Maniac (The 2012 Remake)

Maniac (2012)

Runtime: 89 minutes

Directed by: Franck Khalfoun

Starring: Elijah Wood, Nora Arnezeder, America Olivo, Genevieve Alexandra, Liane Balaban

From: Several different studios, including Canal +

Before I watched this remake of the 1980 Maniac starring Joe Spinell, I figured it would be appropriate to watch for a second time the Joe Spinell Maniac. You can read that original review I did in 2011 here. Note that my opinion of the 1980 film hasn't changed; it's still something I rate highly, even if it isn't an easy movie to watch.

Now, onto this remake, which I've actually heard good things about. However, as has been reminded to me in the past week, many people praising a recent horror movie doesn't always mean a lot as I think that more often than not I'll strongly disagree with them and actually think they have low standards for what the genre is putting out in recent years. Sad to say the same thing goes for this remake.

The IMDb plot description, then what I said about it on Letterboxd: “As he helps a young artist with her upcoming exhibition, the owner of a mannequin shop's deadly, suppressed desires come to the surface.”

Right before I saw this movie I decided to rewatch the 1980 Maniac, starring Joe Spinell, which of course this is a remake of. The original version is still not an easy watch due to its claustrophobic feeling and how it gets under your skin with creepiness. The performance of Spinell was also a big asset in making it a memorable film.

I did not know what to expect from this movie; I thought it was kind of dumb to remake such a film as how can you improve it, and why would you change it except to make something that's just not the same as the original? Still, I went into this with an open mind and I thought the gimmick of the movie being a first person view through the eyes of the killer protagonist was certainly different and yet it sounded like a cool bit of experimentation.

Unfortunately, I wasn't too big a fan of this movie or its version of Frank Zito. I knew there'd be trouble from the first kill, which in a few ways made no sense; also early on you hear a popular song infamous from its usage in a popular horror-related movie and I sighed that they were SO obvious in using such a song as it was just needless to use it. It's been spoofed in later movies, you know.

Sure, the movie has gruesome moments but the 1980 movie was more than that. The setting here is Los Angeles of modern times and you lose the sleazy feeling of New York City from that era and the vibe of how the '80 film included scenes that were filmed without permits and this you get the “dangerous” vibe; not here. “Way over the top” is how you describe Frank when he has his “episodes”; it was more goofy than scary or chilling. And there are a few times where you lose the first person aspect and you get a third person view of the lead; I did not get that at all. Getting to see Zito in mirrors on a frequent basis got to be a bit much.

Also, showing Frank's mom in another over the top element to be a drug-abusing tramp... explaining Frank's past too much was just not needed. and that's an unfortunate trend in recent years, overexplaining things that didn't really need it. Eh, oh well; at least the final 15 or so minutes before the end credits were funny, even if that wasn't the intention; I just laughed due to how silly and goofy a lot of the elements were.

I did note hate this movie; it had some moments. I just didn't get why many have rated this so highly as to me I can't help but compare it to the Joe Spinell Maniac and in that regards it's clearly inferior.

I'll return early tomorrow night.