The remake of the 1980 cult-classic horror flick, MANIAC, has been making the rounds this year, generating a solid buzz for its unique style and bloody, sadistic kills. Of course, with HIGH TENSION’s Alexandre Aja on writing duties and his frequent collaborator Franck Khalfoun at the helm, I’d expect no less. It may seem out-of-the-box casting for frequent Hobbiteer Elijah Wood to be playing a sick, murdering psycho, but let’s not forget how perfect he was as Kevin in SIN CITY. Whether he’s got hairy feet, long fingernails, or just a knife and an appetite for scalps, I think Wood has done all right in diversifying himself.
Today, we have a look at the first six minutes of MANIAC, which is a creepy, POV stalking sequence that’s quite engaging. It may not rewrite the book on horror, but it still gets the blood pumping. Anytime I watch a horror flick and get the sense that I want to start yelling at the potential victim to run/fight/call the police/or die in place, then I know something is working.
Check it out:
Here’s the synopsis:
Just when the streets seemed safe, a serial killer with a fetish for scalps is back and on the hunt. Frank is the withdrawn owner of a mannequin store, but his life changes when young artist Anna appears asking for his help with her new exhibition. As their friendship develops and Frank’s obsession escalates, it becomes clear that she has unleashed a long-repressed compulsion to stalk and kill
And, here’s the NSFW trailer to give you an idea of just how bloody this thing is:
IFC Midnight bought the rights to MANIAC, but have not made any announcements in terms of release. Expect MANIAC to hit VOD and/or a limited theatrical run sometime in 2013.