Maniac

Un hermano pequeño de la familia de películas como El asesino de Rosemary (1981) o El asesino de la caja de herramientas (1978) - es decir, un brutal splatter slasher, que se deleita perversamente con los asesinatos más brutales de víctimas elegidas al azar. La película acompaña al asesino desde el primer hasta el último minuto, y al escuchar sus incesantes gruñidos, pretende ser una indagación psicológica en su mente... y no lo es. Una escena espectacular (el salto sobre el coche con una escopeta), una escena de suspense (los baños en el metro) y un final inesperado y sorprendentemente bueno: eso es lo que eleva esta basura de clase B a 2 estrellas. (17.02.2009)

Straight psychological slasher (those words don’t go very well together, but I don’t know how else to describe it) with a great Joe Spinell in the main role. The murder scenes are good, and two of them are actually excellent, it’s a shame that they aren’t supported by a better story, but let’s not kid ourselves: the psychology is good, the story not so. Without any doubt, the atmosphere reaches its peak with the toilet scene, I almost couldn’t breathe because of the tension; if the entire film was like that, it would be among my top favourite. 70% and I’m rounding up to four stars because of the poster, it’s really great. (05.05.2008)

Summer of Frank doesn’t quite live up to the portrayal of a mass murderer like Henry. While the director’s roots in the porn industry are evident, the film lacks the cleverness and raw intensity of McNaughton’s work, making the murderous activities of the grumbling Spinell—who skillfully alternates between a full-on psycho and hints of charm—quickly wear thin. One extra scalp nailed to the wall for Tom Savini's masks and the Taxi Driver vibes, but overall, it misses the mark. (14.04.2023)