10 Modern Slasher Horror Movie Villains That Went Unnoticed
2. Frank Zito - Maniac
Hearing the word "slasher" should drum up all sorts of images. You might think of a masked brute hacking up his latest victim, or a disfigured psychopath that is utterly devoid of emotion. We picture such images because we've been conditioned to expect these tropes from slashers.
However, the 2012 remake of Maniac reminds us that serial killers can look as normal as you or me.
The story centres around Frank Zito - a schizophrenic who overlooks a mannequin business. Due to suffering trauma from his callous mother during childhood, Frank is bombarded by murderous impulses.
The only time Frank's mother was nice to him was when she let him brush her hair. When he's overwhelmed by emotion, Frank scalps women, and attaches their hair to his mannequins, so he can relive his only happy memory.
What makes the remake superior to its predecessor is the perfect casting of Elijah Wood as Frank. Because of Woods' innocent face, it's impossible to envision him peeling the heads off innocent women... until you see him do it.
Just to make Maniac more unsettling, most scenes are from Franks' point-of-view, which forces you to watch these murders as if you're committing them yourself.