Maniac (UK)
I warned you not to go out tonight
Certificate: 18
Running Time: 85 mins
Retail Price: £14.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie
Synopsis:
Frank Zito (Joe Spinell) is a deeply disturbed man, haunted by the traumas of unspeakable child abuse. When these horrific memories begin to scream inside his mind, Frank prowls the seedy streets of New York City to stalk and slaughter innocent young women. He takes their scalps as souvenirs and displays them on the heads of the mannequins he keeps dotted around his dingy apartment. Eventually he begins a relationship with a beautiful photographer (Caroline Munro) and attempts to submerge his sick, murderous urges. Yet the vile compulsions remain...
Special Features:
Audio commentary with director William Lustig, special make-up effects artist Tom Savini, editor Lorenzo Marinelli, and Joe Spinell`s assistant Luke Walter
Radio interview with William Lustig, Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro
`The Joe Spinell Story`
Theatrical trailers
TV spots
Radio spots
Gallery Of Outrage
Poster/still gallery
Talent bios
Directed By:
William Lustig
Written By:
Joe Spinell
C.A. Rosenberg
Starring:
Rita Montone
Kelly Piper
Gail Lawrence
Caroline Munro
Joe Spinell
Soundtrack By:
Jay Chattaway
Director of Photography:
Robert Lindsay
Editor:
Lorenzo Marinelli
Producer:
John Packard
William Lustig
Andrew W. Garroni
Executive Producer:
Joe Spinell
Judd Hamilton
Distributor:
Anchor Bay
Your Opinions and Comments
Frank Zito is a extremely disturbed man. His purpose in life seems to be kill women in the most brutal way possible. However, he meets a photographer, Anna, and seems to become sane enough to have a relationship with her. It`s not long before he reverts back to his old self and becomes totally insane.
As you can see from the above paragraph, the story is pretty minimal. The film`s main focus is the Frank Zito character.
Watching this film is like spending a day with a serial killer. You see the horrific murders he commits. You see him talking to wax dummies. You see him have disturbing memories of his abusive childhood. This is basically a study of the mind of a serial killer.
Unlike other horror films which have lots of fantasy elements in them, this film is more realistic because people like this do exist. This film is almost like a documentary at times. Joe Spinell does an excellent job of portraying Frank Zito. This isn`t that surprising considering he also wrote and co-produced the film so this is his project. He is the thing that holds this film together.
The picture quality is pretty good considering this film was shot on 16mm and then blown up to 35mm. At times, it isn`t easy to tell that it`s actually 16mm. The sound quality is Dolby Digital 5.1 and serves the film well. Incidentally, this film was originally recorded in Dolby Stereo.
Anchor Bay have presented plenty of extras for this disc. First is an audio commentary which was originally on the 1994 US laserdisc from Elite Entertainment. The commentary features director William Lustig, make up artist Tom Savini, editor Lorenzo Marinelli and P.A Luke Walter. This is a very enjoyable commentary which contains tons of interesting behind the scenes information. Next is a 51 minute documentary, The Joe Spinell Story, which looks at the life of the film`s star. Like the commentary, this is an excellent and informative documentary featuring contributions from people in the film industry and of friends and relatives of Spinell. Also included are a 19 minute radio interview with William Lustig, Joe Spinell and actress Caroline Munro, 7 trailers, 9 TV spots, radio spots, still gallery, talent bios and text information.
Maniac is a tough film to watch. Although I wasn`t particulary shocked by what saw, I can see others having problems with this film. This definetly not a film for everyone. The presentation of this film is excellent and Anchor Bay should be applauded for giving a film like this such good treatment.
If you want to watch this film, this DVD is the best way to experience it.