2001 Maniacs (2005)

Plot Outline: Eight college students travelling to Florida for spring break take a detour and stumble into Pleasant Valley, a small town which welcomes them with open arms and invites them to stay for their annual Guts and Glory Jubilee. Little do they realise that this jubilee is going to be more deadly than they could ever imagine as the town is using the jubilee as a way of getting back at the Union

The Review: Finally! After what has seemed almost an eternity, I managed to grab an import copy of this flick off eBay. It's release has been postponed and put back so many times in the UK, by the time it gets released it'll be getting remade again! A loose remake of Herschell Gordon Lewis' 1963 gore flick Two Thousand Maniacs! and starring Robert Englund, this promised and lot and delivered by the bucket load. With good taste being thrown away and boundaries being pushed to the limit, don't expect an easy ride as the film piles on the goodies. You want gore? You've got it! Limbs ripped off, people being crushed by heavy objects and acid-burning, stomach-melting horror! You want T&A? Bring it all on down! Hot chicks, sluts and maids (the milk gag is priceless) bare all for the camera and they're not shy of it either (most of the female cast are absolutely scorching including Marla Malcolm and the two "cousins" who make out with each other). If there's no gore, there's tits. If there's no tits, there's gore. Somewhere in amongst this boiling pot of horror geek heaven, there's an actual story and to be fair, it's pretty thin on the ground (although if you haven't seen the original then maybe you won't know where it's heading). Our main characters are pretty irrelevant and are never given much time to shine but this isn't really about them, it's about the townspeople. Robert Englund is a great actor. There's no question about that. Unfortunately for him and everyone else, his role as Freddy Kruger pretty much shot his career down in flames. There's no denying that the role didn't propel him to fame and fandom but people only see him as Kruger and it's a pity because it's roles like this that really show off his acting chops. The other townspeople are equally as entertaining, including Lin Shaye as Granny. Definitely one of the film's strongest points. A lot of what made the original such a cult hit was the warped sense of humour and there's no exception here. If you're easily offended or are one of those "Politically Correct" losers who moan about incorrect jokes then this isn't for you. The townspeople hate blacks so needless to say the token black guy is the butt of plenty of racism. But homosexuals are given equal bashing too so there is a bit of equality there! Something that has lost it's edge is the zaniness of the town. Yes it's still a generic hick town full of crazy locals but this whole angle has lost it's charm now and it's a bit bland because it's been done to death time and time again. Even the singing minstrels who merrily serenade people wherever they go have lost their edge - even the classic song "The South's Gonna Rise Again" has lost it's charm from that of the original.

Final Verdict: 2001 Maniacs is a cracking throwback to good old-fashioned blood, guts and T&A horror films. It's a total must see for horror fans everywhere. Ye-haw!

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