MANIAC: 2012: ++: Horror: (ADULT CONTENT) This movie was disturbing. Coming from a fan of gore and gruesome movies, there was something about this movie that made me uncomfortable. On some levels, this can be seen as an accolade because horror movies are supposed to evoke a certain uneasiness, but Maniac took it to another level. I commend Elijah Wood for taking this role due to its complexity. It definitely shows his range.
OK....
My initial reaction to this movie was that it was extremely skewed toward violence toward women, but I guess the fact that Wood is playing a serial killer necessitates that. At some points, I just think it went too far. The fact that it was shot completely from the viewpoint of Wood's character accounts for its dramatic impact. No doubt this made directing this movie difficult for Frank Khalfoun. Certainly, it provided artistic flair which I can appreciate.
The only time you get to see Wood is through mirrors.
Playing Frank Zito, an extremely troubled man with mother issues, Wood completely changed the way I thought of him as Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. A part of me thinks that he was chosen for this shock value, and it worked!
Maniac will change the way you view Frodo I can guarantee that!
This movie was a remake which doesn't influence my opinion of the movie in any way since I didn't see the original (I feel compelled to though). If I had seen the original and if it wasn't shot exclusively from the viewpoint of the murderer, kudos for Khalfoun. He nailed that part. The murder scenes were overboard. It seemed like the whole rhythm of the movie was murder, murder, plot, murder, murder, ending. I know there are plenty of horror movies that embody that cadence, but in this movie it was the context of the murdering that changed things for me.
If you want gore, you will absolutely get it in Maniac
At this point, I firmly believe Khalfoun was trying to illicit this reaction and if that is the case, again, he succeeded. Yes, there were very stylish camera angles, the music was aligned well with the on screen action, the character development was above average and of course, the movie was structured well. Maybe I just disliked the main character and grew to like the main female lead, Nora Arnezeder, who plays Rita.
Leave Nora alone you freak!
Quick note on the premise of the movie without giving it away, Wood has a penchant for murdering female victims to dress them up with his mannequin collection and put the hair of his victims on them. See below:
This becomes...
THIS: NOT COOL BRO>>>NOT COOL
Rita incidentally is also enamored with mannequins and uses them in her art show. An interesting artistic touch was the duality that in her art, she displays her own face on mannequins, much to Frank's delight. This is another reference to the mirrors, duality, and seeing people from a different perspective. It also loops back to the point that you only see the action from Frank Zito's eyes. These elements make the movie noteworthy. Long story short, Rita is Frank's ideal mate and his perfect match. Frank has special plans for her.
Careful who you get involved with!
You might end up getting more than you wish for!
I will admit that it was a nice touch to only see the murderer through mirrors. It suggests that things aren't what they seem because a mirror image can be manipulated in much the same way that Elijah's character Frank manipulates people into thinking he is a meek and harmless person due to his demeanor. The scene where he is living with his mannequins in his home with their hair on their heads and flies swarming around was revolting though. Even I have some boundaries of decency.
Yes, he has that many mannequins and yes some of them have hair from dead women.
The killing scenes speak for themselves:
Exhibit A:
Exhibit B:
Exhibit C:
Anyway, I realize this isn't my best movie review, but I am puzzled by this movie. I just watched all the Hellraiser movies and that violence didn't bother me, but this one did. To me it was like watching the killing scene in Psycho about 7 times in a movie. That's the best way I can describe it.
The initial movie made in the 80s, also provoked audiences in a similar way. Here is an excerpt from an interview about the director's intentions:
“I made ‘Maniac’ as a horror film fan. I didn’t intellectualize it,’’ he says. “It wasn’t what I said, ‘to push the envelope.’ We just went on instinct. We were making the film for ourselves.’’ Lustig now heads Blue Underground, a DVD company that stokes our nostalgia for gore of yore, distributing lost classics about “psychopaths, cops, robbers, zombies, cannibals, madmen, strange women and more,’’ its website declares.
I will acknowledge that there was some clever irony in the way Frank dies, and also in the way the movie ends. I will also acknowledge that the movie's flow was smooth and effortless. It was polished. Someone cared about this movie and it shows. As a horror movie fan, it belongs somewhere and deserves to be mentioned. BUT This is just a creepy fucking movie and I am not going to rate it. It's my blog and I can do what I want to. UNRATED.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lUiObX44O8
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