Maniac (2012): The Good Scalp

When Elijah Wood was first cast as Frank Zito in the remake of William Lustig's Maniac, people were mad. Not just regular remake mad but like…I'm going to kick a baby then claw my face off and eat it mad. As usual I played devil's advocate and slapped those people in the face. Then, I calmly reminded them that Elijah Wood was actually really good at being an understated creepy psychopath.

Why didn't they remember his unsettling turn as Kevin in Sin City? And not only that--but who can admit that his performance in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind as a weird, panty stealing idiot did NOT fully creep them out? My thoughts exactly.


So that's why I was intrigued by the Maniac remake. Not only because I wanted to see just how much creepier Elijah Wood could get, but also because I felt like there were so many other layers of the original Maniac that had yet to be explored. Luckily, the remake does explore those layers---but it still leaves things intentionally fuzzy as well which is both frustrating and neat. Apparently Frank Zito is a case that will never be cracked---

and after a glass of wine or three to get my mind off the heavy duty scalping…I think I'm OK with that.

As far as plot goes--the remake of Maniac stays fairly close to the original. Frank Zito is a disturbed man attempting to lead a normal life but hiding his true passion in his sadly outdated and cramped apartment. During the day he refurbishes mannequins--which by the way is proof that there IS something more terrifying than a mannequin----a mannequin hospital. At night, Frank kills women, scalps them and then tacks their bloody scalps onto mannequins and sleeps with them.

All the while entertaining us with his flashbacks of seeing his prostitute mother do bad things. After meeting a super arty photographer named Anna, Frank's scalping desires seem to hit the high road and his maniac tendencies start to really get out of control…

I was glad to see almost immediately that the remake kept that same seedy feeling of the original film. Swapping out 1980's New York for California circa now, the Maniac remake still has the power to make you want to take a shower. I attribute this to the fantastic styling of Frank's apartment. Dated, cramped, and swarming with flies stuck onto the rotting scalps of his victims--Frank's apartment is like the anus of the devil. I also loved the switch in professions for Frank---what better way to really freak people out with the mannequins than actually having Frank's job be about running a mannequin store?

Almost the entire film is shot in POV style which is at first jarring but then highly symbolic and fitting.

It's very Enter the Void---and is also a really nice nod to Slasher films in general. Peeping Tom meets Enter the Void? Hmmm yes, that sounds delightful. The only time we get to look at Elijah's mug is when he stares into mirrors, which, actually happens quite a bit (the symbolism kills me!)

There's also a brief moment where he's stabbing his victim and suddenly we're inexplicably just looking at him from the outside with no reflection in sight.

What's that about? Could that scene have been implying that Frank was transported briefly out of his body and looking at himself and his behavior from the outside? Maybe!

I will admit that the gore level in this remake is top notch. As someone who prefers not to witness a full on scalping---I fought the desire to die several times during this. The scalping is so graphic that I think I heard a rumor that it was real.

Just kidding the blood is too shiny so it's not but really----really traumatic stuff here. Although Alexandre Aja only appears to have produced and written Maniac--the the gore in this is quite indicative of his style. Head trauma, shiny blood and really creative face wounds are all over the place.

As far as remakes go, Maniac is pretty strong. It took the important elements of the original and then added in some spice here and there. It also seemed to give us an even closer glance into Frank Zito thanks to the POV tactic. What it didn't do however was do a good job of explaining Frank's mother's continued presence. I felt that in the original I could really understand Frank's issues and how they correlated to his mother. Here though we're treated to some late night romps, Frank hiding in the closet and then a fuzzy scene of him brushing her hair. Her death isn't really touched on and the scene with Anna's agent is therefore kind of odd.

Elijah is as I predicted insanely creepy. The mannequins are insanely creepy (and evidently horny when left alone)

 And the fact that this girl chose "Goodbye Horses' as mood music is insanely creepy.

Doesn't she know the kinds of bad things that happen when the song 'Goodbye Horses' is played?

Overall, I think the Maniac remake did me proud. What do you think?

The Woman in Black (1989)

My desire to see the original TV movie The Woman in Black started when my blogging friends posted pictures of a very ominous woman in black, standing in the distance and looking....peaky. Then, after seeing The Innocents, I developed a strange aversion to scary women standing in the distance glaring menacingly. Clearly, the only thing to do now was to face my fears head on and watch the Woman in Black.

Well, as it so happens, the Women in Black was available only on VHS and I didn't have a VHS player--believe me I want one, because how else am I going to watch Baby Andre 1 and 2? Saddened, but secretly glad, I continued my watching of films not called The Woman in Black.

THEN one magical day I learned that Daniel Radcliffe would star in the remake of the Women in Black.

Hooray a temporary solution to my ignorance of the Women in Black I thought. And it turns out, the remake wasn't so bad. BUT, it made me want to see the original even more.

So what's a girl to do?

Watch it illegally on Youtube of course! Which brings me to today where I can proudly state that I have finally seen The Woman in Black. The way that God and Kurt Russell intended.

For the most part, The Woman in Black is a thrilling tale shrouded in atmosphere. Well, maybe thrilling is the wrong word. Lightly misting with atmosphere? It's like the whole dreadful feeling of the doom and gloom of the small town and the marsh get attached to your heart and stay there. It almost brings you down physically due to its weight. If you want to study atmosphere in horror films---The Woman in Black should be on your list. Isolated creepy old mansions in the middle of a marsh. Howling winds. Misty sea fog, the screams and laughter of children, creepy dolls, stubborn little soldier men that won't leave you alone. It has it all!

The story is more or less the same as the remake which makes me appreciate the remake even more. Arthur Kidd journeys to the old creepy home of the deceased Alice Drablow, only to find that the townspeople are terrified of the place. No one will tell him why, but it could have something to do with the mute scary lady who looks dead that's always standing around staring at Arthur. As such, Arthur finds himself drawn to the mansion and slowly but surely finds out the true horrors within.

The Woman in Black is overall fairly simple in its scare approach. Simple yes, but extremely effective. The women's first appearance in the film is subtle and at first may not even seem all too menacing.

 It IS a funeral after all. Sad women in black clothing are allowed right? But then her consistent lurking and staring and disappearing really starts to get to us.

Then, it's the sounds that get to us---quietly at first then it's like they torment us. Or maybe I'm just thinking of Arthur. Poor Arthur.

By far the eeriest scene for me was in the child's nursery. After hearing strange noises, Arthur enters to find an old football. Then out of nowhere a child says, "Hello?" and giggles all sweetly. I didn't expect the child to actually make his presence known like that. It's uncommon really. Today it's all about--ooooh doors slamming shut suddenly, maybe a whisper or two there but this kid was pretty much ready to have a full on conversation.

As for pee your pants scary scenes---look no further than when Arthur is in bed and hears the child's voice again. At first there's a sense of hope there. Might we'll finally figure out just what the hell is going on? And then....

Ahhhhh! THE WOMEN IN BLACK!

Noooo

Yesssss

Noooooooooooooooo!

*Death*



Basically that's what happened inside my pants anyways.


My one major gripe with the movie is how easily Arthur gives up on cute little Spider, the trusty dog his friend LOANED him so he wouldn't be alone. After hearing children's screams in the distance, Spider runs off into the Marsh. Arthur yells SPIDER!! then looks around him for 2 seconds and then rushes inside and bolts the door. I mean dude...you didn't even try. You have a lantern, the least you could do is try looking for him and rescuing him from the cold marsh right?  Despicable. Luckily for you Arthur, Spider turns up eventually so you can go back to recording yourself , playing it back and then laughing about how cool you are.

Ultimately though, The Women in Black is definitely something to see. It holds up surprisingly well as a solid TV movie---worthy of a few good scares and just an overall feeling of spooky. A good Halloween view that's for sure. I do understand now why the remake had such a fantastical notion behind the woman in black and her purpose. It was definitely an attempt to make sense of what she truly stood for--as it's not greatly explained in the original.

I also wondered if the original would end as abruptly and sadly as the remake did. Lucky for me.

It did.

By the way how magical is it, that the original Arthur was James Potter in Harry Potter and Daniel Radcliffe played Arthur in the remake?! There was probably a much better way to type that but I got lazy and gave up. You know what I meant.

Things That Make Me Uncomfortable About Ghostbusters

1. Demonic dog/beast sex

Alright that's all I got. But seriously, doesn't it make anyone else uncomfortable to see Zuul parading around in a provocative curtain dress, flaunting his (her?) newly acquired female parts for the benefit of getting it on with the Key Master?

 I just don't picture those demon dogs being too knowledgeable in the sex department. Not to mention I'm still confused about why Vinz Clortho is such a moron and Zuul is like the sexual demonic equivalent of Jenna Jameson.

 Also---how did Zuul whip up that provocative curtain dress so quickly? Does he/she have a sewing machine handy in the refrigerator? I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.

Oh wait I do have more things that make me uncomfortable.


2. Dana Barrett is a fame whore.

Isn't it funny how Dana wants absolutely nothing to do with Peter Venkman prior to the Ghosbusters' super success montage? After unceremoniously throwing Peter from her apartment she then begins a steady incline towards the Venkman fanclub. First while doing crunches in front of her TV set, next, chopping veggies with a smile on her face listening to Casey Kasem and finally engaging in full on flirtation after a strenuous orchestra rehearsal. She even flaunts her flirtation for her musician friend to witness. Why the change Dana? Could it be that now that Peter Venkman is famous you suddenly want a piece of that sarcastically awesome pie?

Why did I never spot this before? Their relationship is a sham I tell you. A sham!


3. Raymond Stantz's sexual ghost dreams.

No explanation necessary.


Okay that's really it is this time. Listen, Ghostbusters is probably one of my top 10 all time favorite movies, but on my last viewing I just couldn't shake these uncomfortable thoughts. It also got me thinking--instead of a Ghostbusters 3----can we have a prequel that details the life and times of Ivo Shandor--the architect behind Dana's apartment building in NYC?!

Read this exchange about the building's history and just try to tell me that this would not make an amazing movie.

Dr. Egon Spengler: The architect's name was Ivo Shandor. I found it in Tobin's Spirit Guide. He was also a doctor, performed a lot of unnecessary surgery. And then in 1920, he started a secret society...
Dr. Peter Venkman: Let me guess: Gozer worshippers.
Dr. Egon Spengler: Right.
Dr. Peter Venkman: [to Ray] No studying.
Dr. Egon Spengler: After the First World War, Shandor decided that society was too sick to survive.
[He pauses, glancing nervously around at the holding cell crowd]
Dr. Egon Spengler: And he wasn't alone, he had close to a thousand followers when he died. They conducted rituals up on the roof. Bizarre rituals, intended to bring about the *end of the world*, and now it looks like it might actually happen.


According to the IMDB Trivia, the original form that Gozer was supposed to take was of Ivo Shandor and Paul Reubens was supposed to play him. SOMEONE MAKE THIS MOVIE RIGHT NOW.