2001 Maniacs
by Lin Shaye, Tim Sullivan
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Giuseppe Andrews, Robert EnglundDirector: Lin Shaye, Tim Sullivan
Brand: Lions Gate
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 87 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-03-28
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Lions Gate
Product features:
- DVD Details: Actors: Robert Englund, Giuseppe Andrews
- Directors: Lin Shaye, Tim Sullivan
- Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1; Number of discs: 1; Studio: Lions Gate
- DVD Release Date: March 28, 2006; Run Time: 87 minutes
Movie Reviews of 2001 Maniacs
Movie Review: A rebel yell for 2001 Maniacs!
Summary: 5 Stars
When they told me that someone named Tim Sullivan wanted to remake Herschell Gordon Lewis's classic 1964 gross out "Two Thousand Maniacs," I knew I needed to sit up and pay attention. Who is this Sullivan guy? And why does he think he has the stones to remake a classic H.G. Lewis pukefest? It takes a lot of gall to mess around with a Lewis flick. He is, after all, the Godfather of Gore, the guy that made all the blood and guts flicks we see today possible. You wouldn't have a "Hostel" without "Blood Feast" and "The Wizard of Gore". It was Lewis that made it possible to put eye gouging, arm tearing, and tongue ripping--to cite just a few examples--up on the silver screen for all to see. The effects rarely looked convincing, not on the zero budgets Lewis worked with, but the results had an impact on audiences. People loved the shock value, Lewis made money, and other filmmakers started using blood and guts. Unfortunately, as the years passed, Herschell Gordon Lewis quit making movies and drifted into obscurity. Then DVD arrived and introduced his work to a new audience. And then came the inevitable remake...
"2001 Maniacs" starts by introducing us to a group of foul mouthed, obnoxious jerks known to horror aficionados as "cannon fodder". Yep, that's right. We don't have to care that much about these trashy young kids because we know that they exist solely to die painful, cruel, and bloody deaths. Spring Break bound students Anderson (Jay Gillespie), Cory (Matthew Carey), Nelson (Dylan Edrington) meet up with Ricky (Brian Gross), Joey (Marla Malcolm), Kat (Gina Marie Heekin), Malcolm (Mushond Lee), and his girlfriend Leah (Bianca Smith) when they get lost in the middle of Georgia. Yeah, they're going to Florida for fun and sun, but they ain't going to get there after receiving questionable directions from a hick gas station attendant (played by Travis Tritt). Instead, our heroes wind up in the little town of Pleasant Valley, and just in time to attend the Guts and Glory Jubilee. Oh yeah! The folks living in this town seem friendly, if not a little odd around the edges, but our Yankee visitors are dumber than a box of rocks and don't seem to sense the danger. Too bad for them. You see, Pleasant Valley has a grim little secret, a bloody and gory secret.
If you've seen Lewis's original film, you already know the secret of Pleasant Valley. It involves the Civil War and plenty of revenge against the hated Yankee invaders. And since our youngsters come from up North, they're going to experience Pleasant Valley's kindness up close and personal. Mayor Buckman (Robert Englund), his son Lester (Adam Robitel), Granny Boone (Lin Shaye), the adorable Peaches (Wendy Kremer), Harper Alexander (Giuseppe Andrews), and the other townsfolk are not about to let our guests leave town without a heaping dose of that famous Southern hospitality. A few examples are free room and board, lots of booze, and plenty of lovin' for both the boys and the girls. Other acts of kindness include drawing and quartering by horses, acid hidden in a moonshine jug, musical numbers, cannibalism, castration, crushing, kissing cousins, skewering, stabbing, and general all-around maiming of the human form. These Pleasant Valley folks sure know how to welcome visitors! At least when the bloodshed finally abates after the horrific conclusion to the Guts and Glory Jubilee, two of the kids escape to tell the world about the horrors they have witnessed. Or do they? One thing's for certain--there's a sequel coming soon to a grindhouse near you!
It's refreshing to see a remake of a classic horror film that really works. H.G. Lewis should really enjoy Sullivan's "2001 Maniacs". It's got everything the original had while adding new charms to the story. It's campy as all get out, it's got gore oozing out of every pore, and it's got black humor to spare. Even Lewis's music from the original makes an appearance here, as does the idea of a roving band of minstrels telling us what's happening through song. Sullivan goes above and beyond Lewis's original script, however, when he injects his version of Pleasant Valley with lots of politically incorrect killings and humor. Nothing is sacred in "2001 Maniacs" as the movie skewers everything from bestiality to race relations without pulling punches. About the only thing missing from the original film is the barrel with nails gag. You won't miss it too much, however, as plenty of other interesting stuff keeps you occupied. For example, casting Robert Englund and Lin Shaye as the two main baddies in Pleasant Valley was a stroke of genius. They camp it up with wild abandon. Then there's Christa Campbell as the Milk Maiden. Even Eli Roth shows up in a cameo instantly familiar to anyone who has watched "Cabin Fever".
The DVD version of "2001 Maniacs," brought to us by the folks over at Lionsgate, is excellent. We get the uncut version of the film in pristine glory, an audition reel, an alternate opening with John Landis, a few deleted/extended scenes, a handful of trailers, an amusing making of featurette covering most aspects of the production, and a couple of audio commentaries. One of these commentaries features Robert Englund in all of his hilarious glory, so definitely give that one a listen. Yes sir, you can't go wrong picking up a copy of "2001 Maniacs" today. It's rude, it's crude, and it's an instant classic. I'm so happy Tim Sullivan made such a magnificent tribute to the great H.G. Lewis. I'm also hoping the sequel lives up to this film. And remember: The South Will Rise Again!
Summary of 2001 Maniacs
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