Maniac

I don't feel much like writing a post now, but after watching this masterpiece I feel compelled to share it with anyone reading this blog. Maniac is one of the best horror films I've watched in a long while. It's extreme, extreme, extreme, utterly extreme... Though set in Los Angeles and starred by North American actors, you could somehow associate it to the New French Extremity school (indeed the director is French).

The story is nothing new, a disturbed young man with a repressed sexuality (due to a trauma from his childhood owing to his mother's unrepressed sexuality) turns into a serial killer. Sure you can think of several films revolving around the same idea, but this one is spiced by some brilliant elements, like being entirely shot from the Point of View of the murderer, the mannequins that give it a feel of arty and "modern horror", and especially the sheer brutality of some of its moments.

Really, this is an absolutely must see for anyone into horror films, but be warned that many people could find it too hard. Indeed, I for one would say there's more blood on screen than necessary, and the last sequence of the film was quite unnecessary (a gore feast that adds no value at all). But well, perfection is the biggest of horrors.... By the way, this is the remake of a film of the 80's, so probably I should also give it a try.