2001 Maniacs

R1: Lionsgate

R4: Beyond Entertainment

It is no exaggeration to say that in 1963 Herschell Gordon Lewis changed the world of cinema. Predicting the end of soft erotica and “roughies” he saw the future in horror and made a graphically over the top film gorefest called Blood Feast. Blood Feast shocked the establishment, horrified critics and had drive-ins filled to captivity with would be customers lined up around the block ! He soon followed this with 2,000 Maniacs, a redneck horror film set in the South with a dark sense of humour and packed with gore.

2001 Maniacs is not really a remake but a homage. Produced by Raw Nerve, a production company made up of horror heavy weights Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel) Scott Spiegel (Evil Dead) and director, writer and producer Boaz Yakin (Remember the Titans), it certainly had lots of good PR before it even hit the shelves.

With Robert Englund in the starring role and Playboy Model Crista Campbell it certainly looks great before the story even unfolds. Using Herschell Gordon Lewis’ opening soundtrack, song and characters it makes a superb modern adaptation.

The storyline has everything one would expect from a redneck horror film. Various young men and women on spring break are shunted via a detour to a town called Pleasant Valley. They are welcomed with open arms by the local people who seem to be having some sort of celebration. The townsfolk are friendly, a bit too friendly and seem rather quaint and strange. There is a superb sense of “inbred” dread created by the townspeople constant use of outdated language, strange dress and folk songs. Never mind their lack of electricity, technology and old world values.

The folkish music is especially fun, it is like the soundtrack from the “Wicker Man” meets South park! It adds a perversely circus like feel to the whole film which lifts it from being just another splatter spectacular to a film with lots of dry humour, wit and mood.

2001 Maniacs is merciless in its satire of those who hold to “heritage”, especially those attached to “Southern Values” and “Civil War Culture”. It is politically incorrect making all sorts of jokes about race, sex, corn holing and more. It walks a thin line, using all sorts of stereotypes about inbreds, rednecks, race and sex while also satirizing those who are narrow enough to believe them. While you do need a broad sense of humour here, it is worth it because 2001 Maniacs is also a great gore and splatter film.

The crux of the tale is that these townspeople are actually the revengeful dead who were killed by the Yankees during the civil war and through their quest for vengeance are driven to return year after year to feed, literally on the living. There are lots of outrageous killings ranging from an oral sex horror scene, squashing in a cotton press, death by giant bell and a poker up the behind and out the mouth, all leading to the final serving of “long pig” for the celebratory dinner. Of course, just when you think they have escaped, revenge is still served.

This is a great DVD package filled to the brim with extras ranging from commentaries to Making Of documentary and an incredible range of deleted and alternate scenes.

This is a gore filled politically incorrect splatter spectacular which will having you screaming and laughing at the same time.