No, it’s not the barf-inducing Joe Spinell movie from the 1980’s, it’s the 1934 bad movie classic. I got an e-mail requesting it, but since I did already, last year in fact, here is an “encore” version. For more bad movie reviews click here: https://glitternight.com/bad-movies/
MANIAC (1934) – Category: A neglected bad movie classic that deserves a Plan 9-sized cult following An actor on the run from the law falls in with a mad scientist, Dr Meierschultz. He becomes an accomplice in the good doctor’s dark experiments involving the reanimation of a dead woman (whose corpse he and Meierschultz steal from a morgue) and the transplantation of an independently beating heart the mad scientist keeps in a jar. (A jar?) The actor kills Meierschultz and impersonates him, doing a very convincing job since we realize he’s every bit as demented as the real doctor was. Fragments of Edgar Alan Poe stories abound in this beautifully bizarre and campy tale which at times poses as a scientific warning about various psychological disorders via overwrought lines that seem like the inspiration for Ed Wood’s “scientific” look at transvestism in Glen Or Glenda? There are even weird bits with a phantasmal devil (really just footage taken from the silent film Dante’s Inferno) just like Ed Wood used in his later film. There’s also a syringe fight between two women, a drugged-out maniac who apparently wants to get, uh, amorous with the walking dead woman, a black cat knocking over the jar with the heart in it, the wonderfully deranged “Cats eat the rats” speech (if this was a musical this bit would be the show-stopping number everyone would be humming as they left the theater) and of course, the infamous eyeball-eating scene. (“It is not unlike a grape or an oyster.”)
I know you have included it in BAD movies – but the plot sound ‘intersting’. Maybe the writers were on LSD ?? Anywho: Now you don’t need to accept, or do anything I guess, if you don’t want to, but I have included you in my Seven Links Award. http://jobryantnz.wordpress.com/2011/08/11/the-seven-links-award/
I actually enjoyed doing this one – especially including blogs I love.
Thank you so much, Jo! You are so nice to do this! I will put up a nice acknowledgement and a link to your blog over the weekend. Things at the office are crazy right now. I’l lbe doing work from my home PC tonight, too.
I agree, these old , bad movies often have a more interesting premise than the newer movies, where everything gets focus-grouped to death.
is this infamous ‘cats eat the rats’ speech on you tube somewhere? It sounds interesting. I may have to watch this movie just to satisfy curiosity. LoL
It looks like Jo put it up already, so there you go!
I found it – the ‘cats/rats speech – oh my !!!
Ha! Glad you liked it! There’s that old artsy quote that goes “You should learn to enjoy bad movies … they are sometimes sublime.”
The last bit had me rolling on the floor looking for a diaper before I peed my pants. How can you not love something like this. Please keep ’em coming.
Ha! I will, believe me! I’ve barely scratched the surface of the neglected bad movies I love.
oh my… Now that I’ve seen it……. how can I forget it? what a dialog!
HA! And the whole movie is loaded with demented little scenes like that. It’s great!
2 2 funny! u shud host ur own movie show
One of my favorites if you’ll recall! Funny from start to finish.
Of course I remember! Always good to hear from you!
LMAOO This was my favorite review so far!
Thanks for letting me know!
This was my favorite bad movie review of yours so far!
Thanks! That is nice of you! !