Maniac (1980)

(In French, On Cable TV, January 2021) The early-1980s slashers are easily at the bottom of my list of most despised genres. Boring and ultra-violent, they seldom amount to more than a collection of death sequences (usually filmed with far more gusto and affection than the rest of the film) loosely strung together. Maniac is a particularly nasty example of the form, combining gorier-than-usual special effects (from legend Tom Savini, who also plays a character destined to violent death—Savini got the role because he had a cast of his head ready to be blown up) with a repellent character study of a serial murderer. You can argue that this slightly different approach, not keeping the murderer in foggy mystery but entering his life openly, distinguishes Maniac from other examples of the genre and that’s probably true. (Star Joe Spinelli, of no great photogenic disposition, also wrote the script.) But it certainly doesn’t make the result any easier or more interesting to watch—it’s still a film in which a man kills several young women in terrible and voyeuristic ways and I’ve never understood the appeal of that. If that’s your thing, sure, have a look at Maniac. Otherwise, I’m going to enjoy never having to think about that movie ever again.