, and the cinematography/camera shots are something we don't usually see today. In my opinion, this is a blueprint on how to do a remake. Also, this would make a great double feature showdown. View the original, and this one back to back. Call me crazy, but I believe Maniac (2012) deserves...

5/5!

Thank you for reading/viewing, and I hope you have an amazing day as always. :).