Leofwine_draca
2001 MANIACS is a cheesy B-movie remake of a cult H. G. Wells gore film of the 1960s entitled 2000 MANIACS. This is a low budget production, packed to the brim with rubbery gore effects and a hammy turn from A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET star Robert Englund, and yet despite (or maybe because of) all this it turns out to be a surprisingly enjoyable little movie.I think the film works because the tone is just right. There's a ton of black comedy here, some of it blacker than black (like when the black guy turns up in the southern town asking where black guys hang around, and the locals point him to the nearest lynching tree). The story is relatively fast-paced, and you can be sure that there will be a grisly murder just around the next corner.The acting is less impressive, and some of the characters are just a little TOO over the top (yes, even in a film like this) but yet it somehow hangs together. It's clear that Englund is having a ball as the demented town mayor and there are cameos from Peter Stormare and Eli Roth as the story progresses. None of it is scary or disturbing, but it is funny in places and it's certainly miles better than the amateurish original.
Joe Miller
I remembered seeing the second one some time ago and saw this on Netflix and just had to watch it! Robert Englund (Freddy) is the perfect person to play the Mayor and quite funny while being serious. Originally I wanted to see these for the blood but they are hilarious while being bloody. This movie isn't meant to be taken serious or to be a horror movie as some people have it listed but as a way to have fun with some violence. The story is played great and ALL the characters are awesome. The only thing is I saw the ending coming but I figured that it had to happen to have a closing. I gave this a 7 out of 10.~Joe
Sandcooler
Nobody can imitate the fiendish charm that comes with everything cult director Herschell Gordon Lewis touches, but this movie seems more than willing to give it a try anyway. It's all there: the cartoonish gore, the delightfully sinister story, the gratuitous nudity, the ridiculously hammy acting, it's pretty much the best exploitation movie 2005 can hand you. It may lack that ugly, grainy 60s film stock, but trust me it still looks low-budget enough. The pace is pretty good and the build-up is nicely written, though it is kinda weird that the first kill to me is the best/funniest. All of them are good, but the coolest one they came up with is already used fifteen minutes in. Speaking of weird, the supposed Southern belles that still live in the 1800s all look like Playboy models, which is distracting in more ways than one. One even had fake nails for God's sake, doesn't make too much sense. And what's with that Chinese character? Most horror movies at least get Asian actors so they're close enough, here they just use a Caucasian actress and say she's Chinese about five times a minute. Heck, they'll believe it eventually. None of this bothers me too much though. "2001 Maniacs" is a lot of gory fun, but obviously it's still no "Two Thousand Maniacs".
m-cline-829-890967
If you haven't seen the original Two Thousand Maniacs, you won't miss anything. I saw it way back when, and thought it was good. But, the sequel, 2001 Maniacs buried it so deep it may never rise again. They are similar, but still unrelated works.The general plot is the same for both films. A small town of Pleasant Valley is holding a celebration, and looking for some Yanks to attend as the guests of honor. And, like the original, its set in 'modern day' America. But that is about as far as the similarities go. The cast is more faithful to modern people, young and old, and have much more fun with things.This film has all the things missing from the original film, such as nudity, racism, gore, violence, and so on. And, they also throw in some twists as well. Even the music is more enjoyable this time around, which is a blessing I think. But, if you are easily offended, no matter where you sit, this film will likely have you upset, even if you do laugh at some of it.All in all, I've seen this more than two dozen times, and still laugh at it. No matter which side you favor, they poke fun at all of them, and leave you with a final cut that will bleed whenever you see something in real life that reminds you of this film. My pick has to be the local Sheriff who hears the report, toward the end of the film. Living in the South, I wonder who they picked to be the model for his role, as it is 100% accurate, right down to the issue of the horror magazine he's reading. That may be the scariest thing about this whole film.
AD
