Whilst Maniacal doesn’t cover any new ground, it is clear that this was not the intention of the filmmakers. Instead we are treated to a fun 80 minute homage of ‘Halloween’ with a little bit of ‘The Slumber Party Massacre’ thrown in for good measure.
The story centres on Gilbert Gill a bald headed nut job who murders his mother and tries rather unsuccessfully to kill his father before being sent to a mental institute.
Four years later Gilbert escapes and comes back to town looking for his sister, who still feels guilty about the death of her mother, as it was her who had taunted Gilbert the night of the murder.
Scared to stay at home Janet and her friends decide to have a slumber party and watch some horror movies and of course, Gilbert crashes the party.
The film is full of great references thanks to Eric Spudic’s fun script and the effects work by Director Joe Castro is actually very good for such a low budget title.
You know what to expect from a film of this nature so if all you’re after is a bit of fun, some gore and a nice looking cast you will probably enjoy this.
OVERALL SUMMARY
Maniacal is made with the right spirit to ensure that hardcore genre fans have fun. The film could have been completely awful in the wrong hands but thanks to the dedication and resourcefulness of the filmmakers, it is a fun little film.
