Maniac (2013)

Elijah Wood and Nora Arnezeder star in this 2012 horror remake of the 1980 film. Wood (The Faculty) plays Frank, a mentally disturbed, young man who is fixated on youthful beauty. He starts murdering women and removes their scalps to place on mannequins. Soon, he meets photographer, Anna (Arnezeder) and starts to fall for her. Eventually, Anna learns that Frank is not whom he appears to be. This is a pretty good remake, Wood is great in it, I like some of the POV shots and there's some gruesome make-up effects. I recommend this.

A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Last House on the Left, The Amityville Horror, Cabin Fever, The Wicker Man. These are all classic horror films. On the other hand, I believe these classic horror films have not been remade into classic remakes. In my opinion, many remakes fail to capture the energy, wisdom, and likeness of the original. It is very difficult to capture lightning in a bottle twice. Especially horror movies, many directors, producers, and writers of horror all tend to follow the same format, and end up being predictable, bland, and lifeless. However, director Franck Khalfoun (P2, High Tension) brings some new life into a cult classic, a new direction, and in my opinion a new better film. I believe that Maniac (2012) is a rare exception of the remake actually being better than the original. Much like the 1980 cult classic, Elijah Wood (Lord of the Rings, The Goodson) plays Frank. Frank is socially awkward, and a vicious serial killer. Frank collects the scalps' of his victims, and puts the finishing touches on his mannequins. One day he meets a beautiful, artistic woman, named Anna. Played by Nora Arnezeder (Safe House). The two bond, and everything seems to be going well at first. Elijah Wood may be short, and doesn't seem all that threatening. But he really does a fantastic job as the character Frank. Elijah Wood brings a new take on Frank, that we didn't see in the original. For example, in the remake we get more of an understanding and backstory (his childhood with his mother). The original was more of a typical slasher, violent guy, and killer with messy hair, etc. But Elijah Wood is a very normal looking guy, and I think that adds to the film. We almost feel sympathy towards him. Everything from his childhood, how people treat him, etc.I honestly believe this is the best film by Franck Khalfoun. He is becoming on of my favorite directors. He really brings a new artistic take on a very good cult classic. Even though he changes a few things from the original, he stays true to the original source material. For instance, the violence (train station ANKLE SNAP scene made me CRINGE). Also, this film has some of the best cinematography and camera scenes I've seen in a very long time. Every shot was gorgeous, and unique. I personally can't remember the last time I've seen a film, where a majority of the film is the main character's P.O.V. Maybe someone can let me know down in the comment section. The P.O.V. I thought was very well done, and it truly does add a to the movie. The viewer's literally get to go inside the killers world, and become apart of this character, both physically and mentally. So these are my final Bitchin' Buddha thoughts on Maniac (2012). I love this movie! This really is one of my favorite horror films, and just one of my favorite films in general. It's unique, gory for a reason, character development is good, and the cinematography/camera shots are something we don't usually see today. In my opinion, this is a blueprint on how to do a remake. Also, this would make a great double feature showdown. View the original, and this one back to back. Call me crazy, but I believe Maniac (2012) deserves...10/10!This review is brought to you by Boogie Buddha, and remember don't just get down, but get Boogie. Thank you for reading/viewing, and I hope you have an amazing day as always. :)

right off the bat i have to say that this is one of those rare occasions where a modern day remake is better than the source material. first off, Elijah Wood's betrayal as a mentally unstable killer is brilliant. Putting the audience inside the head of the killer puts a whole new spin off the antagonist in a slasher film. Another great characteristic of this film is the art direction. many of the shots/effects are not only beautiful, but they are clever especially in the first person narrative. This film definitely deserves a lot more recognition and should be shown to anybody who has interest into slasher flicks.

MANIAC is an unwanted remake of the classic Joe Spinell video nasty of the same name from 1980, a film about a psychopath with a habit of scalping women. This new version follows exactly the same story (right down to the horrific nightmare climax) with 'improved' CGI gore effects over the original, although I have to say they're nowhere near the quality of the much-remembered Tom Savini prosthetic effects work.In any case, this is an incredibly dark odyssey of murder and madness. I thought the material would have been watered down but this is just as grisly and depressing as the original. There's plenty of reason to watch, not least Elijah Wood who makes a good psychopath (as he did in SIN CITY); the whole film is shot through the killer's point of view which gives things an edgy, fresh feel. I loved the use of music and cinematography throughout, which reminded me of Refn's style in DRIVE, so it's a little bit of a shame that the story is so unrelentingly dark and miserable. I'd love to see an action or martial arts film done in this same POV style, though.