We gotta admit, when we first heard about Elijah Wood starring in a remake of the 1980 splatter pic "Maniac," we figured it was just going to be another run of the mill genre outing. And having Franck Khalfoun — the guy who directed two movies you didn't see, "P2" and "Wrong Turn At Tahoe" — at the helm didn't exactly bolster our confidence. But when the movie selected for the Midnight lineup at the Cannes Film Festival, we wondered, could it be something more?
Well, we'll have to wait for the verdict to come in but until then, here are the first official stills from the flick, and yeah, as you expect, it gets bloody. Here's the synopsis: Just when the streets seemed safe, a serial killer with a fetish for scalps is back and on the hunt. Frank is the withdrawn owner of a mannequin store, but his life changes when young artist Anna appears asking for his help with her new exhibition. As their friendship develops and Frank's obsession escalates, it becomes clear that she has unleashed a long-repressed compulsion to stalk and kill.
Wood co-stars with Nora Arnezeder, who you probably recognize as Ryan Reynolds' arm candy from "Safe House." "Maniac" screens on May 26th.
