Search - Maniac [Limited Edition Tin] on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Gore Movie Release: 1980 DVD Release: 08/21/2001 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French, Italian Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 2 Number of Discs: 2 Run Time: 1 hrs 28 mins Studio: Anchor Bay Members Wishing: 8 Genres: Horror, Sex Horror, Slasher Film See Also: Maniac [Special Edition], Maniac [Widescreen], Maniac [Widescreen]

Joe Spinell, who appeared in Taxi Driver, stars in this unsavory horror film as Frank Zito, a character reminiscent of an even more disturbed Travis Bickle. Frank is an embittered loser who talks to himself and his dead mother, stalks a pretty model (Caroline Munro), and spends his spare time brutally murdering women. He then scalps his victims and puts the trophies on mannequins which he takes to bed with him at night. An unpleasant film with a relentlessly downbeat tone, Maniac! features graphic, bloody special-effects makeup by cult favorite Tom Savini, who meets a gruesome end in a cameo as "Disco Boy." Highlights include a realistic scalping by Exacto knife and an exploding head. The ending takes an interesting twist as Spinell hallucinates his victims returning to life and tearing him limb from limb. Spinell and Munro reteamed in 1982 for The Last Horror Film. Adult film star Sharon Mitchell (whom director William Lustig discovered in The Violation of Claudia) appears briefly as a nurse. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Joe Spinell - Frank Zito
Caroline Munro - Ann D'Antoni
Gail Lawrence - Rita
Kelly Piper - Nurse
Rita Montone - Hooker

Anchor Bay's DVD reissue of Maniac is well-worth the investment for fans of this infamous cult favorite. The THX-approved transfer is nothing short of stunning. The anamorphically enhanced widescreen image is sharp, full of vivid colors, and shows surprisingly little grain despite the film's heavy amount of night photography. It's an amazing transfer, especially when one considers that this film was shot in 16 mm and blown up to 35 mm for its theatrical release. The audio is equally impressive, offering stunning Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS mixes that skillfully manipulate the frequency range offered by these formats (especially in their use of Jay Chattaway's shiver-inducing electronic musical score). This DVD reissue also offers an overwhelmingly generous amount of extras for the film's fans. First off is a commentary originally done for the film's laserdisc release featuring director William Lustig, special effects man Tom Savini, editor Lorenzo Marinelli, and Luke Walter (Joe Spinell's personal assistant). This quartet dishes up a rousing commentary that offers a multi-dimensional look at the film's production (complete with all the juicy on-set anecdotes) and plenty of fascinating insights into the process of low-budget filmmaking in general. Other extras include a 1980 radio interview featuring Spinell, Lustig, and Caroline Munro, a thorough array of trailers (both domestic and foreign), a set of radio ads, and an exhaustive image gallery full of rare stills and ad mats. However, the best extras are the ones that were newly produced for this reissue. The first is "The Gallery of Outrage," an amusing collection of quotes from the many vicious reviews that Maniac received during its original release. The second (and best) new extra is "The Joe Spinell Story," an hour-long documentary about the life and times of the film's charismatic star. Full of celebrity interviews and wild stories about Spinell's life and career (including a run-in with Steven Spielberg that is shown in video excerpts), this documentary is a touching testament to how much Spinell was loved and admired by his colleagues. All in all, Anchor Bay's reissue of Maniac succeeds both as the best edition of this film to date and the definitive chronicle of its history. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide