The trend for studios putting the first few minutes of films online as a taster for us cinemagoers continues apace. We’ve already had four minutes of** Warm Bodies**, and now comes something just as horror-laden, as Elijah Wood kicks off his killing spree in the opening scenes from Maniac. Be warned that it gets NSFW right at the end.
Maniac, a remake of the 1980 chiller, finds Wood as Frank, the owner of a mannequin shop who prefers to remain withdrawn and secluded. But when artist Anna (Nora Arnezeder) asks for help with her latest installation, the initial friendship curdles to obsession and something lethal and tortured within Frank is awakened.
P2’s Frank Khalfoun directs, working from a script co-written by Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur. As with some of the footage in the trailer, this opening is told from Frank’s point of view as he stalks a victim. It’s set to open here on March 15, though we’re still wondering if it’ll have a ratings battle with the BBFC like the original did back in 1981…