NITRATE #02: MANIAC, A DEADLY DIVE INTO 70'S NEW YORK

140 color pages

Maniac: Aberrant cinematic creation or authentic horror masterpiece? When it was first released in 1981, there was no debate. In a decaying New York gangrened by violence, the distribution of this pinnacle of exploitation cinema irritated and disturbed. As a result, the entire press ganged up against the film. On the turbulent 42nd Street side, however, it was not the same story and the shady grindhouse audience acclaimed the film. Masterfully led by the young William Lustig and supported by the possessed performance of Joe Spinell , Maniac is a violent and dark work that remains even today reserved for an informed audience. The fruit of extensive research and unpublished interviews, Maniac, a deadly dive into 70s New York, aims to tell the entire story of the film, from its invention to its shooting and its reception. Sensitive souls abstain!

A specialist in popular cinema and Far Eastern cinematography, Julien Sévéon has written for over twenty years in the French and English-language press. He is the author of several reference works, the latest of which is George A. Romero: Revolutions, Zombies and Chivalry.