maniac bloody birthday 2018

There was a time when New York City was dangerous, both in the physical and moral sense. A time when hookers were more common than rich housewives with dogs stuffed in their purses. When Times Square was a place to get cheap thrills, not cheap TVs and discount merchandise. The cinema of the ‘70s captured this very well (perhaps none better than Scorsese’s Taxi Driver), but William Lustig’s Maniac is a worthy document of NYC’s sordid past, a surprising psychological profile and a down ‘n dirty exploitation movie to boot.

Joe Spinell plays serial killer Frank Zito as a tortured soul, driven to murder by the memory of his prostitute mother. The fact that his character evokes sympathy despite the atrocity of his crimes (expertly and gruesomely executed by Tom Savini, who also has a small role) is a testament to both Lustig’s direction and Spinell’s performance. By all rights Maniac should have been simply another Halloween clone (it was certainly advertised as such) but instead it stands out like a long straw amongst the dozens of other slasher sequels produced at the same time. It’s not an enjoyable film to watch, although Savini’s technical work will give gore films something to “oooh” and “ahhh” over. Instead, it’s a dark journey into a disturbed mind, leaving you pummeled and more than a little numb, not unlike Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.

Something this ugly never looked so beautiful. Maniac makes its encore on Blu-ray in a brand-new 4K restoration from its recently discovered 16mm original camera negative. This 3-disc limited edition also includes a soundtrack CD, collectible booklet and 3D lithograph cover art. Maniac was at the forefront of the controversy surrounding cinematic violence and the extras gather TV reports and newspaper clippings that show just how crazy it all got (Gene Siskel admitted to walking out after just a half-hour)! Other extras include the great Joe Spinell Story documentary, two commentaries, interviews and publicity material. New additions on the roster are a series of outtakes and a location tour hosted by director William Lustig.

What if Bobby and Cindy Brady were actually homicidal maniacs? That’s essentially the premise behind Bloody Birthday, a 1981 slasher shot with all the style of a Sherwood Schwartz sitcom. Three kids are born at the same time, in the same hospital during a solar eclipse. If you keep up with your horoscopes you’ll know that means they’re destined to be born without a conscience; little Ted Bundys with taped glasses and church pants. For no particular reason they start off-ing horny teenagers, then move on to any family members who become suspicious.

Bloody Birthday sports a few recognizable faces, including an extended striptease from ex-MTV personality Julie Brown and Elizabeth Hoy (perhaps better known as the little girl John Belushi offers to “buy” during the restaurant sequence in The Blues Brothers) as one of the murderous kids. And even with its flat, unflattering look, the movie has a certain late ‘70s appeal, trying desperately to capture just a little of that leftover Halloween box office mojo. Lead actress Lori Lethin has the Jamie Lee Curtis look, but her scream is strictly TV movie material. What appeal the film has to collectors, besides it relative obscurity, is a plot that puts underage kids in the role of the traditional masked psychopath…something that would be next to impossible to pull off today. And it’s amusing to see how far the film will go before it reigns itself in.

Arrow Films brings this one to Blu-ray in a new 2K restoration from the original film elements and it's quite an upgrade from the previous DVD version in every respect. There are two new audio commentaries, a video appreciation of the killer kid sub-genre, archival interviews and a collector's booklet.