Maniac was definitely a movie that I was interested in checking out. From the trailers I saw, I really liked the direction that they were going for: the first person perspective inside the mind of a serial killer. Of course the original is famous for its violence and even had the equivalent to an NC-17 rating when it first came out. And if anything this film does fulfill the prophecy of this being a rather violent flick, but don't look at that as a positive.
First of all, there is a lot to love about Maniac, the biggest being the way it was shot and edited. You feel like you're right inside Frank's head, feeling his torment, witnessing the violence for yourself. They even have it down to the head movements. There's a scene where Frank turns his head from side to side while looking in the mirror, and the camera moves along with it. The technique really works for this film, and really enhances the horror.
Speaking of horror, this movie is undeniably chilling. There are some really messed up moments in the film, and each kill scene in the movie is very sickening and hard to watch, particularly one which takes place in a hotel. The first person perspective also helps with this, as I mentioned above, and the film overall captures a very chilling atmosphere.
There's also some really good acting here, particularly from Elijah Wood as the demented main character. Originally when I saw the first still of him holding the bloody blade, I wasn't quite sure how he would fair in this film. The only "demented" character I had seen him play before was Kevin from Sin City, and other than that not much else. However, he kills it here, and it's nice to see them give him a lot more depth than you would see from a typical slasher film.
In fact one of the hails of his movie is the fact that it doesn't resort to your typical slasher flick stereotypes. Obviously this takes the more art-film approach (but don't let that turn you off), but it's nice to see, as I mentioned above, more depth found in here than you normally get from a lot of modern-day horror films. There's definitely a lot of psychological undertones here, which definitely makes the film very captivating at times to watch.
However, if anything could detract the film from these great qualities, it would have to be the violence. Now obviously going into a slasher film you're going to have a lot of violent content and of course violent content is very much needed. However, there were times where they took it way to for almost to the point where it was distracting. It was so in your face that it really distracted you from the overall story, which is a great one. I think if they had toned down on the violence a little bit, this movie would probably have gotten a higher score from me, and while I did like this movie, the gore factor really leaves me hesitant when it comes to viewing this movie a second time.
Overall, Maniac is not a bad film at all. In fact, it's actually one of the most interesting films I've seen all year. It's got a great cast, great story, beautiful cinematography, a great style, and ultimately it does serve the purpose of horror films by creeping you out. It really stinks that the violence got to me so much that my rating and re-playablity for this movie has gone down a notch. Trust me, I wish it didn't, because there is a lot to love about this movie and I think if they had toned it down maybe a little bit, the film would have possibly made my films of the year list. That said, I will say to check this one out, but be wary and know what you're in for when it comes to this film.
First of all, there is a lot to love about Maniac, the biggest being the way it was shot and edited. You feel like you're right inside Frank's head, feeling his torment, witnessing the violence for yourself. They even have it down to the head movements. There's a scene where Frank turns his head from side to side while looking in the mirror, and the camera moves along with it. The technique really works for this film, and really enhances the horror.
Speaking of horror, this movie is undeniably chilling. There are some really messed up moments in the film, and each kill scene in the movie is very sickening and hard to watch, particularly one which takes place in a hotel. The first person perspective also helps with this, as I mentioned above, and the film overall captures a very chilling atmosphere.
There's also some really good acting here, particularly from Elijah Wood as the demented main character. Originally when I saw the first still of him holding the bloody blade, I wasn't quite sure how he would fair in this film. The only "demented" character I had seen him play before was Kevin from Sin City, and other than that not much else. However, he kills it here, and it's nice to see them give him a lot more depth than you would see from a typical slasher film.
In fact one of the hails of his movie is the fact that it doesn't resort to your typical slasher flick stereotypes. Obviously this takes the more art-film approach (but don't let that turn you off), but it's nice to see, as I mentioned above, more depth found in here than you normally get from a lot of modern-day horror films. There's definitely a lot of psychological undertones here, which definitely makes the film very captivating at times to watch.
However, if anything could detract the film from these great qualities, it would have to be the violence. Now obviously going into a slasher film you're going to have a lot of violent content and of course violent content is very much needed. However, there were times where they took it way to for almost to the point where it was distracting. It was so in your face that it really distracted you from the overall story, which is a great one. I think if they had toned down on the violence a little bit, this movie would probably have gotten a higher score from me, and while I did like this movie, the gore factor really leaves me hesitant when it comes to viewing this movie a second time.
Overall, Maniac is not a bad film at all. In fact, it's actually one of the most interesting films I've seen all year. It's got a great cast, great story, beautiful cinematography, a great style, and ultimately it does serve the purpose of horror films by creeping you out. It really stinks that the violence got to me so much that my rating and re-playablity for this movie has gone down a notch. Trust me, I wish it didn't, because there is a lot to love about this movie and I think if they had toned it down maybe a little bit, the film would have possibly made my films of the year list. That said, I will say to check this one out, but be wary and know what you're in for when it comes to this film.