Maniac sees Wood play the role of Frank, a mannequin shop owner by day, developing a friendship with art student Anna (Safe House's Nora Arnezeder). He's also a serial killer with a fetish for women's scalps by night. Produced by Alexandre Aja and directed by Franck Khalfoun, the film is a remake of William Lustig's 1980 horror of the same name.
Alongside the stills, an uncensored teaser trailer has been leaked online and anyone concerned that this was just going to be a traditional slice and dice horror may have to question that. Be warned if you find the trailer and decide to watch (though I'll be surprised if it stays up for long), it is both incomplete and highly graphic.
The original film has sections from the central character's point of view and it looks as if the remake will follow that pattern with a lot of the trailer shot from Wood's character's perspective. Now, as a person who already finds mannequins fairly unsettling, I'm already slightly biased when it comes to this film's potential to scare. Yet the voyeuristic style and grimy locations are all adding up to what could potentially be a great horror.
Maniac premiers at Cannes Film Festival this week and has yet to receive an official release date.
