Maniac, A Refreshing Horror Film

   It's extremely hard to come across a horror film as good as say The Shining or The Thing (1982), but once in a while a couple twenty hours apart view one. The recent Maniac remake by Franck Khalfoun may not be something as outstanding as The Shining, but it should be remembered for what it is.
   French director Franck Khalfoun ventured off the path of the original 1980 film in the way the story is told. The original was almost entirely like one of the Friday the 13th films, or a typical horror film these days, where the killer is seen as a monster with no personality. The parts that weren't typical however were great, for they were from the point of view of the maniac. Even if those shots' dialogue from the maniac consisted of heavy breathing, they were still a unique way to go about a horror film. Khalfoun took notice of that and rather than made some of the film from that perspective, he practically made the entire film from the point of view of the maniac, Elijah Wood. Doing so allowed for a more personal feeling for the maniac, even if he was, well, a maniac. Yes, in the end he was a disgusting killer, but you felt for him far more than, say, Jason Voorhees.
   As I said, it's not as great as the classics, but more people in the horror making business should take note, as Khalfoun did. This is horror moving in the right direction, even if it's just for one great aspect.