The original 1980 Maniac directed by William Lustig was deemed a video nasty in the UK and considered "unredeemable" by many critics, including Gene Siskel. The new version, directed by Franck Khalfoun and starring Elijah Woodis disturbing in a very different way. Rather than getting gritty and gory like the original, the new version - while still violent - is disturbing because it gets you into the mind of the titular maniac. The plot is very simple: a man scalps women (mostly hookers) to work out some severe mommy issues. That's it.
Take a peek at the first six minutes of the film. Maniac has made the festival rounds, but not official release date has been set.