Synopsis
They thought they were alone.
Madman Marz, an old folklore legend who murdered his family before escaping into the woods, is inadvertently summoned to a campsite to finish the spree he started decades ago.
1981 Directed by Joe Giannone
Madman Marz, an old folklore legend who murdered his family before escaping into the woods, is inadvertently summoned to a campsite to finish the spree he started decades ago.
Madman Marz, Madman, el loco, 狂人, Безумец, 인간 병기
Madman remains one of my favorite Slasher films of the 1980’s, a gritty low budget production with a dope synth theme song, woodsy atmosphere enhanced by a nicely utilized urban legend, and a savage backwoods grunting maniac who can easily crush your skull with his bare hands.
Madman begins atmospherically around a campfire (which has now become one of my favorite opening scenes in the genre) and from there we are treated to a slew of memorably fun moments —a creepy silhouette of Madman Marz illuminated by the night sky, a real dingwhopper of a hot tub scene, one of my favorite decapitations involving a car, and by far one of the best uses of a refrigerator in cinema. (Eat your…
Watched this with Joe Bob and my opinion still stands: when this is good, it’s really fucking good, but when it’s not being really fucking good, it’s just kinda boring af. Like it really drags between impressive kill sequences and that’s what keeps this movie from being amazing. I know a lot of people love this movie and will call me a heretic, but I’m just tryna be real here.
There are actually a lot of cute guys in this movie, but that does not include lead Tony Fish because looking at him is almost painful. Sorry, it’s just real talk. On the other hand, Alex Murphy and his pornstache are inexplicably hot as hell and I’d totally climb in his…
'Madman' takes the story-told-around-a-campfire ethos of the first few 'Friday the 13th' movies and elaborates it into a full autumnal aesthetic of leaves crackling underfoot, cinders flying away up into the darkness, orangey lantern glow, a lot of creeping around in unwise fashion, supremely burnished indirect lighting, wood-paneling and almost completely random axe-murder. This is a movie that feels like Fall, feels close-to-Halloween, and looks the part without ever lapsing into overstatement. It is not especially scary, but does a good job of sustaining tension and interest throughout, even when it fails to make any sort of logical sense, it always feels like it is being true to itself. The sets are few but they are places which beg to…
Typical campslasher. A deformed killer will be introduced with a campfire story (like Jason a year ago in Friday The 13th Part 2), who is hunting thirsty teens in the forest, preferably with an axe or a noose. So nothing groundbreaking, but whatever the movie tries to do, it just does it pretty good. The kills are kinda brutal for its time, the killer is shown especially strong and the ensemble of characters is also good. In between there is one of the dumbest whirlpool scenes ever.
64
An autumn nightmare. Never once attempts to be a slasher with stakes, plodding along within a cozy, chilling combo of goofy characters and decrepit, haunted atmosphere. Can't wait to spin this on a cold Fall night with some hot cocoa and the Halloween decor up.
A madman named Madman Marz stalks and butchers camp counselors in this early 80's underrated slasher delight. Campfire tales. John Oates-esque mustache. Spooky house. Bloody axe. Swingin' noose. If you say Madman Marz like you would say Candyman, your ass might be grass. Michael Myers likes a big knife. Leatherface has a passion for chainsaws. Jason enjoys machetes. Madman Marz's favorite toy is an axe. All of these tools of the trade sound original to me. Music that sounds nothing like Friday the 13th. Early 80's hairstyles. If you light a candle it will burn. These doomed camp counselors don't even try to look young. Excalibur moment. Jack Daniels? Neck slice. Richie knows his shit. Madman Marz's dungeon of doom…
I had a theory about the identity of the killer that sadly didn't pan out, but Madman remained a satisfying slasher regardless. Most of my enjoyment came from the low-key wacky situations the characters got in. It also had surprisingly solid gore. The rest was pretty much a by-the-numbers affair.
They were really padding the runtime by having characters walk around the woods aimlessly at night.
Always fun watching a (horror) movie with Michelle.
Cinematic Time Capsule
1981 Marathon - Film #144
Hey Marz! Madman Marz!
Here we are come and get us, Madman!
Who would have thought the most bizarre highlight of this early 80’s slasher would be an ultra cheesy jacuzzi dance that’s kicked off with a gratuitous bellybutton close up?
Oh Richie, now you’ve done it.
Don’t you realize you’re fooling with things beyond your control?
After being told the legend of Madman Marz by a Jon Voight wannabe some dumbass kid summons him by screaming his name over and over again. That's the point business picks up with a nice variation of kills as Marz stalks the kids from the camp through the woods with his trusty axe. Dudes being hung, axes being slammed through various body parts, decapitations and at one point Marz gets someone in the Human Torture Rack that would have made Lex Luger extremely proud!
The practical effects and gore do help elevate this quite a bit as I'm not too sure the script, pacing, or acting holds up all that well on a rewatch. After only really seeing a silhouette…
Largely unremarkable slasher honestly but the unhurried pace, funky synth track and moody, low-budget photography go a long way. I'm a bit of a sucker for forest greens and browns covered in stark night-time blue lighting (and blood).
"If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad" - Sheryl Crow (NIF),
I got my DNA results back and the report says I possess a variant that makes me think Madman is super boring... it's devastating for me. I'm glad some of you like it though, I just can't... because of the genetic variation. #IDIC.
P.S. Better than Friday the 13th? What you talkin' bout Willis?