Maniac (film)



"I warned you not to go out tonight."

Maniac is a horror film from 1980. It was directed by William Lustig (Maniac Cop) and stars Joe Spinell in the title role.

It follows the exploits of the woman hating and Mommy Issues-ridden psychopath Frank Zito, who wanders from a brutal kill to the next, breathing heavily and babbling incoherently all the while.

Film's effects were provided by Tom Savini, which includes the infamous "Disco Boy Scene" where a man's head explodes from a close range shotgun blast.

Lustig announced that a remake is in works, which would be produced and written by Alexandre Aja and having Elijah Wood star as the title character. It would be the same story, but with an update of Frank looking through online dating sites for victims.


 * All in the Eyes: Used when Frank has a catapult nightmare.
 * An Arm and a Leg: Frank sees his hand being chopped of in his last hallucination.
 * Bedmate Reveal: When Franks gets up from his bed, we're shown his latest victim next to him.
 * Big Applesauce
 * Big Word Shout: "MOTHEEEEEEER!!!"
 * Blood-Splattered Innocents: Disco Girl gets covered with Disco Boy's blood when Frank shoots him.
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: Frank addresses the viewers at one point. But hey, he's just crazy.
 * Bullet Time: Used when Frank shoots Disco Boy and when he attacks one of the Anna's photograph models.
 * Camping a Crapper: Frank chases a nurse into a subway restroom and kills her there.
 * Catapult Nightmare
 * Chase Scene
 * Creepy Doll: Various mannequins which wear scalps from Frank's victims that he keeps around his apartment.
 * Disposable Sex Worker: Frank's second on-screen victim.
 * Eye Awaken
 * Fan Service
 * Good Scars, Evil Scars
 * Gorn
 * Grave Marking Scene: Frank visits his mother's grave near the end.
 * Hallucinations: Frank starts having these when Anna hurts him at the funeral.
 * Hand of Death
 * He-Man Woman Hater
 * Horror Doesn't Settle for Simple Tuesday
 * Impaled with Extreme Prejudice
 * Inner Monologue
 * Make-Out Point: Disco Boy and Disco Girl drive into one near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge for some Auto Erotica. Unfortunately, they were followed by Frank.
 * Mirror Scare
 * Mommy Issues
 * Neck Lift
 * No Name Given: Most of the characters.
 * No-Tell Motel
 * Off with His Head: Frank's final hallucination has his mannequins come to life and ripping his head off.
 * One Word Title
 * Psychopathic Manchild
 * The Remake: The unmade sequel was apparently going to be a remake of the 1975 film The Psychopath. And of course, there's the remake of the original.
 * Rise from Your Grave: Frank has a hallucination at the graveyard of his mother's maggot ridden corpse rising from the grave and grabbing him.
 * Screaming Woman
 * Senseless Violins: Frank carries his shotgun in a violin case.
 * Shovel Strike: Anna attacks Frank with a shovel when he is chasing her in the cemetery.
 * Sinister Subway
 * Slashed Throat: Frank does it to his first on-screen victim.
 * Spiritual Successor: The Last Horror Film, which features Caroline Munro and Joe Spinell in nigh-identical roles.
 * Stalker Shrine: For Frank's mother.
 * Vader Breath
 * Villain Protagonist
 * Vomit Discretion Shot
 * Your Head Asplode
 * Your Cheating Heart: Disco Girl attempts to cheat her boyfriend with Disco Boy at the Make-Out Point.