Maniac

2012
Dir. Franck Khalfoun

Just a steel town girl on a Saturday night 
Looking for the fight of her life 
In the real time world, no one sees her at all 
They all say she's crazy 

 She's a maniac, maniac on the floor 
And she's dancing like she's never danced before!

Sorry! Wrong Maniac. The Maniac I’m actually referring to is Franck Khalfoun’s remake/reimagining/reconceptualisation of William Lustig’s 1980 ‘video nasty’ of the same name.

Despite its higher budget, slick production values and the presence of a star name in the titles, this update - co-written by Alex (Switchblade Romance/Haute Tension) Aja - is every bit as unsettling, extreme and confrontational as its predecessor. And it's all shot from the perspective of the killer.

While aesthetically far removed from Lustig’s grot-fest, Khalfoun’s slickly lensed take on the tale of a young man who hunts, scalps and murderlises women on the cruel, grimy streets of downtown LA, Maniac is one of the most vicious and unsettling horror titles in some time.

Head over to Diabolique to read my full review. 

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