Back when I was growing up we didn’t have a way to see some of the latest trailers of horror films. And any news about some of the upcoming films were covered in either Starlog or later in their sister magazine Fangoria. I remember in issue #7 they covered a new movie called Maniac. At first I had no idea what to make of it as I wouldn’t be able to see this movie as I was young at the time and there was no way my parents would take me to see this. The movie was considered a cult classic and now Blue Underground has re-released this film in a limited 3 disc edition. Let us explore this new 4k release of Maniac.
The first thing I was blown away by was the packaging as there is a lenticular cover like there was on Zombie. However, for this one there’s only one pattern and that’s of the poster as you see the killer from the waist down holding a bloody knife and a scalp of his latest victim. When you open the case you will see all three of the discs are there for easy access as well as an exclusive booklet included with this edition. The booklet talks about the film and the films that might have been made in place of the original. It is really a good read and has color photographs sprinkled throughout.
For those that have never seen or heard of Maniac it is set in the backdrop of New York City in the 1980’s. The Maniac in question is a man by the name of Frank Zito and he is a killer who goes around finding women and scalping them. He goes back to his apartment and places the scalps of his victims on mannequins and also talks to him. This film is pretty realistic for it’s time as a horror film as it doesn’t deal with a supernatural killer or monsters. Rather the film deals with the monster that resides inside us and how this one individual releases it and kills people with no rhyme or reason. One of the best parts of the movie is special effects and the person that worked on this for the film is none other than Tom Savini. This was one of his works after he had worked on another slasher film called Friday the 13th. Without giving much of the story away all I can say is this is a great film that you need to experience, especially if you love 80’s movies.
This wouldn’t be a limited edition without special features and there are a ton in this three disc set. The disc that contains the movie has two audio commentary tracks with the first one having the producer/director William Lustig as well as producer Andrew W. Garroni. The second audio commentary has William Lustig, Luke Waiter, Lorenzo Marinelli and of course Tom Savini! Theatrical trailers, TV spots as well as Radio spots round out the features on the first disc. The second disc has outtakes from the movie that have never been seen before! Also there’s a small featurette called Returning to the Scene of the Crime where Mr. Lustig visits some of the iconic locations that he shot when he was making the film and shares stories as well. Anna and the Killer is an interview with the female lead of the film, Caroline Munro. Tom Savini is also interviewed for this film in a segment called The Death Dealer. The music of the film is explored in two featurettes called Dark Notes and Maniac Men. There is also a promo reel of Mr. Robbie: Maniac 2 which was an unfinished film. The actor Joe Spinell is highlighted in a 42 minute featurette called The Joe Spinell Story. The last two features on the disc are labelled Publicity and Controversy. Clicking on one or the other brings up either a bunch of people singing the praises of the film or condemning it for pushing things too far. The last disc is a CD of the soundtrack and for those that love the music they can take it with them wherever they go.
With a stunning 4k re-release of the film, tons of special features that will keep you busy for hours on end as well as slick new packaging this is the version of Maniac to get. If you wanted to get your own copy you can do so here. And for more great films make sure you visit http://www.blue-underground.com/ and remember not to go out at night!
