Maniac! [Blu-ray]

Overview

Maniac, given an X-rating for extreme violence and gore, is the story of a New York psycho (Joe Spinell) who kills females and scalps them for his mannequin collection at home.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/15/2020
UPC:	0827058707596
Original Release:	1980
Rating:	NR
Source:	BLUE UNDE
Region Code:	A
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:28:00
Sales rank:	25,254

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Joe Spinell	Frank Zito
Caroline Munro	Anna
Gail Lawrence	Rita
Kelly Piper	Nurse
Rita Montone	Hooker
Tom Savini	Disco Boy
Hyla Marrow	Disco Girl
James Brewster	Beach Boy
Linda Lee Walter	Beach Girl
Tracie Evans	Street Hooker
Carol Henry	Deadbeat
Nella Bacmeister	Carmen Zito
Louis Jawitz	Art Director
Denise Spagnuolo	Denise,Billy,Park Mother
Frank Pesce	TV Reporter
Candice Clements	Park Mother,First Park Mother
Kim Hudson	Lobby Hooker
Terry Gagnon	Woman in Alley
Joan Baldwin	Model
Jeni Paz	Model
Janelle Winston	Waitress
Randy Jurgensen	Cop
Jimmy Aurichio	Cop
Sharon Mitchell	Nurse
William Lustig	Motel Manager
Jay Chattaway	Composer

Technical Credits

Joe Spinell

C.A. Rosenberg

Andrew Garroni	Producer
Judd Hamilton	Executive Producer
William Lustig	Producer,Director
Tom Savini	Special Effects
Joe Spinell	Executive Producer,Screenwriter
C.A. Rosenberg	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Serial killers come in all shapes and sizes. Those who like 'em paunchy and whiney need look no further than director William Lustig's low-budget cult classic Maniac, with Joe Spinell in the lead role as Frank Zito. The film is straightforward, serial-killer-on-the-loose fare, following the creepy Zito from victim to victim in extended, suspense-filled sequences that reek of Hitchcock. There's plenty of mania in Maniac, too, as Frank hears voices and has extended arguments with himself (and, in another nod to Hitckcock, his dead mother). There is also a bit of violence, of course, which is quite graphic and gory thanks to slasher-makeup king Tom Savini, who also makes a cameo. Ultimately, though, Maniac is an oddball character study, and Spinell, who also wrote the script, is truly spectacular in the lead. With a bulging midriff, pockmarked face, and bad fashion sense, Spinell's Zito looks every bit the early-'80s lunatic, making the film's odd romantic subplot particularly precious. And Maniac saves its best for last, building to a superbly surreal denouement. The Anchor Bay DVD includes audio commentary from director Lustig and several production team members, a radio interview with Lustig, Spinell, and costar Caroline Munro, a Joe Spinell documentary, and theatrical trailers.