Maniac

Starring: Joe Spinell, Caroline Munro.

Directed by: William Lustig

Running time: 89 minutes. Rating: NC-17 Release date: Jan. 1980

                         Of all the so called ''splatter films'' Iv'e had the pleasure to watch over the last twenty five years, Maniac is the best.

It centers around Joey, a seemingly mild mannered, laid back type of fella who enjoys art, dancing, good food.........and yes.....murder.

Well of course, murder. No splatter film worth it's beans would be the same without it. But, in Maniac, the lead character not only murders his victims, he literally splatters them.

     Forget Freddy and Jason and Micheal; they are only cardboard killers carrying out the same old cliches at every turn. Not so with Joey; he's invented new ways to kill, most of which Iv'e never witnessed on celluoid before, and Iv'e seen hundreds of horror films in my day.

          Being a good old boy by day, he garrot/slices/decapitates/eviscerates/bludgeons/scalps/shoots/rapescorpses by night, and nails the scalps onto the heads of mannequins he keeps in his apartment. Hell, the only thing this freakazoid doesn't do in the film is fuck the mannequins.

                      I won't give anything away just in case you haven't seen it yet, but, if you are a true horror/splatter fan, this one would be a perfect one for your private collection. Advance warning, though; this film is NOT for the squeamish or faint of heart. For a low budget film, this one delivers it's scares. Oh, by the way, just in case, keep a barf bag handy.