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Maniac

Maniac

2012
Suspense/Thriller, Crime
1h 29m
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Avg Percentile 42.92% from 703 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(703)
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Rated 02 May 2013
92
95th
The original Maniac is one of my favorite horror movies, and this version surpasses it. With its shocking violence, great 80s soundtrack, disconcerting reality-shifting, and unsettling performance by Wood, this is a movie that succeeds in creeping under your skin and staying there. It constantly makes us question just how extreme things are going to get, how shocking the next kill will be, and whether we'll be able to keep looking. The answers to those questions are: very, very, and barely.
Rated 30 Sep 2012
70
65th
Wood is far from an obvious choice for the lead. In his defense, he looks sufficiently maniacal but he's not quite able to sell the schizophrenic killer's "dialogue" (few would be). What makes me recommend Khalfoun's slasher nevertheless is that he shoots the film entirely from Wood's point-of-view, finding inventive solutions to show him. Though not on the same level of technique as 'Enter the Void', it works very well, and it's surprising that no one (that I know of) has done this in 65 years.
Rated 30 Apr 2013
9
94th
A marked improvement on Lustig's original. The POV restriction creates a tense, claustrophobic mood and aligns us counterintuitively with the troubled protagonist. Simply put - we're never allowed to escape or indeed glimpse anything outside the darkness of the maniac's mind. Add to that Wood channelling his inner schizophrenic to great effect (and very much against character) and a Carpenter-esque soundtrack, and you have yourself a great slasher - and an altogether pretty mesmerizing movie.
Rated 21 Oct 2013
4
70th
This has some missteps (goofy flashbacks, occasionally clumsy plotting and dialogue, and requisite serial killer cheese), but is shockingly effective on the whole. Khalfoun and DP Alexandre do an incredible job of staging the film's first-person perspective, which gives it most of its power; it's a worthy slasher counterpart to Peeping Tom. I also really dig how no-nonsense and unflinching it is, at a lean 88 minutes and with no-holds-barred brutality. And that credits song rules.
Rated 15 Jul 2018
90
92nd
Make me uncomfortable while bathing me in heavy synth. It’s the perfect formula for horror. This was like walking in on Joe Spinell wearing only the Drive jacket. It’s pretty shocking stuff is where I think this was going at.
Rated 04 May 2013
2
37th
Unfortunate events of late Ringbearer. He's even worse than Gollum, mind you.
Rated 06 May 2013
78
74th
A horror movie shot entirely in POV-style.. one of those 'why didn't anyone think of this earlier?' concepts. It allows for some neat tricks and a lot of atmosphere, especially whenever the line between reality and hallucination starts getting blurry. Wood's delivery isn't all that, but considering the sometimes silly dialogue he at least tried to make it work. I think this movie fulfilled my 'seeing women getting scalped' quota for the next 100 years.
Rated 11 May 2013
92
87th
A remarkable remake, that proves me one thing: Horror isn't dead yet. Between dozens of crap shit wanna be movies, Maniac shines bright. Khalfoun creates a dark and brutal synphony which is close enough the the original but has everything a modern Horror movie needs. Score, acting, effects, everything's terrific.
Rated 04 Jul 2013
60
72nd
Loved the 80's synthesizer score, which was a call back to the Goblin scores of 70's/80's slasher films. Using "Goodbye Horses" was also a nice touch. Shooting it in POV added a lot of tension and atmosphere, which might have been lacking had it been filmed differently. Elijah Wood is enough of a creep to be believable and the use of practical effects is always a plus when it comes to horror. One of the few remakes that far surpasses the original.
Rated 06 Nov 2013
14
14th
If I wanted to see the world from a bipolar Elijah Wood's eyes, I'd skin the twat and prance about downtown wearing his bloody flesh like a rider's cloak. Now THAT would be a great movie. Mannequins, mommy issues, and the same fucking kill four times in a row? Beat me into a quivering mound of flesh with a baguette now, won't you, Franck Khalfoun. Seriously, "Maniac" was a bra-less French artist in a tank top away from getting a big fat zero.
Rated 01 Oct 2012
50
31st
People being vividly cut with knives is not my favourite the genre (which also is reflected in my score), but shooting the movie (almost) entirely in the first person view of our dear maniac, works quite well. I believe I haven't seen this technique used to this extend and with such impact before. Woods, unfortunately, doesn't quite nail the inner thoughts, which otherwise is the essence of this film; being inside the head of a disturbed and twisted mind and seeing the perspective of the killer.
Rated 06 Nov 2012
72
62nd
A decent remake, which is rare, but quite the mixed bag. On one hand you have the POV style that is both original, engaging and breathes new life into a dying genre. You have some very nice gore (points deducted for awful CGI) and a decent, unexpected performance from Frodo Stabbins. On the other, there are a lot of dull moments, some awkward dialogue and a terrible fucking ending. I prayed they would include the headshot from the original, but my prayers went unanswered.
Rated 09 Jun 2013
35
19th
POV serial killing for the entirety of the film. Luckily, Elijah Wood's world is filled with mirrors. Flashy gimmick aside, this is just another standard horror remake. Pretty lame.
Rated 04 Jul 2013
80
49th
Whoa, this movie is fucked-up. Brutally, look-away-from-the-screen violent, heightened by the POV perspective. Elijah Wood is disturbing good as the titular serial killer, a mannequin obsessive with mommy issues. The funky camera work, editing, and moody synth soundtrack enhance a visceral, disturbing experience that does its best to make sure you can't sleep afterwards.
Rated 31 Dec 2013
38
13th
Although his obsession seems a bit too forced and unbelievable..this movie still managed to make me throw up in my mouth. So thanks for that.
Rated 17 Jan 2014
25
7th
Awful psychobabble-style monologues undermine any positives here. Filmmakers somehow manage to continually fail to learn the lesson that audiences have succeeded in learning for decades from PSYCHO: everything is really great up until the ridiculous and more-to-the-point totally unnecessary pseudo-psychoanalytic nonsense that for some reason Hitchcock tacked on to the end. Here the film is suffused with that kind of crap, completely ruining it. The music was quite good though: thanks Rob.
Rated 05 Mar 2014
72
43rd
POV movies are always fun, and this one is no exception. Doubly so if you are a mentally deranged sadist!
Rated 13 Oct 2014
75
64th
Like his subject's proclivity for stapling human scalps to plastic skulls, Khalfoun's aesthetic conceit is a pained attempt to suture visceral reality to plastic fantasies--and in the consequently indistinguishable nature of reality's gaze from that of the hallucinatory, an intensely empathetic portrayal of the schizoid affect. Overall: about as disgusting, wrongheaded, and beautiful as one would imagine a risen Fulci making it.
Rated 02 Nov 2017
55
34th
I didn't really care for the POV. I find that whole technique to be off-putting in how contrived it feels. They kept finding reflective surfaces so we could see the lead character, and it was just kind of annoying. Wood is alright, but since it's mostly his voice that we get from him, it's hard to say. Some of the gore effects were legitimately wince-inducing. I liked some of the score, but sometimes it just wasn't enough. I'd probably recommend just watching the original.
Rated 28 Dec 2012
32
5th
cool special effects. other than that... :(
Rated 28 Apr 2013
80
74th
The soundtrack is amazing, Elijah Wood is sufficiently creepy and the camera work works very well, never getting to the point of being gimmicky. It all falls apart towards the end though...
Rated 28 May 2013
70
25th
I wasn't offended by it - just bored. I like some story in my stories. This thing had less narrative than Friday the 13th.
Rated 28 May 2013
70
48th
Wood is far from his prime and Khalfoun isn't a good director despite improving a lot from what I had seen from him, but the neat idea carries the movie pretty far.
Rated 03 Jun 2013
60
9th
So, are serial killers this one-dimensional in real life?
Rated 10 Jun 2013
62
75th
Surprisingly good remake of William Lustig's 80's original which uses a lot of pieces from the original but still manages to build something different. It's a bold move to show the film from Maniac's point of view and it might feel too uncomfortable for a lot of viewers. It's also a bold move from Elijah Wood to star in this and he does a fine job with the role. Plus points for the moody electronic soundtrack.
Rated 17 Jun 2013
70
44th
The gimmick worked because it's an interesting flip to the usual horror perspective, where the audience doesn't know the killer or the motivations behind him/her. Here, you almost get to know him too much...though it's a little forced and maybe too easy from a writing point of view. It's not the best thing I've seen but it was a fresher horror flick than I've seen recently. Wood's monologue is a little laughable and while his issues are given context, the explanation seems too easy and glib.
Rated 14 Jul 2013
70
63rd
Remake of the Bill Lustig slasher classic, with Elijah Wood doing a pretty good job as the mewling psycho killer originally played by the great Joe Spinell. Almost the whole thing is cleverly shot from the killer's point of view, which makes a neat gimmick, and the gore is all appropriately gross, though some of the stalking sequences aren't as tense as they should be. It's a pretty good flick overall, which forces you to ask: is it appreciably better than the original? No, not really.
Rated 09 Aug 2013
30
78th
"Its audio-visual overload testifies to a group of filmmakers' belief that some films are made to be remade." - Ed Gonzalez
Rated 18 Aug 2013
50
41st
So this is how a Google Glass movie will look like.
Rated 19 Aug 2013
55
34th
Elijah Wood plays this character well. The POV shooting was a nice touch, did a pretty good job seeing things from his perspective.
Rated 24 Aug 2013
20
8th
filmde o kadar çok mantık hatası varki farklı olan çekim tekniğini ve atmosferi bile unutturmuş. verilmek istenen mesajı vermek için bütün mantık kurallarını hiçe sayarak senaryoyu oluşturmak, ne senaryonun gerçekçiliği ne çekim tekniğinden(açısından) oluşan "filmin içine girme" hissini yaratmıştır. spoiler. psychonun daha kanlı ve çok kötü bir uyarlaması gibi. zaman kaybı.
Rated 26 Aug 2013
65
30th
Waaaaay better than the original! Also, amazing acting by Elijah Wood, he makes for a superb crazy person / maniac :). The music was actually a little too good to be in this movie. Great job on this movie! Shouldnt be missed by horror/thriller fans!
Rated 05 Sep 2013
75
39th
Wood is great in the titular role. Great concept that makes for a really creepy, awkward movie as you're watching what he's watching as he's stalking and murdering.
Rated 21 Sep 2013
85
64th
Really well done - was honestly surprised how much I liked this remake. Elijah Wood is perfectly cast as the creepy awkward Maniac.
Rated 18 Oct 2013
70
61st
80's music thing with first person scalpings.
Rated 21 Oct 2013
4
34th
A lot of unintentional hilarity and horrible pop-psychology makes what is often a well-shot and well-staged horror movie kinda lame. The final sequences are the strongest so give it a little time before forming an opinion. Overall I had a very mixed reaction, yet I'm erring on the side of "Not bad" and "Watchable". I'd be interested in seeing the original.
Rated 27 Oct 2013
54
30th
OK, so you got the idea of shooting a slasher movie in 1st person POV. Good for you. Now, what are you trying to achieve by shooting it in 1st person POV? What's that? You just are, huh? Nothing more to it than that? ...OK. Sure. It kind of works, I guess. Would have been nice if there was something more to it than that, but you can't have everything.
Rated 29 Oct 2013
56
16th
55.500
Rated 31 Oct 2013
61
16th
I've always thought that Elijah Wood looks like (and possibly is) a serial killer. Especially all the creepy I want to kill you looks he gives to Sam in the Lord of the Rings. Wood does a great job in this, although you don't see him much except in reflections in mirrors. The film is mostly shot from Wood's 1st person perspective which is cool. Arnezeder is also really good in this. Now all the positives are done. This movie was overly violent and has a terrible ending. View at your own risk.
Rated 05 Nov 2013
95
88th
this movie is ruthless and disturbing as hell. many a woman is murdered and scalped in this creepy gorefest.
Rated 07 Jan 2014
79
61st
A thoroughly unpleasant experience and without much originality to it. It takes the themes of Psycho and other slashers, and for a second there seems to be something intelligent hiding under this film. If there is or there isn't I don't know, I'm too grossed out to tell.
Rated 07 Jan 2014
84
41st
I know it's something to do with my bad taste but I felt like I was well entertained.
Rated 08 Jan 2014
43
6th
POV didn't do shit for this film and god I never want to listen to Elijah Wood's voice again.
Rated 12 Jan 2014
69
45th
I don't mind this as a remake. The original suffered from budget restraints, this one seems to have a lot more production value to build upon the premise, which is explored deeper here & given the 1st person perspective. It's not daunting as a pov serial killer film could be, due to the script which wavers in and out of unnatural & pacing is a bit off. Ps Kim Cattrall should have been cast as the Agent.
Rated 15 Jan 2014
43
19th
Frodo has come to the future to kill women because his mom was Bilbo's protistute.
Rated 30 Jan 2014
74
24th
I really liked the movie for its set up and the use of imagery. What I didn't like was wood's monotonous voice throughout the movie. I don't know if it was on purpose but it just didn't work well to me. Interesting concept, could have been done better.
Rated 31 Jan 2014
56
39th
Mr Plinkett: The Early Years
Rated 13 Feb 2014
70
40th
First person throughout, I like that.
Rated 27 Mar 2014
60
28th
A slasher movie, filmed and stylized as if it were a hip neon-lit action flick. Sometimes so over-the-top it's even - unintentionally - funny. Unfortunately the repetitive plot causes the film to lose some momentum about halfway through. The PoV style creates an interesting side effect; I felt sympathy for the serial killer at some points, but truly disturbing are it's voyeuristic and misogynistic qualities. If you like to see young women die a brutal death, this is your movie.
Rated 22 Apr 2014
90
61st
Man Elijah Wood was a creepy little dude in this movie. I need to watch the original.
Rated 11 Jun 2014
60
44th
Would have been better if they included the shotgun scene from the original.
Rated 05 Jul 2014
92
93rd
Video essay: https://youtu.be/k-ozpaXuYCU
Rated 22 Jul 2014
40
54th
Uh... intense. I was getting so stressed out that I had to watch it in 15 minute intervals. I think there's some really interesting stuff in here but sadly I don't think I could watch this a second time (at least for a while).
Rated 26 Aug 2014
10
0th
Garbage. Don't watch it.
Rated 02 Feb 2015
61
54th
Good prologue! I absolutely loved the way she died! Actually I paused the movie and took a screenshot.
Rated 05 Jun 2015
40
13th
A raw and shocking look inside the mind of Elijah Wood.
Rated 24 Sep 2015
60
51st
Pretty good slasher film that tries to let you into the mind of a deranged man but ultimately fails to deliver. I did like it better than the original mostly due to Elijah's performance and the excellent score.
Rated 03 Mar 2016
80
81st
ótimo
Rated 18 Jul 2016
65
26th
It was good, but main character POV made me very uneasy. I had to take a break on multiple occasions.
Rated 28 Apr 2018
6
40th
The form is not ideal, for its too intimate and searching to be a satisfying slasher -and the POV murders is what works best here- and whenever it tries to be anything more profound -and God knows why it tries- it becomes too silly.
Rated 26 Jan 2019
39
9th
Hugely disappointing. Woods never once dances like he never danced before …. Carrying the One Ring for so long had such an effect on Frodo that he moved to America and starred in a 90 minute Prodigy video for 'Scalp my Bitch Up" Most of my score is for the 80's synth pop soundtrack and the boobs!
Rated 10 Dec 2019
20
4th
Bad.
Rated 15 May 2020
65
45th
While it pays fine homage to the 1980 original, & Wood delivers a solid performance in the lead, this is more style than substance & that hurts it a lot. I'm usually a fan of Aja's work, but the script here is cluttered, clunky, & loaded with bad, awkward dialogue that becomes painful to hear. The first-person gimmick is a fun idea that's well-executed, & the horror elements- particularly the gore- are very well done, but ultimately it never quite becomes the modern classic it's trying to be.
Rated 28 Jul 2020
53
16th
52.8.
Rated 28 Jan 2021
33
30th
#20-11#, exp3, rw2, popcorn, story, Liane.B
Rated 05 Jul 2022
93
88th
I'd say this is one of the better horror remakes out there, it takes all the filth and grime from the original modernizes it and adds a mostly first person POV spin to it, Elijah Wood is fantastic in the role which has a malicious edge to him that manages to be different from Joe Spinell's original. This movie made me feel sick and it was disorienting, I probably would seldom re watch it because of that factor which speaks to it's effectiveness overall. There were many hard to watch scenes.
Rated 30 Jul 2022
0
4th
This movie was bullshit. I can't believe I sat through the whole thing. Fuck me.
Rated 23 Feb 2023
74
56th
Elijah Wood isn't the first one to come to mind to star in the remake of a horror classic. While he lacks the physical menace of Spinell, he brings a strong performance that resembles a Norman-Bates-like villain. Some will hate the POV of this but it keeps the horror so close to the viewer. A really strong remake.
Rated 22 Oct 2023
1
10th
The only original thing is the PoV here but it gets old real soon.
Rated 23 Oct 2023
75
58th
Quite effective and creepy. I can't say I loved the ending, and the hallucination bits felt a bit forced, but giving those a free pass this was an effectively disturbing and compact slasher. I'd say it the right nerves as well, and it was kind of a depressing watch, in a good way.
Rated 10 Feb 2024
20
4th
Elijah Wood is better than this, right? Utterly unnecessary and gratuitous. Nothing here feels authentic like the original.

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