Maniac (2012)
Perhaps, knowing that they (the filmmakers) couldn’t emulate perfectly the chilling, creeping performance of Joe Spinell from the original Maniac, the remake takes the foundation of what made the other film and run with it in their own way. And it works. Elijah Wood brings upon the film his own creepy factor that sets him apart from Spinell; indeed, Spinell’s performance is going to be unique for the time and the filmmakers are wise to avoid an attempt at recreating it. The new movie is set in modern day, with all the gloss that a modern movie filmed with modern cameras would bring to the screen. Wood’s performance drives home the psychological horror that the titled maniac is going through, something that may not have needed as much attention in the original. We get a clear sense of how unscrewed this guy’s head is. In this version, he owns a mannequin shop, giving him a strong focus on caring for them. Just as in the original, the maniac’s victims are recreated on the mannequins: the hair he scalps is stapled…