Search - Maniac on DVD

The most cruel and unapolegetic slasher film ever....

TheHillsHaveEyes13 | Nashville, TN | 02/27/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Finally at long last Joe Spinnel's clasic tale of a deranged serial killer has finally been released in a worthy form.Being that many movies have used this title I must explain that this one is not only the real deal but the most vile of the pack. It is a extremely creepy low budget gore flick with absoloutely no moral perspective, So much so that even its own makeup artist wanted to be removed from its credits. Tom Savini, who would later become famous for his award winning FX as well as acting and directing many later horror films, Brings to the table some of the most realistic FX in his career and is one of the many highlights in this classic horror film. Like it is in many real life serial killer cases, we have the late Joe Spinnel, who potrays the serial killer Frank Zito, a loner with no social grace or personality. Frank is severely mentally disturbed as a result of the emotional and physical abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of his prostitute mother. The murder scenes in this movie are extremely cruel and graphic in nature so I must warn you that this film is defenitely not for everybody. Most casual horror fans tend to wretch at this film and see it as nothing more than a seedy slasher flick that has a very anti-woman message, but in my opinion it is much more than that. It is a potrayal of one of society's worst monsters, monsters who often walk around our every day world going unnoticed.So in conclusion, if you are a die-hard horror fan and love gruesome effects, then I highly suggest you purchase this dvd. Out of all the DVD's that Anchor Bay has released, this would have to be the cream of the crop, boasting a plethora of special features, and a heartfelt tribute to the late Joe Spinnel."

THIS MANIAC IS THE ONE TO WATCH IF YOU DARE !!!!!!!!!!

Scott MacPherson | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 08/17/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this film back in 1983 (when I was 13 years old) on VHS video and it was one of the scariest films I have seen in that time. I do remember when this film was theatrically released on November 25, 1981; which only stayed out for 6 days as the film received outcry by Women's and Parents' Groups who claimed the film degrades women. The films' distributor (Analysis Pictures) nicely pulled the film from theatres and has became way popular on video. MANIAC is a great film, but shown in a very cardboard way. It's about a serial killer Frank Zito (Joe Spinelli) who preys on victims (mostly women) in NYC. He kills, scalps his victims, takes their clothes and displays them in his small studio apartment. That is what MANIAC basically entails. However, MANIAC does have a backstory to it in which Frank Zito was savagely abused by his mommy who was a prostitute who was later killed in a car accident. This backstory was not told too well, but if this was the case in a visual manner, MANIAC would have been an fully effective film. MANIAC, directed by William Lustig was his first and best film. The effects by Tom Savini (who just came from the Friday the 13th set) were top notch. The music by Jay Chattaway added to the creepiness of MANIAC, also top notch. Also, watch for the Nurse in the Subway scene - the most scariest sequence in the film. MANIAC is the film to have on DVD. The video and transfer were totally great. It was like watching a brand new print of a film. The Widescreen transfer (1.85:1), was also a nice added touch. The numerous theatre trailers, the 9 TV spots and the audio commentary (by William Lustig, Tom Savini & Co.) are those little extras that make MANIAC worth having on DVD !!!!!! This is the DVD I bought back in 1999 from Elite Entertainment. I am excited about MANIAC being re-released through Anchor Bay Entertainment who will also be releasing this title in a LIMITED EDITION TIN, (5,000 copies only) which will contain a BONUS of the CD soundtrack of the music score by Jay Chattaway. on August 21, 2001.

I bought MANIAC (1980) on DVD from Anchor Bay Entertainment and the results are better then the DVD from Elite Entertainment that I have. This NEW DVD (from Anchor Bay) is pretty much the same of the DVD from Elite Entertainment but there are a few differences : - this DVD is in its full uncut format (88 minutes) as the DVD from Elite Entertainment (Letterboxed Directors Cut) is 85 minutes. - this DVD is in THX sound, the Elite DVD is in Digital Dolby 5.1 Sound. - the "date scene" is restored in this DVD, it was taken out from the Elite DVD. In this DVD, the special feautures are pretty much the same as the DVD from Elite Entertainment but there are a few differences : - A documentury (the Joe Spinell Story) with the likes of William Lustig, Caroline Munro, Jason Miller and others is included in this DVD, not on the Elite DVD. - Radio interviews with William Lustig, Joe Spinell & Caroline Munro is included in this DVD, not on the Elite DVD. - Radio Spot advertising of the film is included in this DVD, not the Elite DVD. - Talent Bios of William Lustig, Tom Savini, Joe Spinell & Caroline Munro are included in this DVD, not on the Elite DVD. - A Gallery of Outrage (outraged reviews of the film by critics) : 17 in total are included in this DVD, not on the Elite DVD. - A poster/still Gallery of the film are all included in this DVD, not on the Elite DVD. - All the theatre trailers, TV spot trailers, commentary, optional languages and subtitles that are on the Elite DVD are also on this DVD, too. Along with those little differences, the front cover is still the same. However, the back cover, disc design and menu board design are all different than the Elite DVD. ..."