Hailed today as the forbear of modern exploitation horror, MANIAC presents its sordid tale of madness and murder as an educational essay on mental illness, with title cards explaining the various dementia dramatized in the narrative strewn throughout the film. Shot in and around director
Dwain Esper's house on Willoughby Avenue in Hollywood, MANIAC is the preposterous and frequently confusing saga of Don Maxwell (Bill Woods), a washed-up vaudeville impersonator who falls in with Dr. Meirschultz (Horace Carpenter), a mad scientist experimenting with bringing the dead back to life.
During an argument, Maxwell accidentally kills the doctor and, fearing a prison senten...
Released:
1934
Rated:
NR
Length:
67 mins