Maniac imagines that it is artful by presenting much of the action in the second person (we are looking at scenes directly from the camera's POV) and by filming long driving cityscape sequences like the ones used in Drive and Taxi Driver. The second person technique was used in the very first slasher movie, Peeping Tom, and this movie doesn't seem to know we've progressed since then. It's still the same voyeuristic male gaze that wants to spy on women changing their clothes in front of open windows. We've still got the killer befuddled by Mommy issues, implying that if only she had baked cookies instead of having a sex life her child would have turned out just fine. I think the Second Person point of view was used to hide one of the movie's chief flaws: Elijah Wood is not scary. He could be very creepy, and if he used a subtle Norman Bates harmless quality to lure women in, it could be unsettling. In this, we see him chasing down women who probably outweigh him. What would you imagine if you were being chased by Eljiah Wood with an ironic mustache? That he was going to tell you he saw LCD Soundsystem before they were cool? He also does not seem strong and dexterous enough to scalp women with a single cut. Such a thing seems more complicated. I have trouble opening packages. I don't imagine removing a scalp covered in tangled hair would be that simple. If this movie were from the 80s with an unknown actor (and I know that it was in its original form), we might like its simple stark charm and completely outdated formula. However, in the modern era, speaking as a fan of slashers, a fan of Elijah Wood, a fan of disturbing movies etc, this just does not work in any way.
Review of Maniac
