Review of Maniac (2012) by The D — 16 May 2013
A strange yet quite absorbing tale featuring Elijah Wood in a role as far removed from Frodo as you can get.
Wood plays Frank, a timid antique mannequin restorer who by night is a derranged serial killer who likes to scalp his victims using the trophies on his dummies. Frank believes the dummies to have more personality than most people he meets. Then he meets Anna(Arnezeder) and he builds a friendship with the young photographer/artist and he helps her with a new installation.
Frank battles with his darker side unsuccessfully and the spree continues despite what seems to be a stable relationship with his new friend.
It's a very dary remake and not shy to offer some shock moments. It's also very well played by the two leads and some pretty much unknown support. Wood is of course the star as the majority of the film is relayed in Frank's first person perspective. The film doesn't just rely on shock tactics it draws the viewer in as the social elements play a large part in giving the characters some depth.
The only real disappointment was the climax which seemed to just crash in albeit gently but still all a bit sudden and unclear.
Worth a watch.
This review of Maniac (2012) was written by The D on 16 May 2013.
Maniac has generally received mixed reviews.
Was this review helpful?
