Blistering performances.

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Maniac is a gristly, nasty and misogynist horror film. For those such as myself that enjoy this stuff, Maniac is powerful and well done. The film is a collaborative creation between character actor Joe Spinell and director William Lustig. This is a rare opportunity for Joe to act as the lead and he kills it in this film. He totally brings it with a totally intense performance and presence as well as having many layers to this complex and creepy character. Spinell is a brooding loner with some serious issues with his mother, where over the course of the film he runs wild by killing and scalping women in the mean streets of The Rotten Apple. Set in 1980 NYC and taking cues from Taxi Driver, the film is very gritty and sleazy in style and ultra violent in its execution. Plus add gorgeous actress Caroline Monroe ( who had great chemistry with leading man Joe Spinell) and awesome Tom Savini gore and you have one hell of a horror movie. The film has great camera work and an awesome score to boot. This movie when it was released in 1980 was very controversial upon the time of its release and in my opinion is one of the most well made movies of this type. Maniac is a film that lives up to its name and as such is a very disturbing and brutal horror film, absolute classic.

Maintaining a stable relationship with a glamorous photographer proves difficult for a recluse who murders and scalps women on the side in this iconic horror film. While 'Maniac' might sound like a black comedy from the outset, everything is handled in a dark, dramatic manner so that we always feel for the killer's tormented soul, his yearning for stability and inability to control his urges. His psychology leaves a bit to be desired (the film is hazy regarding the mother issues driving him to kill) but Joe Spinell is solid in the lead role and there are several great graphic moments - like a head blown off through a windshield - that resonate due to Tom Savini's expert makeup effects. The film does not offer a whole lot in the way of suspense since we know that each of Spinell's victims WILL meet a grisly demise, but as a pure thriller, it is totally engaging. Jay Chattaway's score is utterly atmospheric and the film is held together by a constant sense of doom and paranoia even when the storyline sometimes seems like a mere excuse for one brutal murder after another. The relationship between Spinell and the photographer (played by Caroline Munro) is intriguing too. There seems to be a bit of a Travis Bickle/Betsy element to it; amazement comes from how well Spinell can be pretend to be normal, with us as viewers just waiting for Munro to catch on. The film might have been better received in its day had more focus been given to this angle over the grisly slayings, but the film still does well with a preservation agenda as Spinell waxes poetic about the power of a photograph to keep one forever.

The beginning of the 80s saw a glut of slasher films being released on the public. Many of these were, naturally, holiday-themed films playing off the success of HALLOWEEN. Then, there were the grimier slashers films, often bordering on exploitation, sometimes known as Splatter films for their rampant blood and gore. Make no mistake, this movie falls firmly into that category, but it is, in my opinion, the best of that bunch and stands out above a pack of forgettable movies.One of the first things that really stands out to me is the dirtiness of the film, on several levels. Taken literally, the movie was shot on 16 mm film, which lends itself well to a feeling of being someone's nasty little home movie. The background of a pre-cleaned up New York City plays into this as well. This is almost a perfect snapshot document of what the city felt like in 1980. The dirtiness, also, applies, of course, to the subject matter. These aren't the typically elaborate, fantasized killings of a Jason Voorhees movie, where the viewer is left with a certain naughty glee. These are brutal killings done to terrified women in real world situations. The result of all of this is a feeling that you are watching something you shouldn't be.This certainly translates into Joe Spinnell's character as well. Again making a connection to the more popular slasher films, we don't have an "anti-hero" here. This isn't some comic book slasher cracking one-liners while dispensing teens in fun ways. Much like HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER, this is a true psychopath who feels like a fully fleshed character. You might see this guy pop up on an A&E documentary about violent crime. That, to me, adds to the gritty realism of this movie. Lustig pushes that further by making the villain the main character. Unlike a traditional slasher where we follow a "final girl" while she brings us through the story, this movie focuses squarely on Spinnell's maniac and brings us the world through his eyes.Of course, all of this would not have made this film such an underground legend were it not for the incredible effects of Tom Savini. At this time, TS was the undisputed master in horror efx and was making a killing (get it) pumping out effects for slasher movies. This might be his absolute best work, though. The shotgun scene and the final climax are phenomenal work that still hold up pretty well 35 years later. Even the "simple efx" like the scalpings are done well and look real. Again, this adds to the illusion of the movie for me. This isn't a Fulci or Romero movie with candy colored gore and over-the- top efx. All of it adds to this feeling of watching a snuff film.If you're a fan of stuff like LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT or the aforementioned HENRY, this movie is definitely up your alley.

(83%) This is likely to get my vote for the greatest slasher movie ever made. It has a very poor image, mainly due to critics over the years claiming it to be more or less worse than Hitler. It is violent, but then it is about a murderer, so what did you expect? Joe Spinell is really damn good playing this very sick, yet very believable killer. The part of this movie that sets it aside from the rest of the pack for me is when Spinell's character forms a relationship with a female photographer that's handled in a completely real and genuine way, mainly thanks to the decent script and good performances, as it then soon becomes clear that this guy is much more than just a brainless, on the loose madman, but something much more dangerous. The stalking scenes in the subway are some of the most intense parts of any movie I've ever seen that along with everything else help make this a highlight amongst all 70's and 80's slasher horrors. A grimy classic.