The defence The Arthouse Gremlin
“Its refusal to behave is the point.”
The strange choices create the kind of friction that follows you out of the theatre and into the argument.
Back to trending 
Maniac
Horror · 1980
A psychotic man, troubled by his childhood abuse, kills and mutilates young women and local models on the streets of New York City.
Movie details
Maniac
“I warned you not to go out tonight!”
1980 Horror 1h 28m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.4 / 10
Community rating
A psychotic man, troubled by his childhood abuse, kills and mutilates young women and local models on the streets of New York City.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Maniac?
For the defence
The Arthouse Gremlin
“The stranger, the better.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
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Terrifier
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A maniacal clown named Art terrorizes three young women on Halloween night and everyone else who stands in his way.
The Loved Ones
Horror · 2010
When Brent turns down his classmate Lola's invitation to the prom, she concocts a wildly violent plan for revenge.
Nightmare Cinema
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A series of down-on-their-luck individuals enter the decrepit and spine-chilling Rialto theater, only to have their deepest and darkest fears brought to life on the silver screen by The Projectionist – a mysterious, ghostly figure who holds the nightmarish futures of all who attend his screenings.
The Midnight Meat Train
Horror · 2008
A photographer's obsessive pursuit of dark subject matter leads him into the path of a serial killer who stalks late night commuters, ultimately butchering them in the most gruesome ways.
Fright
Horror · 1971
Young babysitter Amanda arrives at the Lloyd residence to spend the evening looking after their young son. Soon after the Lloyds leave, a series of frightening occurrences in the gloomy old house have Amanda's nerves on edge. The real terror begins, however, when the child's biological father appears after recently escaping from a nearby mental institution.
GirlHouse
Horror · 2014
In an attempt to make some extra cash while away at College, Kylie moves into a house that streams content to an X-rated website. After a deranged fan hacks in to determine the house's location, she finds herself in a terrifying fight for her life.
American Mary
Horror · 2013
A young medical student struggling to pay tuition is drawn into the shady world of underground body-modification.
Night of the Reaper
Horror · 2025
A college student returns home for the weekend and reluctantly takes a babysitting job after a local babysitter is brutally murdered. When the town’s sheriff receives chilling evidence that the killing wasn’t an isolated incident, a deadly night unfolds as a masked killer sets the stage for another attack.
Maniac
Horror · 2012
As he helps a young artist with her upcoming exhibition, the owner of a mannequin shop's deadly, suppressed desires come to the surface.
Where it lives
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Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.
Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
William Lustig
Written by
Joe Spinell · C.A. Rosenberg
Joe Spinell
Frank Zito
Caroline Munro
Anna D'Antoni
Abigail Clayton
Rita
D
Denise Spagnuolo
Denise
B
Billy Spagnuolo
Billy
Kelly Piper
Nurse
Sharon Mitchell
Second Nurse
Court is in session
Put Maniac on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Prestige Tourist
“Oddness is not depth.”
A film can break every rule and still leave nothing behind but the memory of how hard it tried to be singular.