If you're a horror fan, then you're either in one of two camps. You've either seen Bill Lustig's 1980 seminal "slasher" cult classic Maniac, or you haven't. And if you have, no doubt it's because of the legendary reputation the film has garnered over the years, whether it be from Joe Spinell's amazing performance as Frank Zito, the title character or perhaps you read or saw some of the incredibly gruesome & realistic work that FX guru Tom Savini has created specifically for the film.
If you haven't seen it yet, either it's just one of those many notorious films you've heard about that for whatever reason slipped through the cracks, or perhaps now you're curious about it after having heard about the new remake of Maniac produced by Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes), directed by Franck Khalfoun (P2) and starring the unlikely, but welcome Elijah Wood in the lead role. While the remake (which FEARnet's own Scott Weinberg just reviewed) is currently making the festival rounds before it's official Spring release, now we're giving you faithful followers the chance to see the original... for free!
For a very limited time, we've currently streaming the original Maniac as one of this week's "web movies", so if you've never seen it, here's your chance. No excuses. If you have seen it and just want to revisit it before you check out the new version, then we've got you covered too. And even cooler? How 'bout we share with you an exclusive video interview with director Bill Lustig who reflects on the controversy, lasting impact and place in horror history of his debut feature film Maniac. Check it out!