Maniac
- Directed by
- William Lustig
- Written by
- Joe Spinell, C.A. Rosenberg
- Produced by
- Andrew W. Garroni, William Lustig, Joe Spinell
Why it’s HorroRated
Maniac earns its reputation as a genuinely unsettling piece of exploitation horror rather than a simple slasher, and the difference is entirely down to Joe Spinell. His performance as Frank Zito never hams up the psychosis; instead there's a quiet, simmering menace that makes the character feel disturbingly plausible rather than theatrical. Tom Savini's practical effects work is some of his most gruesome and most technically impressive, and William Lustig's grimy New York locations give the film an authenticity that budget alone couldn't buy. It doesn't fully deliver on the psychological depth it reaches for and it's more interested in unsettling than scaring, but as a portrait of a specific kind of banal, human evil it succeeds. Essential viewing for serious slasher fans, difficult viewing for everyone else.
Synopsis
Frank Zito is an Italian-American serial killer working the streets of New York, murdering and scalping young women he stalks through the city. His compulsions trace back to abuse from his deceased mother, and the film keeps returning to that psychological wound as it follows him from one kill to the next. Tom Savini's makeup effects, including the notorious close-range shotgun kill, give the violence a visceral, unglamorous quality that made the film infamous on its release. William Lustig shoots grimy late-70s New York as its own kind of character and Joe Spinell's lead performance carries the entire film on an uncomfortable, deeply human portrait of a killer nobody would call a monster on sight.
Filed under
Quick facts
- Release date
- March 6, 1981
- Runtime
- 1 hour 28 mins
- Country
- United States of America
- Language
- English
- Content rating
- NR
- Entry type
- Movie
Tags
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