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Madman (1982) - Joe Giannone

I really liked Madman even though it is just a repackaged Friday the 13th. The movie does away with Jason and replaces him with an overweight old crazy redneck named Madman Marz. Seriously this guy is scary because of how insane he looks; he has wild grey caveman hair, a crazy beard and a scar over his right eye. No wonder he is so angry. While looking him up on Google I saw that someone compared him to Harry from Harry & The Henderson's. They look almost identical.

The movie begins with some camp councilors telling the tale of Madman Marz: a crazy dude that got axed in the face and hung, but he survived and ran into the woods. If you say his name above a dull roar he will come back and kill everyone in the camp. So what happens? Well one of the stupid teenagers decides to yell the name at the top of his lungs and well... you can pretty much guess what happens. Crazed killer kills stupid teens in the woods.

The movie is full of your usual slasher movie killings. Axes, nooses, a car hood, his bare hands, pretty much anything he can get his nasty grey bloated hands on. He targets everyone that at the camp from the councilors to a poor cook. The actual killings are extremely low budget and look horrible, aside from one, the hanging. According to the internet the actor actually choked himself during the filming and turned a nice shade of blue and purple. That is dedication.

The music is that really creepy synth that people used back in the 80's to make movies scary and aside from the killer, and some of the victims, everything else is just passable for a good horror movie. There is one girl in the movie who screams so much she literally gives her self away each time she hides. It is frustrating to watch. She is hiding in the shadows and it looks like Madman Marz might just walk by without noticing her, then she decides to let out a bloodcurdling scream and he finds her with an axe to the chest.

Lets call a spade a spade and just say that this movie is a complete rip-off; it is hardly original and there are numerous things that drag this movie down. The only real thing that I respect about the movie is the dedication the actors put into making this film. This movie would be a fun addition to any slasher marathon; it would fall in great along side movies like Friday the 13th or Sleepaway Camp. The creepiest thing is the credits at the end, and well if you're creeped out by a crazy redneck then this might be just down your alley.

It all started during a campfire at North Sea Cottages, a special retreat for gifted children...

  • The movie was originally based on the cropsy killings, however they made a movie about that in 1981 called The Burning. This movie was just a rip off from day one. 
  • The movie serves as the inspiration for the song Escape from Hellview by cKy.
  • The movie is currently out of print and is very hard to find.


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