William Lustig's original MANIAC remains one of the most gory, ferocious serial-killer movies ever made, so when I heard about this remake I was a bit leery. On one hand it's pretty much its own movie, with the two main characters completely different in behavior and tone than Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro. And, with a nod to all the "found footage" movies of the past decade, this entire film is shown through the eyes/POV of the main character. It even begins with a very bloody scalping in the opening sequence. But...I found this disappointing, not packing anywhere near the punch of the first version. And I kept on waiting for WILFRED to pop up since I identify Elijah Wood more with that television program than anything else. I suspect viewers will be equally divided on this flick.
William Lustig's original MANIAC remains one of the most gory, ferocious serial-killer movies ever made, so when I heard about this remake I was a bit leery. On one hand it's pretty much its own movie, with the two main characters completely different in behavior and tone than Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro. And, with a nod to all the "found footage" movies of the past decade, this entire film is shown through the eyes/POV of the main character. It even begins with a very bloody scalping in the opening sequence. But...I found this disappointing, not packing anywhere near the punch of the first version. And I kept on waiting for WILFRED to pop up since I identify Elijah Wood more with that television program than anything else. I suspect viewers will be equally divided on this flick.
