Maniac (2012)

I watched the original version of Maniac last spring in anticipation of the new remake coming out, based largely on its cult status. And I honestly couldn't tell you much of the details of the movie all these months later, although I did enjoy it. What I do remember is that it had the feel of an exploitation flick, sympathizing with the killer (rather than his victims), without attempting to make any kind of heavy-handed moral commentary, similar to the style of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (but maybe a little more fictionalized). I also remember that it had pretty good gore effects, and a bit of a surreal (but not at all unsatisfying) conclusion.

I was worried that they couldn't (or wouldn't) film such a morally ambiguous tale in this day and age, but I was pleased to discover that Maniac (2012) is surprisingly faithful to the spirit of the original. It made me uncomfortable, and gave me that feeling of wondering, "why would anyone make this movie?" Which is exactly what it's supposed to do. I was also concerned that Elijah Wood would be too attractive or too much of a celebrity to pull off the role of the lead, but he looks just rugged enough, and he does a great job of channeling the dull and detached exterior, but tortured and deranged interior of his character.

The movie is almost exclusively shot in first person perspective, with a liberal sprinkling of reflective surfaces to get Elijah's money's worth, and a few dream sequences that briefly enter the third person. It serves to effectively provide a terrifying look into not just the life, but the warped psyche of the titular maniac. His conversations with strangers (mostly beautiful women) are genuinely awkward, and the glimpses we get into the character's delusions (and the way the symptoms of his "migraines" affect him) are fascinating. The musical score (which almost recalls the days of Pink Floyd doing movie soundtracks) also greatly contributes to the eerie atmosphere of the film. If you liked the original Maniac, I think you'll be pleased with the new remake. It's a disturbing treat of a horror movie.

Fear (1996)

I'm getting more than a little tired of the cliche of the older guy who goes after teenage girls (there are a million erotic/romantic thrillers that cater to this stereotype), who even acts all nice and sweet at first, only to go totally psychotic later as if to prove the point that these guys are always bad news. It's like telling teenage girls everywhere, "you know, even if he's nice to you and treats you well, it's just an illusion and he'll try to kill you the moment you let your guard down, after he's told you he loves you and tricked you into thinking he's the right person to give up your virginity to." (Assuming you still have it).

Aside from that, Fear turned out to be a really good movie. Mark Wahlberg does a great job of crafting a character that is unsettlingly sweet at first, but selectively drops that facade to reveal the very intimidating sociopath underneath. And Reese Witherspoon - while not exactly convincing as a 16 year old high school student - has the innocent charm to pull off her role as the naive teen. Curiously, her character wears a lot of scandalously short skirts, but I'm definitely not complaining. You do have your requisite scenes of father/daughter tension with regards to the questionable boyfriend, but the movie manages to avoid being too gratingly stereotypical in the final analysis.

And what really sets this movie apart is how the family pulls together in the end - not in the saccharine ending sort of way - but to put aside their dramatic differences to band together against the impending threat that ultimate becomes clearly unambiguous. And the threat manifests itself in the form of a (somewhat spoiler) rather frightening and very exciting home invasion sequence. And on top of all that, this movie has some decent '90s music, including a cover of Wild Horses. Plus, the ero-mantic roller coaster scene was pure genius. Result is, it was actually a lot better than I was expecting it to be, and in my opinion, raises itself to a level above your average mid-'90s teen thriller.