2001 Maniacs Review

I’ve heard about this franchise a lot lately, but this is the first time I’ve had the opportunity to see one of the entries. 2001 Maniacs is the first film in the currently developing trilogy of horror comedies. I must say this – do not watch this film if you do not have a sense of humor. There is a lot of racism displayed in this film; directed mostly at southerners, homosexuals, African Americans, and Asian Americans. I firmly believe that certain offensive jokes can be funny when they come from a true kind heart, said only for comedic purposes, when said to an audience who can appreciate the humor and laugh at each other. If you can not appreciate an offensive joke, meant without harm or malice towards the audience, then do not even bother reading the rest of this review. If you are like the majority of people who enjoy all forms of media, then read on!

2001 Maniacs follows three groups of college students on their destination to Florida for Spring Break. The groups consist of three fratboy-type guys, one guy and his two best girl friends, and a biker couple. All of them stumble onto a deserted road after their way is blocked by a detour sign. One after another they end up in “Pleasure Valley,” which resembles a town straight out of early America during the time of the Civil War. It’s almost like they traveled back in time, and they believe that they have landed in a tourist attraction that recreates the Civil War. Little do they know, the town is all but prim and proper. The kids have landed in their quant little village just in time for the “Guts and Glory Jubilee,” and they’re all on the menu! Grab your can of moonshine and grab your prettiest pig because this horror comedy is packed with more gore, boobies, racial stereotypes, over the top kills, and sexual innuendos than a Ho-Down in Alabama!

During my pre-viewing research gathering, I found that 2001 Maniacs was produced on a budget of only $3,000,000. Despite the low number, the quality of this film is amazing. The picture quality doesn’t have that ‘glossy’ look that most low-budget movies have. The special effects, while cheesy, fit this film perfectly and are actually quite creative. I give props to the script writers, definitely, because there were so many sexual innuendos included here that didn’t seem out-of-place. The humor wasn’t forced down my throat. The pace was even and kept me interested as the film progressed. Two big names in horror, Eli Roth and Kane Hodder, make cameos in 2001 Maniacs. I guess Kane Hodder and Robert Englund liked working with each other that much in Freddy vs Jason that they had to do it again.

Yes, horror icon Robert Englund has a main role in 2001 Maniacs. For those of you who are not putting two and two together, he played the original Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and has over 34 horror movie credits. Other note-worthy cast members include Lin Shaye, who has a ton of horror credits as well. Guiseppe Andrews (Independence Day, American History X), Jay Gillespie (upcoming Hellraiser Reboot) Brian Gross (Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Episode “The Pack” ), and upcoming starlet Christa Campbell all have roles and performances worth mentioning. They all do a fantastic job here and bring the film to life.

Obviously I don’t need to say whether or not I liked 2001 Maniacs like I always do for my conclusions. It is available On Demand. I was able to finally see it on there. If you don’t have the channel then I do recommend going to buy yourself a copy, as I will probably be doing in the future. It really is worth the price if you’re a fan of horror comedy. 2001 Maniacs was nominated for “Best DVD Release” in 2007 for the Saturn Awards, but did not win. It’s a shock to me that it hasn’t won a award because I really, really enjoyed it a lot more than horror comedies like Vampires Suck and Scary Movie 3-4. I enjoyed this film so much I put it on again right away for a second viewing.