Madmen & Maniacs

A minor classic of the stalk 'n' slash movie explosion that followed in the wake of Halloween and Friday the 13th, Madman plays to every cliché in the slasher movie book but pulls it off thanks to it's streak of nasty gore, a suspense filled atmosphere and a fast pace, a must when your dealing with illogical horror movies. So many films of the era suffered from leaden pacing that killed the entire atmosphere; thankfully Madman doesn't bore the audience this way.

So, it's the last night of summer camp and it's time to tell the story of Madman Marz, a nutso local farmer who murdered his whole family before vanishing into the sinister woods forever...

Don't say his name...

...Because if he hears you...

...He'll come and get you!!!

Leave it to a cocky teenager to mock this horrific legend and shout the stalkers name out loud. The fool have unleashed a blood soaked frenzy of death and everyone's going to pay. Terrific genre fun and a stark warning to parents everywhere. Why not spend the summer with your kids, instead of sending them to an almost certain death in the idyllic forests of America.



Maniac is a genuine horror classic and one of the defining moments in the late 70s/early 80s cycle of slasher movies In what was, at the time, a crowded market place for stalking exploitation. Maniac stood out due to its graphic violence, sleazy tone and the superb characterisation of the leading player, deranged character actor and party animal, Joe Spinell.

In a genre where masked killers with zero personality are the norm, our maniac is an eye rolling, slathering psycho with a mother complex, who lives in a grimy apartment full of mannequins which he dresses in the clothing of his victims. A good chunk of the movie is just him, frying away inside his own twisted psyche and it's truly horrifying! His kills are vicious, with stand out moments including special FX guy Tom Savini creating an effect whereby he gets his own head blown up in a car. A tense chase sequence in the tunnels of a tube station leading to the brutal stabbing of yet another female victim is also terrifyingly effective.

Banned in the UK for years after the video nasty scare and condemned as a misogynistic fantasy by women's groups, Maniac still has the power to shock and offend over 25 years after it was made, while it's contempories pale in comparison to today's torturous horror flicks.