Madman (1982)

Madman (1982)

Directed by Joe Giannone

Starring Tony Fish, Gaylen Ross, and Paul Ehlers

Lore of the campfire,
Telling of his horror.
Lost in the woods,
With the madman and the stars.

Don't laugh at the tale,
Heed if you call him.
The Legend lives, beware the Madman Marz.
The Legend lives, beware the Madman Marz!


Madman is an '80s horror film that somehow slipped under my radar until recently.  Horror is one of my favorite genres, and I am always looking for something that is new to me.  Thanks to companies like Scream Factory, Olive Films, and Vinegar Syndrome, a lot genre titles are getting to see the light of day on Blu-Ray.  Madman was put out by Vinegar Syndrome earlier this year, and based upon the synopsis alone, I decided to take a chance on it.  And I'm glad I did, as I was not disappointed by it.

The movie starts off around a camp fire, in which scary stories are being told.  Max tells the tale of Madman Marz, a local legend who murdered his family one night and then was hung by the townspeople.  The next morning, Marz was missing (along with the corpses of his family) and has not been seen since.  But legend has it, if you say his name above a whisper in the woods, he will hear it and come for you and our friends.  Of course, one of the campers decides to test fate and yells out his name.

I'm not going to go to much into plot details, as I went into the movie blindly, and I would recommend the same for anyone who hasn't seen it.  The reason I think the movie worked so well for me was I knew nothing of the plot, and it wasn't going for a campiness factor.  The story takes itself seriously, and thus enthralls you as you watch. 

The acting is not the best, and for the most part the characters are very unlikeable.  Besides Madman Marz, Max (head counselor of the camp) is really the only person I liked.  Gaylen Ross is the only actor I knew (Dawn of the Dead), and I believe most of the actors were first-timers.

One of my favorite things of the movie is the soundtrack.  It's a bit hard to explain, but it really adds to the atmosphere of the film.  I guess the best way to describe it is synthesized. I found myself listening to it on YouTube while writing this entry, as I enjoyed it that much.  And the end ballad is great.

The kills are pretty tame, the suspense is done well, and the blood runs red.  I really wasn't scared by anything while watching, but I was on edge a few times while waiting for the inevitable to happen.

The look of Madman Marz is great.  I'm surprised more people don't talk about this movie, and I think it had the potential to be a franchise.  Marz most definitely could hold his own against Michael and Jason.

I'm not sure how previous home releases look, but the 4K transfer on the Vinegar Syndrome disc is beautiful.  For a movie that takes place for the most part during night, it is never too dark to see what is going on.  And I have yet to crack the fully-packed extras on the release, including a 90 minute retrospective on the making of the movie.


This is a great addition to my collection, and would make an awesome double feaure with The Burning, which came out around the same time.  If you are a fan of '80s slasher films, I highly recommend giving this one a look.  3.5/5

Weekend Thrifting (Sept 5)

As with most visits with my parents, I was able to spend some time thrifting this past weekend.  Every trip is an adventure, and that is the beauty of thrift stores.  Some trips are misses, but for the most part I usually find a book or DVD to add to my collection.  This weekend, I hit the jackpot for myself at the first stop, so everything else was just an added bonus.  So, let's take a look at my weekend finds.

Shall we play a game?

First up, some board games to add to our ever-collection.  Time's Up! is a charades like game where the teams are attempting to guess famous, historical and fictional names over 3 different rounds.  We have a similar game called Identity Crisis, and these type of games are always fun during parties.  Teams of Enemies is a trivia game in which the teams switch throughout game play.  Interesting concept, and since we are always looking for something new to play, we thought we would give it a shot.

Just in time for the holidays

Working or not, I was not going to pass these up.

Next up: some awesome decorations, just in time for Halloween.  A role of Caution tape, which has endless capabilities, and a string of "Jason" lights (that I'm assuming don't work, as the black box is rusty and had corroded batteries in it) that will look great hanging up.

Random books

Mirror, Mirror
 

Fist pile of books: The Disney Villain, by Ollie and Frank, two of Disney's "Nine Old Men".  It's a great look at all the classic Disney villains full of art.  I own a documentary about them, which I highly recommend.  Also in the pic is a Richard Matheson book I hadn't heard of, Shadow on the Sun.  The Obake Files is a compilation of Hawaiian haunts and tales by Glen Grant.  Elizabeth being from Hawaii and both of us having a huge interest in the paranormal, this was a fun find.

Media Tie-Ins!

Second pile of books: Media!  A nice selection of movie novelizations were found this weekend, plus a Richard Castle book that we didn't own.  I'm curious as to how Final Destination works in book form, even if it is the novelization for my least favorite of the movies.

Movies

These two movies have been on my "To Be Watched" list since the beginning of summer, mainly due to some conversations and recommendations on Twitter.  Sadly, Red Eye will be a bittersweet first time viewing, as Wes Craven passed away last week.  Heat I feel will be one of those "Why have I waited so long to watch this? movies.

Batman, Robin, Two-Face and The Riddler

The picture sadly does not do this find justice.  I found a complete set of the McDonald's glasses for Batman Forever.  So, it's not the best Batman movie there is. But a part of me still enjoys it, and maybe it is the campiness of it that I like.  Even though I dislike Batman & Robin, I would probably buy promotion and tie-ins items for it as well.  I think my favorite thing is that each glass handle is distinctive, my favorite being the Two-Face glass which is of a flipping coin.



The One that started it all

Last, but not least: Carrie by Stephen King.  King is one of the few authors that I am trying to get a complete works in Hardcover for, and Carrie has been one of the few titles that has been eluding me.  No more, as I found this gem for $2 at a recently re-opened DAV.  It is in pristine condition, and I actually made an audible noise when I saw it on the shelf.  Elizabeth came over and asked if everything was alright, LoL.  Like I said, this was the first find at the first stop on my weekend.  If this had been my only find, I would of been one happy thrifter.

 

For those that are curious, the only titles missing from my hardcover King collection are books 1-4 of The Dark Tower series, and The Green Mile (if it was ever collected that way).

 

Overall, a great weekend.  Not sure when I will go out next, but hopefully it will be just a good of a trip.  Thanks for reading, and until next time!