After seeing the critic and user score for the movie on IMDb I wasn't expecting much, so I was a little confused after the first 10 minutes.
Right off the bat there were several promising signs. Firstly the dialogue was very quiet, like it was being filmed from a distance, the taxi cab is just as loud as the girls conversation. This forces the viewer to turn the volume up really loud creating a more enjoyable experience. It also made the characters seem smaller and vulnerable against the dark, busy, loud city streets.
Interesting thoughts thus far, and I agree with your articulation.
Secondly the characters were both female, and not the tough type either. They're the vulnerable type, and they're nice girls, neither wanting to take the only cab and leave the other one alone. Its not like a lot of horror movies where you're supposed to root for an asshole jock and his friends or a serial killer. There's no reason to not root for the girl
The way the killer cut the power to the first girls apartment building was definitely done in a maniacal violent fashion, living up to the title.
No creepy music slowly building to a crescendo, just a bit of heavy breathing, a vulnerable girl, and a dark hallway with no power. Very well done. The stabbing through the mouth was very realistic looking, imo.
I have no disagreement here as well. And I agree at the realism of the kill.
I would say, though, that the one girl walking alone while noticing Wood's character in the van was a bit unbelievable. But I guess it happens.
We're off to a promising start, if you're looking for a horror/thriller.
Unfortunately from there on out it was just a steady stream of horrific realistic killings, with maybe 3 minutes of "explanation " for his actions.
Generally horrors don't have a lot of depth, and I'd say this one has more than most. The explanation came out in his flashbacks of his mom, and, after the dinner date with his first victim, the psychological turmoil of not being able to "have just one."
Myself, I liked the fact his motives weren't spelled out more than this.
Why was he able to control himself around Anna but around everyone else he was a psychopath?
First, Anna came to him and appreciated his craftsmanship. In fact she wanted pictures and to include the manequins in her show. She also demonstrated trust with the introduction. So there was actually a lot of reasons why he had a different reaction, control with her.
How could someone that fucked up run their own business? He was batshit crazy and tried to murder every good looking girl he saw, and he had no customers... how did he get a mannequin shop?
The store was passed down, a family business. It looked like a low-rent area of town. Also, it seemed like buyers would be special collectors, not Sears women-section managers. The one restoration Anna thought was beautiful was from the 1930s or something like that. Next, he didn't come across as wealthy driving an old van and whatnot. A lot of family businesses get passed along on a shoestring budget and survive if there's no mortgage and little/no staff. Perhaps there had been an inheritance too, who knows.
He said it was his Mom's but she was a hooker so... it's unlikely she started her own mannequin restoration store.
It's unclear if she actually was a hooker or more likely IMO, a woman who inherited her parents business, had a shlub of a husband or bf who left her as a single lonely mother looking for affections wherever she could find them. Maybe she supplemented her shop hooking, but we don't know. All of this is very plausible and happens a lot (maybe not the hooking but the rest).
Why was it just a night time thing? He never killed during the day.
I don't think it's a stretch to think that most killings occur during the evening hours. And it was fall as when they were sitting by the pond, so the dark hours are longer than in the summer.
I guess because he saw his mom getting banged at night. Surely having a prostitute mom would be horrible but c'mon, lots of people have suffered worse and this guy was basically worse than the worst serial killer in history, all because he suffered from headaches and had a hooker mom. I don't buy it.
Not sure you can deduce worst killer in history. In the movie he killed 4 and Anna was his 5th. But the news were reporting the kills by the time he went after Anna's agent. So it seems he was in the final spiral.
Does he know you can buy wigs made of real human hair? No blood or rotting flesh, just human hair and a hair net. No scalping people required... that whole putting the scalps on mannequins thing was ridiculous.
He was obviously not mentally right, so he wasn't thinking in a logical way like you or I might. Further, the lines between reality and fantasy had been coming in and out of focus for some time. The fact that there were only the four or five mannequins with scalps was indicative of his final descent into madness. And BTW, I believe there was a painter who gouged his own eyes out.
This is just garbage designed to make attractive women terrified to go outside. The director seems like the Hollywood version of a bully-cop out for revenge on the cool kids and hot chicks through horrible pointless movies like this.
I think you might be reading more into this than warranted. Of course a horror movie is meant to elicit fear though.
Just take a look at a picture of
Director, Franck Kalhoun on IMDb. it screams out mindless hipster sheep. There's nothing original about this guy, he's a hack.
I never even thought to look up what the director looks like. I don't think I've ever done this lol. It seems this film evoked some feelings in you anyway.
If it wasn't for the SMC I would've shut this off, instead I'm just playing on my phone as it plays in the background.
Ok we get it, he's insane. How many long ass uncomfortable murder scenes with women screaming and begging for their life do we have to sit through? I don't hate women. This is just pointless and horrible to watch. There's no redeeming value for me.
If the guy was hideous and didn't always act like a psychopathic creep this would make a lot more sense. The girls were right to run from him.
The ending was symbolic of... how stupid the movie is. Sorry but this is awful.
Using first person was... stupid. As if the only thing stopping me from relating to psychopathic serial killers is the camera angle. Give me a break.
3/10
Not all good movies wrap up with a bow. I'm guessing you don't watch too many horrors, but many are even more pointless than this one. In the end he actually was found out by police in the hell of his living space.
This story isn't that dissimilar to real life serial killers. The guy (Ed Gein, I believe) who inspired The Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies actually had a similar childhood in some ways to the Maniac. Then, women started missing in Ed's town. By the time they investigated his farmhouse, they found lampshades made of women's skin, and furniture made from bones etc. It was a literal horror house. The documentary is on youtube and a real eye-opener. Many of the most horrific serial killers murdered dozens of victims in unbelievable ways. So really, this film was quite realistic in that regard.
Anyway, thanks for the write-up. I can see how this film wouldn't be appreciated by everyone.
