Maniac

2012 Directed by Franck Khalfoun

I Warned You Not to Go Out Tonight.

As he helps a young artist with her upcoming exhibition, the owner of a mannequin shop's deadly, suppressed desires come to the surface.

Elijah Wood America Olivo Nora Arnezeder Zoe Aggeliki Jan Broberg Joshua De La Garza Dan Hunter Genevieve Alexandra Liane Balaban Megan Duffy Luis Fernandez-Gil Aaron Colom Akbar Kurtha Sal Landi Délé Ogundiran Bryan Lugo Ron Reznik Devra Korwin Steffinnie Phrommany Mike McCarty Brian Ames Patrick Orr Mic Rodgers Sammi Rotibi Rochelle Rudolph Lauren Emily Vaughan Steven James Williams

Alternative Titles

Maniac 2012, Maniac Uncut, Manijak, Маньяк

horror

89 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Eli Hayes ★★★★★ 18

I said it once and I'll say it again:
Still the most affecting horror film of the 21st century.
Unquestionably, in my eyes. This is cinematic brilliance.
One of the finest pieces of psychological filmmaking out there.
Khalfoun, Aja, Levasseur, and Wood - you guys are amazing.
Review by Hollie Horror ★★★★ 20

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

I was quite excited to finally get my grimy hands on a blu-ray release of Maniac but I must say, I still approached Maniac with slight apprehension. There were only two things that caused misgivings and they were the possible use of too much CGI and the sweet, lovable Elijah Wood. Thankfully, both proved to be premature prejudice against a remake of the slimy original with the same name.
Ten years ago I spent a lot of whiny, internet-time complaining about remakes in the horror genre. Ten years later and the remake pods have completely taken over and I am a willing participant in viewing them now and then, and even enjoying them occasionally. There is a certain formula a…
Review by Ian West ★★★★½ 5

Taking such a infamous and highly vaunted early 80’s grindhouse messiah movie from slimy ny sleazefeast to modern day LA serial killer jam works swimmingly for me. I haven’t watched this in a good five years and to be honest, the first time I peeped this I went in with so much apprehension because of my intense Spinell/Lustig appreciation/love, but luckily remakes are never an issue for me like they are for so many fans—especially if it’s a different take on the subject matter.
Well, I loved it then and that still rings true in 2019. Lustig and Spinell’s Maniac means the world to me in its articulate take on the subject matter—turns out Khalfoun, Aja/Levasseur, and Wood’s mid 2010’s take does too. Plus, that score is fire and I kinda feel like Disasterpiece owes Rob a great deal for their It Follows soundtrack...
Review by Siegel™ ★★★★½ 9

Maniac is an astoundingly affecting psychological horror film. It fully places us in the exact same position as the psycho. We are in his shoes but not his mind. We are horrified by his actions in the exact same way he is, and his disassociative voice adds to this effect. The camera acts as his eyes, always making us aware of where his focus lies, and we feel uncomfortable as he spies on women in their dressing rooms or sweeps the room in futile attempts looking for just the right girl to maybe be the one he won't murder this time. The score is disturbing and uneven, directly reflecting his tone, intensifying with him and calming down with him. His…
Review by Tony the Terror😼🏳️‍🌈 👻 ★★★★½ 9

An excellent remake of an excellent film. This one is dark and downbeat as hell and I love it. I also love how it still manages to give NY some of that 80’s sleaziness even though it’s 2012. Good job, Franck. That name is somehow infinitely cooler with a “C” added in. Just noticed that.
Nobody could replace Joe Spinell and I’m glad they didn’t try to do that. Instead, Elijah Wood is perfectly cast as someone who looks so harmless and innocent yet so incredibly creepy at the same time. How hot is that picture of his blood spattered face at the top of this page?? Yeah I know I’m weird.
Gonna have to rewatch the original now obvs.

Edit: it’s not NY in this one it’s LA! Who knew? Not me!
Review by Siegel™ ★★★★½ 16

original review
possibly the best slasher film of the 21st century so far
Review by Evan ★★★★ 7

Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood) aka Frank is one sick, twisted little bugger! He's a flat out Maniac! (hence the title of the film lol)
The music in this holy crap, it enhanced the movie so much more.
I didn't love the original, but it was really solid. This is probably the best horror remake ever. The first person point of view was just awesome for a movie like this. This movie was so dang creative!
Review by strongboy ★★★★★ 5

A pretty damn disturbing glimpse into the life of a deranged serial killer. Shot in the first person, we're with this sicko for the duration, as we see him looking for love in all the wrong places, and becoming gradually consumed by his own insanity.
Elijah Wood delivers a fantastic performance as the killer. Though we rarely see him, his presence is always felt as he really captures the anxiety of the character, giving the film a very uncomfortable vibe. Some really great special effects here too by the excellent artists at KNB FX Group.
As a fan of the original MANIAC movie I wasn't expecting much from this remake, but I was surprised by how well it turned out.
Review by Eli Hayes ★★★★★

the perfect psychological horror film.
Review by Cameron ★★★★ 11

Well I suppose there's no better way to summerise this movie, than the title itself...
Frank kills ladies and scalps them, because his mum banged dudes in front of him and abused him, a pretty classic serial killer background. In fact this has the ring of Norman Bates, the dillusions etc surrounding a mother figure, so it's a similar story played on film before. Not that I've seen the original of this though, I really want too now!
This movie is so nasty, ugly, sleazy and just straight up awkward as well! Elijah Woods dialogue is constantly cringe worthy, it's just as bad as the grotesque gore splattered about! The acting from all characters is fine and so is Elijah…
Review by marcricov ★★★★★ 2

William Lustig’s psychological slasher, Maniac, was considered nothing short of grungy, exploitative trash on its release in 1980. Produced by a group of pornographers, it was film that lacked the craft of an intelligent storyteller, and served no purpose but shock with its use of misogyny and long takes of gratuitous violence.
Yet, it wasn’t so much the subject matter that worked against its success as a horror movie, but rather, contending up against other films in the past that had already explored similar territory with much more care. Lustig’s slasher looked cheap and felt cheap, therefore it didn’t really have much going for it apart from a slightly imaginative back-story and some vicious kills.
Frank Khalfoun’s 2012 remake took…
Review by Matt Winfield ★★★★ 5

🌞Daily Horror Hunt #24 – June 2020🌞
4. Watch a horror remake.
Gotta be totally honest, I don't know which version of Elijah is creepier. Frank Zito: mannequin worshipping, perverted serial killer on the stalk. Or Norval Greenwood: nerdy hipster, just dying and lying for Daddy's love and affection. Choices, choices... too hard to choose. This month has given me a whole new perspective on young Elijah's career...
Oh yeah, I'm supposed to talk about Maniac! This is a KILLER update to one of my all-time fave slasher flicks! Instead of just replicating the greasy, gritty nature of Joe Spinell's iconic Frank Zito, stalking and slaying all over NYC. This does the smart move of shifting the perspective, almost entirely…

Recent reviews

Review by Jay Spratt ★★★★★

Hardcore Henry eat your heart out. This is THEE best first-person film. Beautiful score, cinematography, and acting. Elijah Wood is magnificent and eery as Frank, a truly disturbed yet soft-spoken Serial Killer. The kills where gut-wrenching.And the finale was magnificent.
Review by greyfrantika ★★★★★

“I just wanted to be with you!”
An incredibly dark and twisted remake of your standard sleazy slasher. This version goes way more in depth to the psychological and personal aspect of Frank and it really adds a lot to the story. Despite its relatively short runtime, Maniac grips you from the very beginning and never lets go. With the entire movie being almost entirely from the perspective of the killer, it’s impossible not to face the brutal murders that he commits. This is probably the only slasher I’ve seen that genuinely scares the shit out of me. A masterpiece in modern horror.
Review by Kaz Brighton ★★

Wig snatched
Review by stefxstefani ★★★★

slasher done right.
Review by Freddie Smith ★★★½

I kinda forgot I watched this before until I started it again, but damn Elijah is such a fantastic actor. Watch it for him.
Review by Sedat Tüzün ★★★

Ahh minik Hobbitim şen sapık mı oldun
Review by frankymoth ★★★½

If you want to feel absolutely vile after watching a film go for Maniac. First person POV serial killer preying on women in the literal most objectifying way. Elijah Wood <<33
Review by JICKJASH ★★

Blows its POV gimmick with a tentative execution and trades the dated issues of the 80' original for some modern ones that'll age just as poorly.
Review by Joaquin Herrera ★★★★

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

"Would you like to see my work?"
I wanted to see Elijah's wood :( but now I just feel disturbed
Review by klaudi ★★★★

😋😋😋
Review by kiera ★★★½

this felt like a jake gyllenhaal film
Review by PuppyMountain ★★★

Yeah it's a cool concept but it kinda isn't that exciting. I feel the original had more vibe.