"Maniac" Remake in Production: Elijah Wood signs on.

Saw this the other night and thought it was pretty good. I was expecting a little more sleaze like the original had but it still works without. Also, there's at least two instances where the movie breaks from its POV perspective which kind of threw me out of the experience.

Spoiler

There's some issues with characters, (mainly one) who finds out maniac's secret life a little too easily and reacts a little too over the top for someone how shouldn't be entirely sure if they're right about what they suspect. I really didn't feel like that scene worked at all and found it slightly humorous.

I also thought the train station chase scene wasn't as effective here. All that aside though I enjoyed it. Elijah Wood was great and the POV style was interesting. I'd give it a 7.5/10.

 

Goddamnit...the German BD doesn't work in my Insignia. I have the French Steelbook preordered, but I still haven't been able to see this. Can anybody help a brother out? I'll pay...BD rip, DVD rip, anything...I am dying to see this.

 

Don't you have the means to download it yourself?

 

No...I currently don't have the Internet...only access through mobile phone or I would have downloaded it myself.

 

I have a reasonably decent quality copy atm (apparently 720p). I could help you out but I'm not sure how much shipping would cost.

 

I originally couldn't picture Elijah Wood as the said maniac. He does however look convincing in this photo.

 

He was pretty fucked up as a psycho in "Sin City" as well.
And looked kinda psycho in the Lord of the Rings movies, when the ring´s power made him a bit nutty towards the end.

So I never doubted him in the role.

 

Why is this taking so long to get a dvd/Blu-ray release in the USA?????

 

Probably because it's doing limited theatrical first. Opens June 21st in the US.

 

just got word from IFC/MPI that Maniac Remake will be a Halloween treat in October!!!

 

nice!

 

So I had a ticket to see this on Halloween 2012 in NYC. But hurricane Sandy hit that week and the phone lines at Lincoln Center were down, so I couldn't confirm if the movie was still screening and I was in Jersey so I didn't go. I found out later that it did screen and I've been kicking myself ever since. Well I finally saw the MANIAC remake last weekend. My opinion is.. If this was not a remake, it would be an instant horror classic. But it is a remake, and therefore i could not help comparing it to one of the all time great slashers. I'll say this much. The music and photography are brilliant. I was a bit disappointed with The casting of Elijah Wood. He did his best, but he's no Joe Spinell. I think I might grow to like him better in future viewings. Also the murders are not as good as the original. There's plenty of gore, but nothing stands out like the infamous shotgun scene. On the plus side, i actually felt a little scared for the first time in a looong time. This is a creepy, sleazy movie, and the film nailed the early 80's feel in many places. So although I seriously hate all these inferior remakes of classic horror films, the MANIAC remake is pretty damn good.

 

http://twitchfilm.com/2013/06/review-maniac-makes-no-apologies-for-sadistic-gore.html

A review at Twitch.

 

I have to admit this was a very respectable remake. The POV style is what really makes this film stand out from other modern day slasher films, most of which that just seem to rip off better films in the subgenre. A nice amount of gore, nudity, and overall sleaze, and the little homages here and there gave me a good laugh as well ("Goodbye Horses" anyone?). That aside, it is far from a perfect film. Although Elijah Wood pulled off psychotic way better than I anticipated, there is a number of moments where he just goes way over the top and it becomes too campy for my taste. In addition, I felt the film could of done more to build its own identity, instead of recreating almost every sequence from the original, particularly the ending of the film.

Rating: 7/10

 

Yeah agreed....aside from Wood going a tad over board when he'd talk to himself, I thought he did great....far better than I had anticipated. His love interest totally bombed though..certainly no Caroline Munro. The only other complaint I have is they didn't even try and attempt a headshot scene...kinda disapointing. But other than that it stayed pretty true to the original with a few creative changes.

But yeah...this certainly was a great remake especially compared to the shit that is currently getting wide theatrical distribution.

I loved the opening...it really captures your attention quick. The gore was pretty good, no overtly noticeable CGI. I was cringing when that one chick was getting repeatidly stabbed in the back...that looked harsh as hell.

The soundtrack was the best part of the flick...totally blown away they decided on the all synth score...it also makes these flicks much more moody not having to hear some stock music cues or some totally generic orchestrated piece.

 

Due October 15th. Preorder now up on Amazon:

DVD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...eASIN=B00DPUB5EW&linkCode=as2&tag=cinema09-20
Blu: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...eASIN=B00DPUB57Y&linkCode=as2&tag=cinema09-20

I was shocked by how much I liked this. I expected it to be too gimmicky, but I really think they pulled it off.

 

The blu is down to $12.93 at Amazon! Preorder locked.

 

Not bad at all, would recommend this. I get the Drive/80s love. But can't get over the distracting soundtrack ripoff of the '82 cat people remake. Fantastic use of synths but come on....

 

Ripoff?...I believe the word you intended to use is "homage".

 

Blu preorder down to $10.96 at Amazon