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Maniac (2012) remake of 1980 original
The film was released in 2012 which is a remake of the banned original film from 1980. It is directed by French director Franck Khalfoun. This is his second horror film after P2 with a similar stalker theme to it. It's now Elijah Wood's turn to be seen in the new light. The director's attractive French compatriot Nora Arnezeder is the potential victim we are supposed to route for. Alexandre Aja who has written the Hills Have Eyes and Mirrors which starred Kiefer Sutherland devised the screenplay.
The film is projected through Frank's(Wood) compulsive stalking and bodily trophies extracted from the serial killer's victims. This leads us to his relationship with the mannequins which grab the attention of French photographer Anna (Arnezeder). Is this a chance for the stalker to redeem and stop his grisly habits? We have a few flashbacks in relation to his mother(America Olivio) were a child had witnessed what a child should not witness.
Throughout most of the film we see Frank via his mirror reflections and most of the scenes through his eyes. It is almost like we are stalking like Michael Myers breathing behind his mask in the original Halloween franchise. The experience wanted to make the viewers disturbingly feeling Frank's compulsion to stalk and wanting him to succeed to killing his prey. When the first kill is carried out it's made to look very comical. The killer is painted as very timid and vulnerable as a killer with a conscience (unlike Dexter who had better vigilante intentions) with mommy issues of a different kind.
The stalking in the film looks unbelievably easy in terms of how he seems to go undetected because his victims notice him without any witnesses. With is mum being revealed as a drug addicted prostitute the film does not do enough to link those issues with his new found friendship with Anna and what he hopes to achieve from that. The film uses night lighting and blood in a way which is not too grisly and where you can stick to the plot without being repulsed. The film has an interesting mix of light colour in the background when with Anna as a form of light in the tunnel with the companionship.
The film has some interesting ideas but does not quite build on them as much as it could have and does not elaborate on the killer's motives behind using the mannequins as his trophies. The film is not a scary as one would have liked and ends up being a sordid love story with no one to really route for or sympathise with. Frank's timidness with characters in the form of domineering men and women is a slight reminder of Frodo. I will recommend this film to those who are intrigued stalker films just for the fun of it.
The film was released in 2012 which is a remake of the banned original film from 1980. It is directed by French director Franck Khalfoun. This is his second horror film after P2 with a similar stalker theme to it. It's now Elijah Wood's turn to be seen in the new light. The director's attractive French compatriot Nora Arnezeder is the potential victim we are supposed to route for. Alexandre Aja who has written the Hills Have Eyes and Mirrors which starred Kiefer Sutherland devised the screenplay.
The film is projected through Frank's(Wood) compulsive stalking and bodily trophies extracted from the serial killer's victims. This leads us to his relationship with the mannequins which grab the attention of French photographer Anna (Arnezeder). Is this a chance for the stalker to redeem and stop his grisly habits? We have a few flashbacks in relation to his mother(America Olivio) were a child had witnessed what a child should not witness.
Throughout most of the film we see Frank via his mirror reflections and most of the scenes through his eyes. It is almost like we are stalking like Michael Myers breathing behind his mask in the original Halloween franchise. The experience wanted to make the viewers disturbingly feeling Frank's compulsion to stalk and wanting him to succeed to killing his prey. When the first kill is carried out it's made to look very comical. The killer is painted as very timid and vulnerable as a killer with a conscience (unlike Dexter who had better vigilante intentions) with mommy issues of a different kind.
The stalking in the film looks unbelievably easy in terms of how he seems to go undetected because his victims notice him without any witnesses. With is mum being revealed as a drug addicted prostitute the film does not do enough to link those issues with his new found friendship with Anna and what he hopes to achieve from that. The film uses night lighting and blood in a way which is not too grisly and where you can stick to the plot without being repulsed. The film has an interesting mix of light colour in the background when with Anna as a form of light in the tunnel with the companionship.
The film has some interesting ideas but does not quite build on them as much as it could have and does not elaborate on the killer's motives behind using the mannequins as his trophies. The film is not a scary as one would have liked and ends up being a sordid love story with no one to really route for or sympathise with. Frank's timidness with characters in the form of domineering men and women is a slight reminder of Frodo. I will recommend this film to those who are intrigued stalker films just for the fun of it.
Last edited by Nazcar; 10-19-15 at 03:41 PM.
Reason: Typo
