source: I, Madman

Trailer—I, Madman

I, Madman

I have only seen this movie once, and it was some time ago so I do not remember it too clearly. From what I do remember it was good. This one has a gal reading this book about a guy who is killing people for their body parts to impress the woman he loves. The strange thing is though, people are turning up dead and they are dying just as it was written in book. If that isn't strange enough seems the guy who wrote the book was a bit crazy and he even went so far as to say the book was not a work of fiction, but rather a true story. He said this of another book he wrote as well. This one is rather good, but the ending is a bit strange as something from his other book comes true too. If I ever got the chance I would love to see it again because it was most definitely worth a look.

The setup here is a typical fold. An actress has a day job in a book store. She reads horror books and imagines herself in them. One day, she comes across an author who, when writing, had the story and real life merge. In reading the books, they "come alive." Her actor and book friends (plus a pianist) are murdered to provide parts of the writers face. This is such a clever idea that it attracted me to dig out this old project. The writer even understood the redhead thing: the first murder is to get the red hair of an actress we see playing Desdemona. Natch, the boyfriend is a police detective assigned to the case. What we see is simply turning the crank, but when do poor production values bother kids? The idea is the thing. It isn't a folded gialli, instead a dim reference. But its better at root than "Stay Alive," a similarly folded kiddiething with which I saw this. Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

I remember seeing this as a kid in theaters and it just scared the crap out if me. I still find the whole thing quite disturbing but its also, clever, inspired and entertaining. The movie centers on a young woman working at a book store whom picks up an old, pulp novel entitled I, Madman. It scares the crap out of her and begins to manifest itself as it brutally murders the people close to her. The movie is wonderfully creative and to this day there still hasn't been anything like it. Jenny Wright has Virginia leaves much to be desired in the acting department but all these years later everything just works. It's got that really cool 80s retro feel making for an overly entertaining watch. 7.5/10

This review is assuming you've seen the movie. In case you haven't a woman releases a murderer through reading his books. The killer becomes infatuated with the woman. This movie has a nice simple feel to it, it is graphic at times. There is a creepy atmosphere created with shadows. It's like a Grimm's fairy tale to the nth degree. There is some really good transitions to what she thinks she is seeing versus what she is really seeing. A small simple scary movie, no big name actors but, has a good story to pull it all together. Interesting idea that the killer fuses his victims facial features to his own face. The story uses the familiar police don't believe the woman scenario.

Although everything about this movie (especially the title) suggests that it must be trash, surprisingly enough it isn't. The plot involves a girl who likes reading scary books and one day finds that the events of the book she is reading, called "I, Madman", start to repeat themselves in reality. It has the logic of a dream - that is, no logic at all, - but don't see this one for the sake of the plot. What lifts it out of the B-movie pit is the imaginative way the seedy world of trashy novels from the 50s is recreated on screen; the smartly executed shifts between fantasy and reality, past and present; Jenny Wright's appealing and intelligent heroine; and finally, the director's genuine feeling for the atmosphere of time and place. It is a little like a cross between Cornell Woolrich and a mad doctor horror movie. Do not try to figure out why things are happening, just enjoy the way this film is so different from anything else. A totally unexpected pleasure.

An young woman by the name of Virginia (Jenny Wright) is a fan of horror novels. She works in a used book store. When she reads a novel titled "I,Madman", which is a non-fiction novel. The villain of the novel seems to come out of the book to stalk the young woman and killing the people she knows. Directed by Tibor Takacs (The Gate 1 & 2) made an entertaining horror fantasy thriller with an sharp performance by the underrated actress-Wright. The film was barely released to theaters in 1989. The film went on to be a Cult Classic. Clayton Rohner (From "April's Fools Day" and the T.V. Short-Lived Series "Good Vs. Evil" fame) co-star as a Police Detective. This is one of the most rarely seen and most underrated horror films of the late 80's. See it. Written by David Chaskin (A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2:Freddy's Revenge, The Curse). (****/*****).