A young man is haunted by his childhood and has impulses to maim beautiful young women off the streets of L.A.
Told mostly through the first person perspective (think Peep Show with lots of bloodshed) Maniac succeeds in being a strong and biting modern horror. It happily enters into the cannon of great cityscape movies where the city itself is a character. We see knowing references to many L.A landmarks, from the beaten down streets of Downtown to even the Orpheus cinema getting a good look in. Those who know their L.A will have fun spotting the landmarks. Add to this a really unhinge Elijah Wood who pulls a genuinely creepy and pained performance as the protagonist, one can't help but applaud this movie for doing something that modern horror has failed to do of late, which is be both unsettling and entertaining at the same time, whilst never losing sight of the truly macabre and satirical (perhaps that's four things). One ace in the hole is Elijah Wood, who sheds the baby fat and gives his all to this performance, which takes some getting used to, but once you settle in, it is an inspired piece of casting. It is a strong point of this movie to see the places that Wood goes to portray the character, which at times does feel strained, as we know him to be Frodo, the epitome of all that is good in this world. However, it's because we are seeing Frodo that makes this even creepier and much more believable. Add to this a heavy 80s synth soundtrack which would not look out of place in Winding Refn's Drive (2011) and this is a fun night. Be warned you will need quite a strong stomach, but it is earnest in its shocks and unflinching in its gore.
A really effective and nasty horror which really does feel fresh in the modern era of jump scare chills.
Told mostly through the first person perspective (think Peep Show with lots of bloodshed) Maniac succeeds in being a strong and biting modern horror. It happily enters into the cannon of great cityscape movies where the city itself is a character. We see knowing references to many L.A landmarks, from the beaten down streets of Downtown to even the Orpheus cinema getting a good look in. Those who know their L.A will have fun spotting the landmarks. Add to this a really unhinge Elijah Wood who pulls a genuinely creepy and pained performance as the protagonist, one can't help but applaud this movie for doing something that modern horror has failed to do of late, which is be both unsettling and entertaining at the same time, whilst never losing sight of the truly macabre and satirical (perhaps that's four things). One ace in the hole is Elijah Wood, who sheds the baby fat and gives his all to this performance, which takes some getting used to, but once you settle in, it is an inspired piece of casting. It is a strong point of this movie to see the places that Wood goes to portray the character, which at times does feel strained, as we know him to be Frodo, the epitome of all that is good in this world. However, it's because we are seeing Frodo that makes this even creepier and much more believable. Add to this a heavy 80s synth soundtrack which would not look out of place in Winding Refn's Drive (2011) and this is a fun night. Be warned you will need quite a strong stomach, but it is earnest in its shocks and unflinching in its gore.
A really effective and nasty horror which really does feel fresh in the modern era of jump scare chills.