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Maniac! (1980)

Maniac! (1980)
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Joe Spinell, who appeared in Taxi Driver, stars in this unsavory horror film as Frank Zito, a character reminiscent of an even more disturbed Travis Bickle. Frank is an embittered loser who talks to himself and his dead mother, stalks a pretty model (Caroline Munro), and spends his spare time brutally murdering women. He then scalps his victims and puts the trophies on mannequins which he takes to bed with him at night. An unpleasant film with a relentlessly downbeat tone, Maniac! features graphic, bloody special-effects makeup by cult favorite Tom Savini, who meets a gruesome end in a cameo as "Disco Boy." Highlights include a realistic scalping by Exacto knife and an exploding head. The ending takes an interesting twist as Spinell hallucinates his victims returning to life and tearing him limb from limb. Spinell and Munro reteamed in 1982 for The Last Horror Film. Adult film star Sharon Mitchell (whom director William Lustig discovered in The Violation of Claudia) appears briefly as a nurse. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

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Starring:
Joe SpinellCaroline Munro, (more)
Director(s):
William Lustig
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R
Format(s):
DVD  |  Blu-ray
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Synopsis of Maniac!

Joe Spinell, who appeared in Taxi Driver, stars in this unsavory horror film as Frank Zito, a character reminiscent of an even more disturbed Travis Bickle. Frank is an embittered loser who talks to himself and his dead mother, stalks a pretty model (Caroline Munro), and spends his spare time brutally murdering women. He then scalps his victims and puts the trophies on mannequins which he takes to bed with him at night. An unpleasant film with a relentlessly downbeat tone, Maniac! features graphic, bloody special-effects makeup by cult favorite Tom Savini, who meets a gruesome end in a cameo as "Disco Boy." Highlights include a realistic scalping by Exacto knife and an exploding head. The ending takes an interesting twist as Spinell hallucinates his victims returning to life and tearing him limb from limb. Spinell and Munro reteamed in 1982 for The Last Horror Film. Adult film star Sharon Mitchell (whom director William Lustig discovered in The Violation of Claudia) appears briefly as a nurse. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Theatrical Feature Running Time:
88 mins

Complete Cast of Maniac!


Director(s):
William Lustig
Writer(s):
Joe SpinellC.A. Rosenberg
Producer(s):
William LustigAndrew Garroni
Theatrical MPAA Rating:
R(Adult Language, Violence, Gore, Not For Children, Adult Situations)
Categories:
Horror
Warning:  This product is intended for mature audiences only. It may contain violence, sexual content, drug abuse and/or strong language. You must be 17 or older to purchase it. By ordering this item you are certifying that you are at least 17 years of age.

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Damon O.

Maniac at the time was too graphic to be released in theaters in 1980 but now it would fit right in. It lives up to it's name (ex. the shotgun scene). Joe Spinell gives a chilling performance as the title character. I'd recommend this to horror fans.

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IDALMIS T.

I was hoping to like this movie, but I just didn't. It felt like the middle of a movie the entire time, although I did actually turn it off in the middle. The guy's creepy breathing annoyed me after a while. I do think Joe Spinell's acting was good, but overall I would not recommend.

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JONATHAN R.

Can't leave out that Joe Spinell was Stallone's gangster boss in the original Rocky. Still some of Savini's best pre-CG effects and undoubtedly the greatest point blank shotgun death scene even filmed! Better in Blu-Ray! PS: He's a psychopathic overweight serial killer....you'd breath heavy too!

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