I've never been at a loss to describe a film, but this time I think I've met my match. With no idea of what I was in for, "Maniac" managed to turn a mere fifty one minutes into a hallucinogenic experience without the drugs. With lines like "What I want is a victim with a shattered heart", and "What was IN that hypo?", this X-rated "B" movie is in a league of it's own.
That's not to say the film was bad, or even in the "so bad it's good" category. There are worse movies, believe me, if you've seen "The Beast of Yucca Flats" you'll realize that. However this film has some of the most bizarre elements you'll ever see, and they just keep coming at you. If the demented Dr. Meirschultz (Horace B. Carpenter) doesn't wake you up with his "bwa-ha-ha" maniacal laugh, then you'll certainly be entertained by the eye popping cat scene, and that's meant literally. If you thought it couldn't get any more gross, well just wait a second, and you'll witness mad doc impersonator Don Maxwell (Bill Woods) munch it down for maximum effect.
You've got things here you never expect to see - cats chasing mice, cats fighting each other, women fighting each other in a different version of cat fight, hypodermic needles, a dead body bricked up behind a wall, and more, so much more you won't believe what you're viewing. Oh yes, and there's a bare breasted woman too, so nonchalantly and provocatively inserted that you'll have to rewind to be sure you're not imagining it. All this from a film that starts out like your standard evil scientist creating life movie. There's even a dead woman brought back to life, which by the time the film is over, you realize is one of the more believable elements of the story.
Chalk this one up to one rare movie going experience. If I ever host my own late night Elvira fest, this will be the one to debut the series. It's "Reefer Madness" without the weed, and one weird ride into bizarro land you'll never forget, as hard as you may try.
That's not to say the film was bad, or even in the "so bad it's good" category. There are worse movies, believe me, if you've seen "The Beast of Yucca Flats" you'll realize that. However this film has some of the most bizarre elements you'll ever see, and they just keep coming at you. If the demented Dr. Meirschultz (Horace B. Carpenter) doesn't wake you up with his "bwa-ha-ha" maniacal laugh, then you'll certainly be entertained by the eye popping cat scene, and that's meant literally. If you thought it couldn't get any more gross, well just wait a second, and you'll witness mad doc impersonator Don Maxwell (Bill Woods) munch it down for maximum effect.
You've got things here you never expect to see - cats chasing mice, cats fighting each other, women fighting each other in a different version of cat fight, hypodermic needles, a dead body bricked up behind a wall, and more, so much more you won't believe what you're viewing. Oh yes, and there's a bare breasted woman too, so nonchalantly and provocatively inserted that you'll have to rewind to be sure you're not imagining it. All this from a film that starts out like your standard evil scientist creating life movie. There's even a dead woman brought back to life, which by the time the film is over, you realize is one of the more believable elements of the story.
Chalk this one up to one rare movie going experience. If I ever host my own late night Elvira fest, this will be the one to debut the series. It's "Reefer Madness" without the weed, and one weird ride into bizarro land you'll never forget, as hard as you may try.