Maniac review

Director Franck Khalfoun and writer Alexandre Aja remake William Lustig’s 1980 shocker

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Undeterred by the horror that was P2 , director Franck Khalfoun and writer Alexandre Aja now remake William Lustig’s 1980 shocker.

Transposed from a squalid NY to a bizarrely deserted LA, it sees Elijah Wood’s nutjob scalp his female kills to bring fleshy life to a gallery of mannequins.

The scuzz-chic visuals, sleaze-synth score and deep-cutting gore are effective, and shooting from the killer’s POV proves a valid USP.

But Wood, despite giving his all, cannot match Joe Spinell’s unhinged turn in the original: nightmares in a damaged brain indeed.

Jamie Graham
Editor-at-Large, Total Film

Jamie Graham is the Editor-at-Large of Total Film magazine. You'll likely find them around these parts reviewing the biggest films on the planet and speaking to some of the biggest stars in the business – that's just what Jamie does. Jamie has also written for outlets like SFX and the Sunday Times Culture, and appeared on podcasts exploring the wondrous worlds of occult and horror. 

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