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Overall Rating : 5.5/10
Directed By : Tim Sullivan
Robert Englund (Nightmare On Elm Street series)
Lin Shaye (Detroit Rock City)
Giuseppe Andrews (Cabin Fever)
Jay Gillespie
Supplied By : Lionsgate Films
Film Reviewed By : Rick L. Blalock
Date Reviewed : Mar.1, 2006
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| PLOT On their way to spring break, college kids take a detour through an old Southern town. The people of Pleasant Valley insist the kids stay for their annual barbecue celebration....but instead of getting a taste of the old South, the old South gets a taste of them! |
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| THE REVIEW The terror that is 2001 MANIACS begins when a group of students on their way to Spring Break vacation suddenly get lost deep in the South when they take a seemingly awkward detour. The detour ultimately lands them in a southern hick town with the population of 2001, named Pleasant Valley. At first the townspeople, lead by one-eyed Mayor Buckman, and matriarch Granny Boone seem like good 'ol Country folk, as they insist that the guest stay for a barbecue in which they hold annually. All of the goodness, however comes to an end as they realize that the townspeople are much more evil that they appear. All along the true plan of the townspeople were to indeed have them as dinner guests, but in another fashion....guests on their dinner plates! I had heard about this Eli Roth produced film for quite some time now, from it having festival runs to a planned theatrical run nationwide. Many fans waited for this release but were disappointed as that release never came to fruition, Well coming from Lionsgate will finally be the film's DVD release on March 28th,2006. Since this was coming from UpcomingHorrorMovies.com regular Tim Sullivan and CABIN FEVER director Eli Roth, I was stoked whenever I received my screener, as I expected a highly entertaining Horror show. Well a show is what I got and it was entertaining, however I expected a far more serious remake of H.G. Lewis' 2000 MANIACS. in 2001 Maniacs we are presented more of a dark comedy, that i'd say that is in part in the vein of films like TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2, yet not as corky as films like say a SLEEPAWAY CAMP 2. To be honest with you, I have never seen the original film 2000 MANIACS, so I couldn't really compare between the 2 films. But in this film, 2001 MANIACS we are presented with a ton of bizarre characters, (this excluding the victims of course) You can't really figure them out, you can't decide if they are bipolar or if they actually know what they are doing and are just reeling in the victims, this is a good thing. I'd say that in this film, there is some rather great character delivery, I like how the evil townspeople always seem to keep a joyous and happy look on their faces and it is a look that never goes away, even in the act of killing,,,,just pure and simple entertainment! But a low point for the film for me is that I saw it as being more of a serious driven film like I previously stated. The mood often changes from the dark humor aspect to that more serious aspect and to me at times but not all times, gave the film an unevenness. But something 2001 MANIACS does take serious is the gore and the deaths and that is one reason this film should in fact be seen.....the film features some of the best gore I have seen in a long while, both creative and nasty in a lovely way. With so many actors in the film it's really hard to judge the acting as a whole. But as you would have probably guessed the most memorable performance was by Robert Englund, followed closely by the wonderful Lin Shaye. Everyone knows Englund as Freddy Kruger, but I believe, had this film been given the originally planned theatrical showing, Mayor Buckman would probably have been his next iconic role, but now i'm not so sure, it will depend on how many people this film will reach. Giuseppe Andrews from CABIN FEVER shows up as the charming town "stud" Harper Alexander, also making a cameo is CABIN director Eli Roth, once again with his dog "Dr. Mambo", and Country singer Travis Tritt. To me this film was pleasantly directed(no pun intended) amd has the look and feel of any theatrical film, however I somewhat am mixed when it come to the question should it be in theaters? It has the big names, has the production, but as I mentioned is somewhat uneven, this could be a factor.... but come to think of it, This film has to be better than the WHEN A STRANGER CALLS remake, so why not a release? |
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| GORE
METER 7/10 The gore is this films money....it is nicely done and highly effective, one of the reasons to watch... |
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| MUSICAL
SCORE 5/10 The soundtrack is accompanied by some original music, most prominently the "The South Will Rise Again" theme song sung by the townspeople. |
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| OVERALL
IMPRESSION OF THE FILM Is this film disappointing you ask? No, certainly not...as a matter of fact I did enjoy it quite a bit. It has the campy feel I always look for, however 2001 MANIACS didn't deliver the impact I was ultimately prepared for, but still it highly entertained me. 2001 MANIACS seems to be one of those movies that just gets better and better each time you watch it, so I am giving you my recommendation to check it out, you won't be 100% disappointed... This DVD will be released on Mar. 28th,2006 |
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