Maniac

Maniac (2012)

Genres - Horror, Thriller  |   Sub-Genres - Slasher Film  |   Release Date - Jun 21, 2013 (USA - Limited), Jun 21, 2013 (USA)  |   Run Time - 90 min.  |   Countries - France, United States  |   MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Jason Buchanan

Elijah Wood steps into the bloody boots of Joe Spinell in this reboot of the 1980 horror film that takes you into the killer's POV. On the surface Frank (Wood) may look like just another skinny L.A. hipster, but don't be fooled -- he's a deeply disturbed killer with a penchant for collecting the scalps of pretty young women. The young proprietor of his late mother's mannequin-restoration business, Frank scours the city streets by moonlight seeking silky heads of hair, skillfully removing them with his massive hunting knife before bringing them back to his apartment, and stapling them to the heads of his rigid roommates. One sunny day, surprised by the appearance of pretty French photographer Anna (Nora Arnezeder) on his doorstep, Frank warily lets her snap pictures of his "unaltered" mannequins, and agrees to allow her use the images for an upcoming gallery display. Before long the pair strike up a friendship, with Anna admiring Frank's restoration work as he marvels at her creative eye for detail. Charming as Frank may be in his encounters with Anna, he remains deeply haunted by the childhood traumas inflicted upon him by his loose mother, whose idea of bonding involved allowing him to observe her drug-fueled threesomes. When Anna's gallery display draws an impressive crowd, she remains deeply indebted to Frank. Little does the unsuspecting artist realize, however, that her biggest supporter might also be the death of her.

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Keywords

artist, exhibition, friendship, knife, maniac, mannequin, photographer, psychosis, scalping, serial-killer