31 Days of Horror- Day 13: Maniac (1980)

(dir. William Lustig)

Analysis Film Releasing Corporation

One of the most controversial films of all time, the cult classic Maniac follows serial killer, Frank Zito as he stalks women, murders them, and adds their scalps to his collection of preserved mannequins. 

Maniac is a filthy film, so much so that it’s alive with it.  It’s grimy right down to its very pores, every film cell choked by the cinematic reek of cum-stained movie theater seats, cigarette smoke, and back alley butchershops whose meat has soured from fear induced night sweats. The film’s miniscule budget ($350,000) and guerilla style filmmaking certainly has a large role in creating this utterly dismal depiction of New York and its godless inhabitants. But the soul of the film, that filth and reek embodied can be solely attributed to the film’s lead and screenwriter Joe Spinell, and his transformative performance as Frank Zito. When we talk about the body language of monsters, it’s hard not to immediately think of Boris Karloff’s Frankenstein. Spinell gives us a monster that’s just as worthy, just as complete in its conception in Maniac. He’s captivating to watch, and yet gives off such a disgusting presence as Zito that we don’t want to, yet we can’t turn away. With his deep-set eyes, strong Italian features, and large physical presence, Spinell cuts a sharp contrast to the traditional meek and slender depiction of the serial killer. When out about town, Zito exudes confidence and charm. Despite lacking classic looks, women are drawn towards Zito, like the clean-cut and gorgeous photographer Anna (Caroline Munro). Zito is able to camouflage his predatory nature in a way that becomes believable, so much so that for brief moments we can almost forget what he is. It’s only when Zito returns to his dank inner sanctum, and becomes overwhelmed by the abuse suffered as a child that a nebbish and disturbingly unhinged personality surfaces and makes unclean any notions of Zito’s normalcy.

While the murders are brutal, they’re not quite as disturbing as the film’s reputation would let on, particularly within the 21^st century. It’s not so much the execution of Zito’s killing spree that’s alarming, but the tone of it. There’s a detachment to them, a nihilistic deliberateness that earns a bit of queasiness. Maniac features some of the earliest work of effects legend Tom Savini, whose experience in Vietnam further tinges the film with a damp misery that’s so evident as a product of its time. The film’s climax remains a standout moment in practical effects, and pushes the film towards an achievement of its thematic conceit in such a way that’s simple yet memorable in its derangement. And the very idea of taking parts of women to create mannequins so loaded with subtext, and questions of masculine desire that even the seeming simplicity loses its varnish the more you delve into the undiagnosed psychosis at play here.

Scare Factor 3/5 While Maniac isn’t traditionally frightening, it does leave a lasting feeling of discomfort. Maniac is an essential part of horror history, and while it lacks the overt enjoyability of some of the other slasher movies on this list (not even its cheapness is a source of humor), it’s so unique in its vision that even if you don’t love it, I challenge you not to respect it.