In 1980, character actor Joe Spinell who had been in movies like The Godfather and Taxi Driver set out to make his own movie.  The result turned out to be a slasher classic called Maniac.  Spinell wrote the script, co-produced, and hired ex-porn moviemaker, William Lustig, to direct the story of "Frank", a maniac who kills women in horrifying ways and then...well, you need to watch the movie.  The soundtrack by Jay Chattaway is moody and dark, and the Tom Savini special effects are some of his finest, and even the scene where Savini himself falls victim to the "maniac" is gory and spectacular.  Check out the original trailer below, and then I've also posted the trailer for the 2012 remake, starring Elijah Wood.  If you like bloody slasher films, "Maniac", both versions, is a 'cut' above the rest.

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