MANIAC

MANIAC is a remake of the 1980 horror film, featuring Elijah Wood as a psychologically disturbed individual who stalks and kills women. It is rated 18 for strong bloody violence.

The film is mostly shot from the killer's point of view and there are occasions when we hear the killer's thoughts. However, this perspective is a common device in horror features, and tends here to give a more immediate sense of the danger that the victims are in, rather than encouraging the viewer to identify with the killer. In this case, the obvious and severe nature of the character's mental illness also serves to distance the viewer from his violent actions. The killer's main weapon is a large knife which he uses to scalp his victims, cutting their foreheads and pulling the skin back to reveal a bloodied skull. He uses the victims' hair to adorn mannequins and, in his own mind, bring them to life. His motives for killing are not portrayed as either sadistic or sexual. In addition to the scalping of victims, the killer stabs a woman in the jaw, strangles one of his victims, cuts the ankle of a woman he has chased, and strikes a man in the face with a cleaver.

Sex is shown in flashback to imply that a significant female character has an active sex life with different partners. Some breast nudity and kissing of breasts is seen, as well as thrusting between clothed participants. However, these scenes offer no strong detail. In one scene the killer is enticed to have sex by a woman he has met. She reveals her breasts and encourages the touching of them. But the killer soon interrupts the sex, which is not shown in detail and which appears not to interest the man, and instead kills the woman.

One of the BBFC's guiding principles, as set out in the Guidelines, is that adults should, as far as possible, be free to choose what they see, provided that it remains within the law and is not potentially harmful. MANIAC raises neither legal nor credible harm concerns at 18.

MANIAC also contains strong language ('f**k') and infrequent hard drug use, with brief focus on the snorting of cocaine.

No-one younger than 18 may see an 18 rated film in the cinema. No-one younger that 18 may rent or buy an 18 rated video or DVD.