Maniac (William Lustig, 1980)
I Warned You Not To Out Tonight
Bill Lustig's 1980 slasher classic is pure, undeniable sleaze, and also one of the all-time greats of the horror genre. It's not difficult to see why... Maniac was a labour of love for Joe Spinell, who conceived the idea, co-wrote the script, and dominates the film with his tour-de-force performance of serial killer Frank Zito.
As with Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer, Frank Zito's childhood was marred by an abusive mother, who could well have been a prostitute. Mentally scarred, Frank goes on a killing spree, killing only women and scalping them, then later re-imagining his victims onto creepy, blood-stained mannequins.
The sleazy NYC setting helps set the tone of the movie, as does the soundtrack by Joe Chattaway, who provides us with a slow hum throughout, which counter-balances Zito's near constant, sadistic growling.
FX maestro Tom Savini (pictured below, with Spinell on the left) created the excellent blood & gore, most of which stand up very well by today's standards. Cheeky Tom also cameos in spectacular style!
It's Spinell's performance, though, that really makes Maniac stand out. His performance is spellbinding, and elevates the film above and beyond the usual American slasher film. A sleaze classic not to be missed!
FYI: Maniac's director, Bill Lustig is a maestro of sleaze & exploitation. Check out his label's web site
'blue-underground.com'. Maniac was re-made a few years ago, and it was tripe. Utter bollocks. As I've said before, nothing is sacred.
If you have the DVD version, it's not worth getting the Blu-ray, as the video always did look like crap (which actually helps the experience!) The Blu-ray does have some new extras, though, and should be recommended for serious fans only. I also own the old Anchor Bay released limited edition tin DVD (left). This version included the soundtrack on a bizarre 'Zito's head' CD, which was the picture link from the sleaze menu. Happy viewing!
