10 Horror Movie Characters Who Were Perfectly Cast (The Second Time)
2. Frank Zito - Elijah Wood (Maniac)
The Original
It would be absolutely disingenuous to suggest that Joe Spinell's performance as serial killer Frank Zito in William Lustig's original 1980 Maniac is anything less than skin-crawlingly effective.
Spinell's entire aura is deeply offputting and merely being in his company for 88 minutes is enough to make you want to take a shower, even if the film itself if something of a mixed, messy affair.
Second Time's The Charm
Few were asking for a Maniac remake, but Franck Khalfoun's 2012 do-over made two smart decisions: shooting almost the entire thing in a bewildering first-person POV, and casting Elijah Wood as Frank.
Wood, who has certainly cornered the market on playing unhinged weirdos in the latter half of his career, brings a distinctly different, unnerving quality to the fore compared to Spinell.
First and foremost, it's so much easier to believe that Wood's Frank would actually be able to get close to the attractive women he pursues and kills, whereas Spinell's Frank basically sets the alarm bells ringing from miles away.
It helps of course that the Maniac remake is a far more polished and psychologically adept film compared to the rough-around-the-edges original, but Wood's ability to seem harmless yet perform acts of great brutality ensures he delivers a more plausible protagonist.