2001 Maniacs (Blu-ray)
Two groups of college kids and a couple bikers on their way to Spring Break all end up taking the same detour landing them in the Southern Town of Pleasant Valley. The yokels appear harmless enough as they insist that their guests remain for their annual celebration and barbecue but little these guests know their hosts have other intensions.
There’s a reason I’ll never drive through the country for a vacation. Now I’ll be the first to admit that yes, I’ve watched far too many movies but the fact remains that films like this one are indeed that reason. I can’t help but chuckle a bit when I watch movies like this, thinking to myself as I these fools fall prey to this scenario time and time again, “haven’t you idiots watched THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE!?”. I guess none of these characters watch much Horror though as they fall victim to it time and time again. On that note, suspension of disbelief must be put into overdrive to sit through this one and even then it’s still a ridiculous waste of time.
Here we have yet another remake that didn’t need to happen and what’s worse is that it’s so poorly done I can’t help but shake my head in bewilderment. First off, it was produced by Eli Roth? Seriously!? The cinematography is atrocious (a ten year old could have done better) and the characters are worthless, clueless and just plain oblivious when it comes to common sense. Now take Roth’s HOSTEL for example, I can get that the boys might overlook one of their buddies going missing for a day after a boozed up, sex driven night of partying but in this film things are quite different. If my girlfriend suddenly vanished, I’d be a little more worried than this dude was, not to mention I’d have been snapping bones the minute these hicks started in with the racial slurs and been long gone before nightfall.
What makes these characters even worse is their coma inducing dialogue. I get that these people are hick hillbillies from the South but come on! And as for their impending victims (especially the Asian chick and African dude), you’d think that the mayor’s Confederate Flag eye patch would have triggered at least a couple silent alarms but it didn’t. The gore factor was a mixed bag, albeit a couple of the kills were pretty cool but the cheesy one liners that followed quickly kill any sense of enjoyment. There is also the issue of the townsfolk themselves (spoiler alert), they keep tipping the scales between real and ghost until the end but even then you’re left scratching your head in confusion.
2001 MANIACS is mess, one that’s using Robert Englund as a crutch to trick people into thinking this is a worthwhile film when it’s anything but. Englund does have his moments here but their eclipsed almost immediately but the action packed amount of flaws surrounding him at every moment. Eli Roth and Kane Hodder made brief appearances which I get, but Travis Tritt!? This flick is cringe worthy on every level and that’s not due to it being a Horror film either. Please, if you value your sanity, let the people of Pleasant Valley rest in peace.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: 1.78:1 Widescreen in 1080p HD with AVC codec. Despite being a Blu-ray title, this was one of the worst shot films I’ve watched in awhile.
Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD in English, French and Spanish with the same subtitle options. The score was equally scary, unless you’re into creepy ZZ TOP dudes playing the banjo.
“Inside the Asylum” Documentary (42:26): Here we have Eli Roth and Robert Englund explaining how they were drawn to this flick because of how they share the same love for Horror as director Tim Sullivan. With all this “love of Horror” in the air, you’d think they could have come up with a better film.
Deleted/Extended Scenes &Alternate Opening (37:13): I really dug the alternate opening with the College teacher and Dean and definitely feel they should have led the film with this to pack a better punch but the rest of these scenes were horrible.
Audition Reel (6:36): A short look at the actors/actresses auditioning for their roles by acting out various scenes from the film. Sadly, these auditions looked better than the end result.
Previews: There’s a Blu-ray commercial and a couple of Lionsgate film trailers.
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