Review
MANIAC. A Slasher Experienced from a Rare Perspective
Maniac is not your typical slasher. What sets it apart is its form, which allows the viewer to experience on-screen brutality from a rarely used perspective.
The slasher, as a subgenre of horror, has long been devouring its own tail. The reason for this can be found in the very nature of its conventions. After all, they are simple, predictable, and designed to trigger very specific emotional reactions. In short: the slasher is a cliché—one whose character we’ve come to accept, and even enjoy. There has never been much material in this field for creating original stories with the potential to surprise with something peculiar. This is why we get self-referential films like The Cabin in the Woods or Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, which comment on the frozen formulas of the subgenre. And this is also the source of the trend of remaking old hits, where a reheated dish is often served in a new, remarkably appetizing form.
One of the filmmakers who succumbed to this trend is Alexandre Aja, responsible for the parodic Piranha 3D and the remake of the famous The Hills Have Eyes. If anyone understands slasher conventions all too well, it’s this man. In 2012, he produced and co-wrote the remake of Maniac (1980), entrusting the directing to his colleague Franck Khalfoun, with whom he had worked on P2. How did the result of their collaboration turn out? Excellently! Maniac (2012) introduces us to Frank (Elijah Wood), a young, somewhat withdrawn owner of a mannequin store who spends his days restoring them.
By night, however, he becomes a ruthless murderer of women, indulging in scalping his victims. Frank’s psyche was shaped by childhood trauma. As the son of a prostitute, he frequently witnessed his mother’s sexual encounters. Unsurprisingly, this twisted his mind profoundly.
The not-very-original plot serves merely as a pretext to re-enter the territory of crime. And there wouldn’t be anything extraordinary about that, were it not for the way in which the events are presented on screen. Maniac stands out primarily thanks to its unusual form. We watch Frank’s murderous activity from a first-person perspective. The protagonist himself can only be seen in mirrors or during moments of ecstasy brought on by taking a victim’s life.
Thus, we are both witnesses to and perpetrators of the crimes. Throughout the film, I felt like I was playing an FPS shooter—except that the victims I was “eliminating” looked disturbingly real. This cinematographic device, previously used in films such as The Diving Bell and the Butterfly or Enter the Void, here provides a unique sense of authenticity in experiencing cinematic horror. And believe me, there is plenty to experience!
The cinematography, however, is not the only formal distinction of Maniac. The music also plays a crucial role. Its electronic-synth sound evokes the atmosphere of the ’80s and thus connects interestingly with the original film. In the best scene of the movie—at least in my opinion—the soundtrack plays a key role. One of Frank’s victims is killed to the rhythm of Q Lazzarus’s Goodbye Horses playing in the background. This gives the scene an extraordinarily perverse undertone, perfectly suited to the overall character of the film.
A word about the lead actor.
Elijah Wood is mostly associated with unequivocally positive characters. His youthful appearance and the nature of the roles he played contributed to this. However, with his role in Sin City (2005), shortly after The Lord of the Rings trilogy, he underwent an intriguing image transformation. A transformation so effective that it certainly opened the door for his casting in the Maniac remake. His Frank is a man who outwardly exudes calm but is internally broken and addicted to murderous desires. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing: a ruthless, perverse psychopath hiding in the body of an unremarkable everyman. Elijah Wood thus serves as a perfect example that not only actors with “angry” faces can convincingly embody a serial killer.
It is also worth noting the significant role of the protagonist’s primary tools of trade—mannequins. They are commonly seen as symbols of dehumanization and soullessness, and this motif is cleverly applied in the film. In the context of the story, the mannequins can be seen as a metaphor for the process the protagonist undergoes—one of progressive corruption and decay. At least, I had no doubts about this, especially after watching the highly suggestive finale.
Maniac is not your typical slasher. What sets it apart is its peculiar form, which allows the viewer to experience on-screen brutality from a rarely used perspective. True, it is largely based on conventional scenarios, but thanks to its magnetic atmosphere, it is impossible to remain indifferent to it. Alexandre Aja—who can surely be regarded as the father of Maniac’s success—emerges here as a leading deconstructor of horror, creatively reworking genre tropes. Let’s hope he keeps it up!
