Review of Maniac (2012) by Rory P — 25 Apr 2013

A remarkably stylish, sleek and superb remake of one of the better know "grindhouse" films. It replaces the gritty and low-budget feel of the original with something I had never seen before in a horror film (Or in any other kind of film): It's entirely seen from Frank's POV except for a few scenes and you can only see him in reflections making this a much more personal and disturbing affair.

As you might have expected the production value is much higher and I have to say that Elijah Wood gives an absolutely astonishing performance as Frank. He is utterly creepy and evil but he also shows a lot of emotion and he even makes the character slightly sympathetic, you feel his sadness, his fears and you kind of understand why he adopted such a grotesque life.

However this also means that the violence is much more effective and hard to watch, specially since the SFX (No offense Savini but this one goes more for realism) are absolutely disgusting and since it also takes a more realistic tone it also becomes utterly unpleasant. This is alleviated by the stunning photography, lighting and the mesmerizing soundtrack but I still wouldn't see this more than once.

Overall I'm really happy about this remake since it's taking a new approach to something that could have easily been a quick rehash of something that really didn't need to be remade. It's not for the faint of heart but horror and art film fans might want to check it out.