Updated for the internet dating era and given a first person point-of-view treatment that forces us to view everything from the title character's perspective a la 'Enter the Void', this contemporary take on William Lustig's 'Maniac' is more innovative than your average genre remake. While Elijah Wood's face is often obscured due to the way the film is shot, the film also benefits greatly from his casting as, with big blue eyes and milquetoast mannerisms, he seems like anything but your average serial killer. There is also more attempt to explore his damaged childhood and his desire for a girlfriend. This time round, his love interest mistakes him for a gay platonic friend due to his obsession with "dolls" (mannequins) and reluctance to hit on her. The mannequins also figure better into the plot here with Wood actually owning a mannequin store. The film does, however, disappointingly ditch Joe Spinell's curious obsession with photographs as a form of preservation from the first film, which in turn renders his dressing up of the mannequins a tad random. The violence, while quite graphic, also does not have the same shock value this time round, and while the film maintains the original's semi-supernatural ending, the effect is not quite the same knowing that it is coming. Overall though, the 2012 'Maniac' offers some substantial improvements on the original, the point-of-view cinematography is frequently breathtaking and the incorporation of 'Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' footage is excellent. The music is at least as atmospheric, if not more so, and Wood is really quite creepy.

The original film is very disturbing, creepy, and was the stuff of nightmares, this remake is the latter, but for different reasons. I hated the direction of it, they literally copied the early eighties style, the storytelling was distracting, slow and totally disengaging for the viewer.

They literally just sent for sick and shock factor, that's all this movie is, a stomach churning series of events, designed to distract you from how bad the movie actually is.

Lacking in both style and substance, Elijah Wood did as well with the script as he possibly could, but it's impossible for him, in what is essentially a trashy gore fest. 3/10

The restorer Frank (Elijah Wood) is the owner of a mannequin store that belonged to his mother. Frank was abused by his mother when he was a child and now he is a psychopath serial-killer with a fetish for scalps. When he meets the French photographer Anna (Nora Arnezeder),she loves his work of restoration of mannequins and they become friends. Anna borrows mannequins to an exhibition that she is promoting and Frank helps her. Franks goes to the opening night and stalks and kills Anna's agent Rita (Jan Broberg). Anna calls Frank to tell what happened to Rita and he goes to her apartment. Soon she suspects that Frank might be a serial-killer, but he is in her apartment.

"Maniac" is a terrible movie and remake of the 1980 "Maniac". The flawed story uses the stupid cliché of the victim running to a desert area. Los Angeles seems to be a ghost town. One woman in the subway flees to an empty parking area. Anna cries, there are fights in her apartment but the noise does not disturb the neighbors that do not take any attitude. The camera is also awful. The best part is the totally unexpected first death of a woman in the front door of her apartment. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Maníaco" ("Maniac")