John Chard

Mannequinac! Having not seen the original film that this is a remake of, I have no frame of reference. Entering into it oblivious to any sort of bias or guideline, this Maniac proves to be a nifty shocker, one that is not without style even as it puts churnings in your stomach. It's the stylings that I imagine have upset a lot of horror fans, the first person approach and avant-garde sheens strip the pic of genuine suspense. Yet it's a brave film in that respect, as is the casting of Elijah Wood as the titular maniac. Story is hardly original, boy had major mommy issues to deal with and has grown up disturbed. He has taken a career creating mannequins, but with real lady hair! Cue a bloody rampage of scalping - but wait! A pretty lady photographer has befriended him... So it is what it is, a film that's grotty in narrative thrusts, yet one that's plush of cityscape photography and POV daring. An odd blend for sure, so it goes without saying, all these things need to be of interest to the viewer for it to butter your bloody sandwich. 7/10