Film Year: 1982
Genre: Horror
Director: Joe Gionnone
Starring: Gaylen Ross, Paul Ehlers
The Movie
During a campfire ghost story session in the final week of summer camp, a counselor tells the campers the tale of Madman Marz, a crazy hillbilly who murdered his family and was supposedly hanged for his crime but freed himself in these woods. He claims that anybody who says Marz's name above a whisper will awaken him and Marz will start his killing spree again. One of the campers puts this story to the test by yelling "Madman Marz!" And indeed, Madman Marz is awoken, and he begins to murder the camp counselors one by one.
I think there is something to be said for simplicity, especially when it comes to low budget filmmaking. Madman is a lesson in the effectiveness of simplicity. It's storyline isn't elaborate, it lacks extending locations away from the bare minimum of what it needs, and it just stays tight and efficient. It's not redefining the wheel, but by not being able to embellish much of anything the film winds up being refreshingly straightforward. For me, that is the charm of Madman. It's a story of a campfire tale that has come true for a group of unfortunate camp counselors, and in turn it almost feels like a campfire tale itself. Brief, to the point, and ending on that spooky note that maybe the thing that goes bump in the night will strike tonight.
That's not to say that the movie doesn't stumble, even if it is simple. In fact, I find myself wishing that it makes itself simpler earlier in the film, because what little character work the film tries to do is pretty poor. Acting is not great, with Dawn of the Dead's Gaylen Ross (acting under the pseudonym Alexis Dubin) probably being the only strong performance in the film. Character development is reduced simply to who is sleeping with who, and while that might sound bare minimum enough, there are times in which the movie stretches this defining character trait to the point where you just wish they hadn't bothered. Sex scenes are a staple in horror flicks, but the sequence in which Gaylen Ross and Tony Fish swirl around in a hot tub while Fish provides a numbing song for the soundtrack is laughable.
The movie is at its strongest when it's the bare meat and potatoes, which is very early on and when Marz begins his killing spree about halfway through. The movie isn't convincing most of the time, but it makes up for what it's lacking with its spirit. For instance, a certain creative kill in the film involves a woman's head being decapitated with the hood of a truck. Then later when other characters try to use the truck later in the film, they try to start it but the engine won't turn over, though when they try to start it you hear a little squishy noise in the engine. That's gruesome fun.
When Madman ends I find myself thinking very highly of the experience of sitting through the film. How much of that has to do with the awesome final images of the film, I'm not sure. The "Song of Madman Marz" is incredibly catchy, and the stylized end credits of shadowy woods against a blood red backdrop are moody as hell. Madman isn't the best film in the world, but it does just enough to make it an interesting find in the horror genre that I think enthusiasts should give a look.
I think there is something to be said for simplicity, especially when it comes to low budget filmmaking. Madman is a lesson in the effectiveness of simplicity. It's storyline isn't elaborate, it lacks extending locations away from the bare minimum of what it needs, and it just stays tight and efficient. It's not redefining the wheel, but by not being able to embellish much of anything the film winds up being refreshingly straightforward. For me, that is the charm of Madman. It's a story of a campfire tale that has come true for a group of unfortunate camp counselors, and in turn it almost feels like a campfire tale itself. Brief, to the point, and ending on that spooky note that maybe the thing that goes bump in the night will strike tonight.
That's not to say that the movie doesn't stumble, even if it is simple. In fact, I find myself wishing that it makes itself simpler earlier in the film, because what little character work the film tries to do is pretty poor. Acting is not great, with Dawn of the Dead's Gaylen Ross (acting under the pseudonym Alexis Dubin) probably being the only strong performance in the film. Character development is reduced simply to who is sleeping with who, and while that might sound bare minimum enough, there are times in which the movie stretches this defining character trait to the point where you just wish they hadn't bothered. Sex scenes are a staple in horror flicks, but the sequence in which Gaylen Ross and Tony Fish swirl around in a hot tub while Fish provides a numbing song for the soundtrack is laughable.
The movie is at its strongest when it's the bare meat and potatoes, which is very early on and when Marz begins his killing spree about halfway through. The movie isn't convincing most of the time, but it makes up for what it's lacking with its spirit. For instance, a certain creative kill in the film involves a woman's head being decapitated with the hood of a truck. Then later when other characters try to use the truck later in the film, they try to start it but the engine won't turn over, though when they try to start it you hear a little squishy noise in the engine. That's gruesome fun.
When Madman ends I find myself thinking very highly of the experience of sitting through the film. How much of that has to do with the awesome final images of the film, I'm not sure. The "Song of Madman Marz" is incredibly catchy, and the stylized end credits of shadowy woods against a blood red backdrop are moody as hell. Madman isn't the best film in the world, but it does just enough to make it an interesting find in the horror genre that I think enthusiasts should give a look.
The Drive-In
Joe Bob likes today's movie, but he doesn't love it. He slightly scoffs at the cult following that says Madman's an underappreciated slasher classic because "It had that great video box!" Personally I don't care for the video art shown, but I kind of dug the movie, so I can't side with Joe Bob on that one. Darcy's on my side though, so I'm team Mail Girl. Admittedly though, it's hard to argue with Joe Bob when he decides to question the stupidity of the characters, such as when a character hides in a refrigerator, causing Joe Bob to wonder if Marz concluded that she'd either freeze to death or suffocate. And he's dead on the money with the awkwardness of the hot tub sex scene.
Madman has a fairly interesting history to share, as it's an independent production made by film students from Staten Island who were trying to get their foot in the door of Hollywood using the independent horror craze started by Halloween and Friday the 13th. Joe Bob gives us fun tidbits about this slight production, such as how it was originally going to be based on the Cropsey urban legend before having to change their premise after learning that Cropsey was being adapted into The Burning.
Joe Bob has fun dissecting the cast as well, and points out that most are acting under pseudonyms, including Gaylen Ross, who was already decently known in the horror genre for her role in Dawn of the Dead. He offers real names and what became of these mostly one-and-done actors, including Ross, who became a documentary filmmaker. Madman Marz himself, actor Paul Ehlers, is one of the more entertaining castmembers for Joe Bob to discuss, as he shares how disappointed Ehlers was in that he wasn't featured in Fangoria magazine and a little story about how Ehlers went to the hospital for the birth of his son mostly in Madman Marz makeup. Also of note, the film's composer, Steve Horelick, composed the Reading Rainbow theme! Joe Bob also points out that he himself was one of the few people who reviewed this movie when it was originally released.
One thing Joe Bob and I see eye-to-eye on is a love for the Madman Marz theme, which Joe Bob and some crew sing at the close of this episode, completing the sense of fun a good Last Drive-In episode needs. Madman may not be a Joe Bob favorite, but boy is it an episode that's worth a watch.
Joe Bob's Rating
⭐⭐⭐
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