History Film / Maniac

The year 2012 was treated to a remake that was produced and written by Alexandre Aja and which had Creator/ElijahWood star as the title character. It is mostly the same story, but with the twist that almost the entire film is [[UnbrokenFirstPersonPerspective shot from a first-person perspective]]. It also incorporates online dating.

* ContemptibleCover: The cover art for the VHS and DVD releases shows Frank holding a bloody scalp and knife, and has a very visible bulge in his pants. Even Joe Spinell was appalled when he saw it.

* PsychopathicManchild: Frank, more so in the original than in the remake. He's a mentally unstable serial killer who has an unhealthy obsession with his mother, even keeping a shrine to her in his room. Getting a teddy bear for Anna just makes his childish mentality that much more obvious.

* NoTellMotel: Frank takes the hooker whom he intends to kill into a establishment like this.

* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Anna]] dies in a car crash, and Frank claims her scalp.

Not to be confused with an even more crazy and totally unrelated 1934 film, ''[[Film/{{Maniac 1934}} Maniac]]''. Or the 2018 TV show ''Series/{{Maniac}}''.

Not to be confused with an even more crazy and totally unrelated 1934 film, ''[[Film/{{Maniac 1934}} Maniac]]''. Or the 2018 TV show ''Series/{{Maniac2018}}''.

Not to be confused with an even more crazy and totally unrelated 1934 film, ''[[Film/{{Maniac 1934}} Maniac]]''.

* {{Hallucinations}}: Frank starts having these when Anna hurts him at the funeral in the original. The remake has one as well.

* SerialKiller: Frank murders five women (six in the remake) and takes their scalps.

* ExcitedShowTitle: Only the original version has the exclamation point.

* PsychopathicManchild: Frank, more so in the original than in the remake. He has an unhealthy obsession with his mother, even keeping a shrine to her in his room. Getting a teddy bear for Anna just makes his childish mentality that much more obvious.

->''I warned you not to go out tonight.''

The film's effects were provided by Creator/TomSavini, which includes the infamous "Disco Boy Scene" where a man's [[YourHeadAsplode head explodes]] from a close range shotgun blast.

* ShoutOut: The film includes a version of [[Film/SilenceOfTheLambs Q Lazzarus' "Goodbye Horses."]]

* BigBad: Frank Zito, the SerialKiller VillainProtagonist.

* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Anna]] in TheRemake.
* DownerEnding: Unlike the original version, [[spoiler:all of Frank's intended targets die]].

!!Tropes in the film:

* AllInTheEyes: Used when Frank wakes up, CatapultNightmare-style, and light is shining on his eyes.
* AnArmAndALeg: Frank sees his hand being chopped off in his last hallucination.
* BedmateReveal: When Franks gets up from his bed, the audience is shown that the corpse of his latest victim is laying next to him.

* BloodSplatteredInnocents: Disco Girl gets covered with Disco Boy's blood when Frank shoots him.
* BoomHeadshot: Disco Boy's death, courtesy of a double-barrel shotgun blast by Frank.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: Frank addresses the viewers at one point. But hey, he's just crazy.
* BulletTime: Used when Frank shoots Disco Boy and when he attacks one of the Anna's photograph models.
* CampingACrapper: Frank chases a nurse into a subway restroom and kills her there.

* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Anna]] in TheRemake.
* DisposableSexWorker: Frank's second on-screen victim is a hooker whom he picks up from the streets, and proceeds to strangle in bed.
* TheEndOrIsIt: [[spoiler:Frank goes off the deep end, hallucinating that his victims have returned to take revenge, stabbing himself in the stomach in his madness. The cops show up to arrest him, and find him lying on his bed. They go get the coroner, and his eyes open the moment they close the door.]]
* ExcitedShowTitle

* GraveMarkingScene: Frank visits his mother's grave near the end.
* {{Hallucinations}}: Frank starts having these when Anna hurts him at the funeral.
* JobTitle
* MakeOutPoint: Disco Boy and Disco Girl drive into one near the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge for some AutoErotica. Unfortunately, they were followed by Frank.

* NoNameGiven: Most of the characters.
* NoTellMotel: Frank takes the hooker whom he intends to kill into a establishment like this.
* OffWithHisHead: Frank's final hallucination has his mannequins come to life and ripping his head off.

* RiseFromYourGrave: Frank has a hallucination at the graveyard of his mother's maggot ridden corpse rising from the grave and grabbing him.
* SenselessViolins: Frank carries his shotgun in a violin case.
* ShovelStrike: Anna attacks Frank with a shovel when he is chasing her in the cemetery.
* SinisterSubway: Frank follows one one of his victims hrough one.
* SlashedThroat: Frank does this to his first on-screen victim (whom he finds on the beach waiting for her boyfriend) with a razor blade.

* StalkerShrine: There's one for Frank's mother, that's right next to his bed.
* VillainProtagonist: The film follows Frank point of view.

!!The remake has examples of:

* DownerEnding
* FinalGirl: [[spoiler:Subverted with Anna, as she dies this time around]].
%%* KillEmAll
* MythologyGag: Lucie tells Frank that he's "Not what I imagined, I thought you'd be fat with long greasy hair". This is a reference to Joe Spinell, the actor who played Frank in the original.
* RageAgainstTheReflection

%%* VomitIndiscretionShot: From a first-person perspective, no less.

* TheEndOrIsIt: [[spoiler:Frank goes off the deep end, hallucinating that his victims have returned to take revenge, stabbing himself in the stomach in his madness. The cops show up to arrest him, and find him lying on his bed. They go get the coroner, and his eyes open the moment they close

The year 2012 was treated to a remake that was produced and written by Alexandre Aja and which had Creator/ElijahWood star as the title character. It is mostly the same story, but with the twist that almost the entire film is shot from a first-person perspective. It also incorporates online dating.

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Frank who is pitiable despite the utter viciousness of his murders. Couple that with his FreudianExcuse and his very poor grip on reality and he's little more than a lonely momma's boy with a miserable life.

* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Frank who is pitiable despite the utter viciousness of his murders.

* DisposableSexWorker: Frank's second on-screen victim is a hooker whom he picks up from the streets, and proceeds to strangle in bed .

* AnArmAndALeg: Frank sees his hand being chopped of in his last hallucination.

It follows the exploits of the [[HeManWomanHater woman hating]] and [[FreudianExcuse mommy issues]]-ridden psychopath Frank Zito, who wanders the streets of TheBigRottenApple from one brutal kill to the next, breathing heavily and babbling incoherently all the while.