Maniac (1980) [Blu-ray + Blu-ray + CD]

Throughout the course of history an occasional film has been singled out as being particularly controversial. As far back as the silent era you had films like The Birth of a Nation, which drew widespread protests for its content. Frankenstein was another early film which had to be cut before being shown at theaters. There are plenty of others as well: The Last Temptation of Christ, Last Tango in Paris, A Clockwork Orange. Then there’s Salo, or 120 Days of Sodom, Cannibal Holocaust, and The Passion of the Christ. The list is endless. In early 1981, when Maniac was released to theaters, it too, was met with huge controversy. News reports ran nightly upon the release of the film in various cities. It was picketed, protested, cut, censored, and outright banned in parts of the world. Most critics roasted the film for its depiction of violence as well as what many perceived as a pervasive misogynistic atmosphere throughout the film. Nowadays, however, Maniac is considered a cult classic as well as a grim, gory, and highly effective low-budget slasher film.Spinell had the perfect look for many of the sleazy characters he portrayed, including Frank Zito in Maniac. It’s not difficult to imagine this overweight, acne-scarred, greasy-haired man living on the fringe. His look, particularly in this film, would make one want to cross the street if he approached you on the sidewalk. In fact, the one part of the film I could never buy was the fact that the gorgeous Caroline Munro would give this man the time of day, much less go on a date with him. Zito is a loner, very quiet, but with very Puritanical beliefs, instilled in him by years of systematic abuse by his mother. Spinell, as Zito, plays the role extremely well. He is extremely awkward in public, though he at least is able to “copy” normal behavior from years of observation. But back home in his apartment is where the crazy literally comes out. This is a man who is clearly traumatized and has essentially snapped. It’s simply a matter of time before he is discovered. It’s a strong portrayal of madness and, though rarely a leading man, shows that Spinell had the chops, if not the offbeat looks, to play the lead. It’s a pity he didn’t have more opportunities to do so.Caroline Munro co-stars with Spinell as Anna D’Antoni, a gorgeous fashion photographer who befriends Zito and his unusual collection of mannequins. The two hit it off and D’Antoni slowly begins to enjoy Zito’s company, going to dinner with him, even as his sexual angst continues to build and deaths begin to mount. Munro came to prominence in the early 1970’s for her British thrillers, including the Dr. Phibes films, Captain Kronos—Vampire Hunter, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, and Dracula, A.D. 1972. She went on to star in At the Earth’s Core and support in The Spy Who Loved Me. And of course her leather bikini-clad performance in 78's Starcrash - also with Spinell - solidified her stature. She was already a bit of a scream queen for genre fans before Maniac hit. Munro is a decent actress and easy on the eyes, so it’s always nice to see her on screen.Aside from Spinell’s performance and Munro’s good looks, the real star of the film—is the special gore F/X by Tom Savini. Savini was early in his career and on the rise. He had already made a name for himself by creating the effects for the surprise hit Dawn of the Dead and the years 1980 and 1981 were big years for him as he created effects for some of the biggest horror hits of the time, including Friday the 13th, The Burning, and The Prowler, each of these films also suffering from the censor’s scissors.Perhaps Maniac was the most controversial as it had always been intended to challenge the audience with its violence and the distribution company had no qualms releasing it without a rating, but with a warning of the graphic content—something the distributors had also done for Dawn of the Dead as well as Zombie, both of which were smash hits. The difference, however, with the living dead films compared to Maniac was that the other films were clearly fantasies with no basis in reality. Serial killers, such as the one portrayed in Maniac, were still novel. So, while the zombie films had their share of detractors, everyone understood these films were meant to entertain. Maniac had at least some basis in reality and the violence it portrayed was outrageously gory yet realistic in its depiction. The film is filled with gruesome deaths as well as clinically-detailed scalpings of some of the victims. There is a shotgun blast to the head effect which some call one of the most gruesome effects ever filmed. To describe Maniac as violent is like describing a hurricane as “windy.”William Lustig, the director of Maniac, comes from an exploitation background. His first films were Mafia- backed (Lustig is Jake LaMotta's nephew) porno in the mid-70’s, followed by Maniac and several other exploitation films such as Vigilante, Maniac Cop, and Uncle Sam Wants You Dead. So the success of Maniac wasn’t a first-time director fluke. Lustig knew exactly what he was doing. But being an independent filmmaker is a tough business, so Lustig also got in on the ground floor of DVD production and distribution when he started the cult video label Blue Underground. It was a smart decision, as he knew he had immediate product since he owned the films he directed. And, just like the exploitation king Lustig is, he knows how to milk that product. I would imagine Maniac is one of Blue Underground’s most popular films and I don’t think it’s been out of release since the company was founded.First off, the film has undergone a restoration in 4K from the original 16MM camera negative, so it really looks and sounds fantastic, almost as if it was a new film being released on Blu-Ray for its initial run. I doubt the film will ever look this sharp, so if you have an older copy, this is the one to get. The extra features run for hours and cover every aspect of the film, and they are all fascinating. But if you have an older Blu-Ray copy of the film then you already have almost all of these features anyhow, so what else is new to these discs? First, we have 19 minutes of outtakes from the film, with commentary by Lustig himself. There is also a very short, 8-minute segment with Lustig visiting the original locations for the film, called “Returning to the Scene of the Crime.” Of those, the outtakes were more entertaining, at least for me. But the real standout addition, other than the 4K scan, is the inclusion of a third disc, the 16-track film soundtrack. I’m a fan of movie soundtracks so the inclusion of this disc sealed the deal for me. The new 4K scan which is, admittedly, extremely nice. The film also comes with a very nice lenticular cover as well.On Disc One you get a collection of Trailers (15:14 total/HD), TV Spots (3:08 total/HD) and Radio Spots (3:19 total/audio); as well as a Commentary by Lustig (one of three).On Disc Two you get the following "Featurettes": Outtakes (18:53/HD), which is a silent reel narrated by Lustig; Returning to the Scene of the Crime (7:53/HD), in which the director visits the film's locations; Anna and the Killer (13:08/HD), an interview with Munro; The Death Dealer (12:07/HD), an interview with Savini; Dark Notes (12:12/HD), which is a chat with composer Jay Chattaway; Maniac Men (10:35/HD), with interviews of Lustig and several songwriters; The Joe Spinell Story (49:20/HD), and Promo Reel (7:24/HD), about an unmade sequel. The next section, dubbed "Publicity," includes the following: a Radio Interview (19:11/HD) with comments from Lustig, Spinell and Munro; Movie Madness (47:18/SD), a call-in program in which Lustig answers viewer questions; Joe Spinell at Cannes (0:43/SD), a brief interview; Joe Spinell on The Joe Franklin Show (13:13/SD); a Caroline Munro TV Interview (2:53/SD); Barf Bag Review Policy (2:10/SD), a funny, critical shot at the film; Grindhouse Film Festival Q&A (22:19/SD); and a Poster and Still Gallery.Next you get the "Controversy" section, which includes Los Angeles (7:48 total/SD), a three-segment bit culled from newscasts; Chicago (2:13/SD), a similar segment; and Philadelphia (3:28 total/SD), which also comes from local news segments. Newsbeat (21:11/SD) is a two-segment bit on movie violence; Al Goldstein's Midnight Blue (6:32/SD) is a two-part bit with interviews THE pornographer; and Gallery of Outrage is a host of ravaging reviews for Maniac.The Joe Spinell Story is a great documentary, directed by David Gregory - Severin films honcho and a master of "hidden history" - filtered through showbiz. His best known film is the doc Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley's Island of Dr. Moreau, The Godfathers of Mondo and the upcoming Flesh and Blood: The Reel Life of Al Adamson. And dozens more.From the Joe Spinell Story:Born Joseph J. Spagnuolo, Spinell was raised by his mother in Queens, New York. Apart from a few lost years in Hollywood, the doting son would live with her in the family home. A chronic asthmatic, and hemophiliac, he found solace in the arts; a true Renaissance man, Joe was an accomplished painter, poet, and could act up a storm.As a struggling young thespian – choosing the ‘Spinell’ as his stage name – Joe paid his dues in off-Broadway theater, making ends meet with the usual – waiting tables, tending bar, driving a cab – before muscling his way to his first movie role: playing button man Willie Cicci in The Godfather (who turns rat in Part II). Coppola took a shine to Joe’s larger than life persona and adopted the young actor for the duration of the shoot. Receiving a day player’s full salary, Joe hung out on set: cracking wise, busting chops, boosting morale with an impromptu game of craps; often kept Coppola company behind the camera; and at the end of filming, was voted MVP by the cast and crew.Despite being just a bit player on his first motion picture, Spinell became – after Brando – the highest-paid actor on The Godfather; until his untimely death, Joe would continue to receive residual checks in the thousands of dollars, and be forced to hide the cash from his lifelong nemesis, the IRS.Hitting the ground running with his first movie role, Joe never looked back.   Sharing the screen with such legends as De Niro, Pacino, Oates, Scheider, Dean Stanton, Plummer, Stallone, Dee Williams, Jeff Bridges and 100s of others. AND David Hasselhoff. His IMDb page is something to behold: so many brilliant actors and directors.Beloved by cast and crew, the life and soul on- and off-set, Joe’s reputation as a party animal soon became infamous.  Filming William Blatty’s The Ninth Configuration in Soviet Hungary, Joe and co-stars Jason Miller and Stacey Keach were arrested following a drunken bar brawl with a mob of Russian hoods. Chairs were busted over Russkie heads; bottles smashed – by the hemophiliac Joe, hinting at Spinell’s self-destructive tendencies. Tossed into gulag, things might have turned nasty for the Americans, but Joe charmed their jailers with stories from his time on The Godfather – a sleazy variation on Paul McCartney being forced to perform 'Yesterday' for the Japanese cops following his Tokyo drug bust (1980)– and secured his release.It’s hard to imagine a more unlikely pairing than the square Spielberg and notorious party animal Joe Spinell, but there they are; in home movie footage, we’re treated to the surreal sight of Stevie andJoe chilling in Spielberg’s bungalow on the Universal lot. The 1975 Oscar nominations are about to be announced live on TV, and Spielberg has invited Joe to watch Jaws sweep the board.  (Joe was originally cast as the “Swim, Charlie!  Don’t look back!”-guy on the fishing dock in Jaws but had to turn down the role due to other commitments; the cast does a fine job, but Jaws fans and Spinellophiles can only wonder what Spinell would have done with the role.) When Spielberg fails to receive a Best Director nomination, Spinell launches into a tirade at the Academy. “Who made the movie?  The shark?  Some guy’s mother?  THIS man made Jaws!” He then vows to get Spielberg drunk. Perhaps he succeeded. Alas, they would never work together.Joe’s experience on The Godfather is memorable for another reason. During auditions, he had met a struggling young actor named Sylvester Stallone.  Seeing something no one else did in The Kid – as Joe dubbed him – Spinell took Stallone under his wing; kept him fed, clothed, helped out with the rent; knowing and even bought Sly the typewriter on which Stallone would hammer out a little screenplay called Rocky.Stallone returned the favor by casting Joe as asthmatic loan shark Tony Gazzo in Rocky (which would become, after The Godfather I & II, Spinell’s third film to be awarded the Best Picture Oscar) and Rocky II, as well as bit parts in Paradise Alley and Nighthawks - S!y also cast his buddy Jamie Gillis in bit role.By this time, Stallone was a big star with a bigger ego. As Spinell’s reputation as a wild man became legend – the drink, the drugs, the women; and that’s just on-set – at the behest of his management, Stallone turned his back on his friend and mentor, and the godfather to his son, Sage. They would never work together again. For Spinellophiles, this is a criminal neglect of Spinell’s talents; it is impossible not to imagine Spinell as The Night Slasher in Cobra or even the Brion James role in Tango & Cash.At his regular hangout bar, Friar Tuck, Joe refused to hear a bad word spoken about The Kid. Inspired by Stallone’s success with Rocky, Spinell embarked on his own passion project. Writing, producing, and – most importantly for a character actor – starring in what would be his own Rocky - Maniac.“Watching Spinell act like a psychopathic killer with a mommy-complex is like watching someone else throw up.” — Vincent Canby, 1981 New York Times review of ManiacRightly lauded by horror fans as a classic of slasher cinema – trashed by pretty much everyone else – Maniac tells the tragic story of Frank Zito. The neglected son of an abusive mother, Frank grows up to become a serial killer, scalping women to decorate his harem of mannequins in his dumpy (a prototypical serial killer lair) NYC apartment.To achieve his vision, Spinell surrounded himself with a team of hungry young filmmakers, including "X" director William Lustig – whom Joe auditioned at a 42nd Street porno theater in which his new child-bride (jailbait Jean Jennings) was starring in the Mitchell Brothers 'X' film, Autobiography of a Flea (or was it the X/roughie classic, Defiance of Good?) – and special effects maestro, the Wizard of Gore, Tom Savini. Though keen to work with Spinell, Savini was leery of the violent script - he would later dismiss (he would eventually retract and embrace the filml) the finished film as “sleaze,” despite Maniac containing some of his best SFX work – and had to be tempted with an acting role: the show-stopping scene in which the Maniac decapitates a male victim with a shotgun blast to the head.Savini is right; the film is “sleaze.” It is also awesome. Depicting a New York which, sadly, no longer exists – streetwalkers, pimps, porno theaters – as an American Giallo, Maniac is genuinely effective at times – particularly the subway sequence, which remains influential to this day. But it is Spinell’s committed performance that anchors the picture, and makes it one of the best horror flicks of the 80s.A character actor is never better than when given a starring role in which to shine, and Spinell pours his heart into Frank Zito. At times, his shambolic performance is one of the most devastatingly accurate portrayals of a serial killer ever committed to celluloid, right up there with Michael Rooker’s Henry; at other times, it is hysterical. An Oscar worthy scene is a booze-soaked monologue – Spinell called it his 100-proof performance – in which Zito rages to camera about “fancy girls in their fancy dresses and their lipstick, laughing and dancing.” Joe based his performance on David Berkowitz – one sees shades of the Son of Sam as Frank rants at his mannequins in his squalid apartment.  Frank’s radical transformation from drooling lunatic to ladies man strains credibility, though it’s amusing to watch Spinell wine and dine the beautiful Caroline Munro, who is, of course, powerless to resist his olive-oil charm.Upon release, Maniac was a huge financial success, and caused a tons of controversy, bordering on hysteria. Banned outright in many countries, in the UK it didn’t even make the notorious ‘video nasty’ list; Her Majesty's censors simply buried it, refusing the film classification until the millennium, when even then many scenes were um, butchered. Outraged women’s groups picketed the movie and painted over the poster which depicted the Maniac clutching a victim’s bloody scalp in one hand, a Buck knife in the other, a prominent bulg in his jeans a la the Rolling Stones  "Sticky Fingers", and the tagline I WARNED YOU NOT TO GO OUT TONIGHT. Spinell was dismayed by the reaction – particularly from feminist groups calling him a woman-hater. (The films detractors objected to the POV shots - done for budgetary reasons, not so the audience would "identity" with Killer Joe. For all his 'sins', Spinell was a great lover of women, and a regular at Gallagher’s topless bar.The Maniac controversy was perhaps more damaging to Spinell’s career than his increasing reputation as a party animal.Spinell threw himself into B-movies, and partied harder than ever.During filming of The Last Horror Film, shot largely guerilla-style at the Cannes film festival, the budget ballooned to over two mil as Joe and his cronies hit the town. The nightlife began taking its toll on Joe. Friends warned him he was living dangerously close to the edge. When his beloved mother died, the wheels came off completely. On the rare occasions he was offered H'wood roles, he wasn’t fit to act, turning down roles for the first time. Bill Lustig recalls a heartbreaking moment when a shabby-looking Spinell, drunk and still grieving for his mother, visited his office with a wizened old woman in tow, and began singing in Italian. Joe leaned his head on her shoulder and wept.As his health declined, and hurting for money despite those Godfather residuals, Joe made a last-ditch effort to launch a comeback with Maniac II: Mr. Robbie. Determined to answer critics of the first film, in Mr. Robbie Spinell would play the beloved host of a children’s television show, who brutally slaughters the parents of abused children. A promising promo was filmed, but alas, Joe died before shooting could commence. ( Not mentioned is the fact that this film already existed: titled Psychopath and released in the mid-70s. The protagonist was called Mr. Robbie, no less. I'd like to think that Spinell saw it on The Deuce in a drunken/doped state - I'm sure Spinell genuinely believed it was his original idea.)The circumstances of Spinell’s death are as colorful as his life. Worried friends hadn’t seen or heard from Joe in days. The cops were called.  On gaining entry to his apartment, they discovered a massacre.  Joe was slumped on the living room couch, wearing only a towel. The room was a bloodbath. A disembodied head was perched on the TV. On closer inspection, the cops noticed the head bore an uncanny likeness to Joe; it proved to be a prop from Maniac he had kept as a souvenir. Joe had slipped in the shower and cut his head, managed to stagger from the bathroom to the living room couch, where he passed out and died of hemophiliac blood loss.If only he cleaned up and lived longer, audiences would have been treated to Spinell chewing scenery in a Tarantino flick. He certainly would've been an Elder Statesman of sorts.R.I.P.JOSEPH J. SPAGNUOLO 1936-1989

Considered misogynistic, no one really cared. Great Joey Spinell flick.

Blue underground have reissued the slasher classic MANIAC with new 4k restored 1:85:1 HD transferwhich does look amazing picture quality 10 times better than the 2010 30th reissue, 10/10 picture qualitythe sound quality is the same 7.1 master mix plus 2.0 stereo mixEXTRAS all the old extras from 30th reissue have been carried over plus 2 new extrasit's 3 discs inside standard plastic caseDisc 1 has the new 4k HD transfer plus the old commentary tracks plus Theatrical trailer, TV spots, radio spotsDisc 2 has all the old interview featurettes from the 30th reissue, plus the old Joe spinell story Documentaryplus MANIAC controversy & MANIAC publicity, still Gallerythe 2 new extras is new OUTTAKES featurette with commentary by william Lustigand a new return ot the scene of the crime with Bill Lustig which is more of a commentary for 8minsthan an actual on camera interview, Bill recollects on the filming Locations of Maniac and Joe spinellthere's some footage of him talking about the film while he's driving his car but most of the 8minshis voice is overdubbed over the revisited locations, pretty pathetic and Disapointingi was hopeing for a new on camera interview maybe he was to busy to make an effortapart from that, there's a Disc 3 which is the CD soundtrack of the filmand new making of booklet inside the caseso 5 stars i give for this new reissue based on an amazing 4k restoration of the filmplus all the extras, i mean every single extra has been carried over from the 30th anniversary editionDefinitely an upgrade from the 30th reissue worth buying for sure

First of all, awesome movie that definitely looks and sounds great and there are plenty of extras to keep you entertained. The only reason I didn't give this a 5-star rating is because the 3-Disc Limited Edition only came with 2 Blu Ray discs, no CD.I guess my purchase is REALLY a limited edition thanks to the screw up.

William Lustig's Maniac is a masterpiece of genre cinema and this latest Blu-Ray release really is worth the money.I got all I hoped for and more.If you already have the previous releases (especially the 30th Anniversary Blu-Ray) then it's worth the upgrade.The difference really is in the quality and this new transfer is better than all previous releases.Transfer looks amazingly crisp and clean but it still feels like Maniac.This is a 3 disc set that comes in a deluxe, clear snapcase.Disc 1 is the restored main feature, disc 2 is the abundance of bonus content, and disc 3 is the fully restored audio compact disc with Jay Chattaway's amazing score.Set also includes a booklet and a slipcover with lenticular 3D insert.There is also reversible sleeve art.If you're a fan of Maniac, you NEED this set.It's one of my favorite releases to come out in 2018.It's probably one of my favorites from Blue Underground, period.They consistently do amazing work.This is one of their best.

The movie looks even better in this new 4k re-release. I have never doubled dipped so to speak and purchased a blu ray that I already owned just for special features, this this release raised the bar. The sound and picture quality are much better than the 30 year anniversary release. The special features induce a nice nostalgic feeling of a city I've never visited in a part of the 80s when I wasn't even born yet. The movie itself is a masterpiece of psychological and slasher proportions. The gritty setting of 80s New York alone almost makes you sick. But the performance of Joe Spinell is perhaps one of the most convincingly unsettling realistic portrayals of a serial killer ever put to screen. I highly recommend this for fans of 80s horror and slasher/expiration cinema in general!

Película de mala reputación, por su violencia gratuita y sin una trama que realmente justifique la violencia hacia las mujeres, llega finalmente en una increíble edición de 3 discos (2BD, 1CD) con un transfer del negativo en 4K, haciendo que la película se vea mejor que nunca, además incontables extras, además de portada 3D y reversible.Obligado para todo fan.La película viene subtitulada al español.

Blue Underground went guns blazing with this release. A new video transfer, some new & all existing extras, & the soundtrack! (The spiffy packaging is nice too)

Excelente edición en perfecto castellano y cargada de extras.

Good edition, have a lot of extras, in spanish with subtitules

Good movie with a great new set release, transfer looks good!