Maniac (1963)

Kerwin Mathews plays Jeff Farrell, an American painter on vacation in the South of France. He is soon caught between two females: a bar owner named Eve Beynat (Nadia Gray) and her stepdaughter Annette (Liliane Brousse), although ultimately decides to pursue the older woman. He then gets mixed up in the effort to help Eves' husband escape from incarceration in a mental asylum. Much to his regret, of course.Written and produced by the great Hammer screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, "Maniac" is a fairly efficient film combining romance and chills. It's very nicely shot in the actual Carmarque region of France, with a pleasing amount of black & white widescreen visuals. Sangsters' story is engaging, and although some people may see some of its twists coming, it's the twist delivered to us in the closing minutes that makes it all worthwhile.Mathews comes off as a real jerk at first, although it's revealed that he wasn't getting along with the companion (Justine Lord) he has at the start of the film. He's okay, but some of the supporting players come off better. Donald Houston is a good poster boy as the crazed Henri, Brousse is appealing, Norman Bird very likeable as easygoing cop Monsieur Salon, and Hammer repertory player George Pastell is once again solid as a rock in the role of a savvy police inspector.This does suffer a little from an antagonist who's rather like a Bond villain who wastes time chattering away, and will also leave the hero's presence, convinced that everything will go according to plan.In general, good entertainment given capable direction by Hammer executive / sometime filmmaker Michael Carreras.Seven out of 10.

Maniac is one of the lesser known of Hammer's "psychological thrillers" made in black and white around the 1960's. It's not fiendishly clever enough to be really memorable but it does have a few interesting twists. Basically the plot sees Kerwin Mathews stranded in a small French town where he books into a hotel and starts to feel attracted to the owners sexy young step-daughter. Soon after this, he also starts feeling attracted to the more mature but still sexy step-mother as well! Apart form this love triangle, there is a further problem, in that the missing family member in this scenario is the father, who is currently locked up in an asylum for a violent blow-torch murder committed years ago…now but he wants out, and our hero is about to be roped into aiding in his escape! The film doesn't hang together very well for the beginning hour or so, sadly mainly due to Kerwin Mathews' wooden performance. Seeing him flirt with the daughter and then casually drop her and turn to her mother left me feeling quite disconnected from the plot as I found him a very unlikeable character. However when the plot to spring the insane killer gets going, things get to be more fun, and its after this point that a few nice twists start being revealed. I didn't guess the ending, which I am glad to say.The movie is nicely shot, and makes a lot of use of it's location, with some very nice location filming, especially a very odd ruin/cave which features in the finale. Although why it's set in France at all is of no consequence, they really could have used the exact same plot and just stayed put in England. Anyway it's nice to see these old movies again, and luckily this is out on DVD. It's worth a look.

So much of the dialog exchanges between a French mother and daughter is hardly discernible (to American ears), that MANIAC, with its complex plotting, is sometimes difficult to follow. Only Kerwin Mathews, as the hunky artist who finds himself attracted to both women, is fully understandable. Not so understandable is why he allows himself to be taken in so easily by the manipulating Nadia Gray.The acting is only so-so, almost indifferent when it should be strong, so the suspense is further undercut by the underwhelming performances of the principal cast. Only Donald Houston, as the villainous Henri, gives a vivid and chilling performance.Filmed in B&W amid some interesting locations, it has too many twists and turns before it ends rather limply in a deserted quarry. But those thick French accents really needed a good dubbing job.

A good script from Hammer stalwart Jimmy Sangster who also wrote the excellent Paranoiac, and matched by sharp direction and photography. A shame, then, that the cast are such a let-down. The well-known ham Donald Houston lives down to his reputation - his voice was dubbed, a pity that his performance couldn't be erased. The French actress Lillian Brousse is excellent as the innocent daughter, but the American Kerwin Matthews makes for a very anodyne lead. The rest of the cast are British, utilizing French accents straight out of 'Allo 'Allo. Hammer have made some excellent non-horror movies such as Taste of Fear, and but for the dreadful acting this could have been one of them.