Customer Reviews

I Madman [VHS]

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bookstore clerk and aspiring actress, Virginia (Jenny Wright), has a taste for lurid pulp horror. Her latest bizarre book find, entitled "Much of Madness, More of Sin," spins the tale of an insane doctor and his mutant jackal boy creation. Virginia is so taken with the book that she sets out to find author Dr. Malcolm Brand's only other published work, a book called "I, Madman." Instead, the book finds her.

Waiting for just the right reader to release him from the pages of his 30-year-old book, the deranged Brand escapes into the real world to recreate the gruesome murders of the text. Virginia becomes Brand's primary witness to the murders and the focus of his obsessive love. Reality slips sideways as Virginia finds Brand stalking her at her bus stop and at the book store where she works--even gaining entrance to her apartment.

Malcolm Brand (Randall William Cook) is both a frightening and pitiful villain. In his book, Brand is obsessed with "Anna," a beautiful actress who will have nothing to do with him because she finds him so physically unattractive. Believing Virginia to be "Anna," Brand slices off his facial features so that he can replace them with more classically beautiful ones that he culls from Virginia's friends and acquaintances.

Trying to make sense of the madness she is witnessing, Virginia tracks down the small company that published the deranged doctor's books. Virginia discovers that the books were published as works of "nonfiction" at Brand's insistence. The author believed that the characters in his books were real and were acting independently by refusing to do what he told them to do. Brand wound up having a complete nervous breakdown and was committed to a psychiatric facility--where he later died. Some of the film's darkest humor comes from when Virginia tries to convince her boyfriend, Richard (Clayton Rohner), a reality-grounded police detective, that the recent spate of horrific murders are the work of Malcolm Brand, the long dead author.

The film has a retro/pulp comic book sensibility to it--with deep shadows, exaggerated camera angles and vivid paint box color gels--much like those in the "Tales from the Crypt" series or the "Creepshow" movies. I found the movie to be a lot of fun, with odd and imaginative twists throughout. The special effects may not be state of the art (the clay animation scenes looked downright funky), but the makeup prosthetics on the demented Malcolm Brand's butchered face will make your hair stand on end.

Special features on the DVD are minimal, consisting of the original theatrical trailer, scene selection and subtitles in French, Spanish and English.

Growing up in the 70's and 80's I was constantly bombarded with television commercials that proclaimed `Reading is Fundamental', or RIF, for short...I suppose it was a concerted effort by some group of well meaning individuals to get us cartoon addicted youngins away from the magic box and into the library...but what they failed to mention is that, besides being fundamental, reading can also have serious detrimental effects to your health, possibly resulting in a slight case of death. Don't believe me? Then I would recommend watching I, Madman aka Hardcover (1989) for conclusive proof...you may be shocked at what you learn...directed by Tibor Takács (The Gate), the film stars Jenny Wright (The Wild Life, Near Dark), Clayton Rohner (Just One of the Guys, April Fool's Day), and Randall William Cook, who worked on all three of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films (not in the capacity of an actor, but as effects artist). Also appearing is Stephanie Hodge, whose face I recognized but couldn't place until I looked up her credits and learned she's not only a comedian, but also appeared on the Fox television show "Unhappily Ever After", along with the amply bosomed Nikki Cox, who does not appear in this film.

Wright plays Virginia, a literate, attractive woman and aspiring actress who makes ends meet by working in a used bookstore, and has an affinity for seedy pulp fiction novels from the 50's, particularly ones penned by an author named Malcolm Brand. The trouble begins as Virginia notices that the horrific events in the novel start to translate into real life, as fiction becomes fact, and she's somehow centered in the middle of it...soon she starts seeing the villain from the story, a skulking, darkly garbed killer (Cook) who wears a mask over the lower part of his face (looking much like The Shadow), is a whiz with the straight edge razor, and seems to have the ability to appear from nowhere. The police are baffled by a recent spate of strange and unexplained murders, but Virginia notices the similarities between the events in the book and those in real life, and believes she can predict the killer's next move. She offers this information to her boyfriend Richard (Rohner), who's a police detective, but Richard and his colleagues are a little skeptical (okay, a lot skeptical) and think her like a Snickers bar, you know, a bit nutty. As the police investigation eventually goes nowhere, they become more inclined to listen to Virginia, but it may be already too late, as the killer's motives and intentions are revealed, along with a few interesting facts about the now deceased author Malcolm Brand.

At a time when slasher films were run of the mill, I, Madman presented a clever and interesting story tinged with a bit of the gothic, but I think it ended up getting lost in the shuffle as the genre grew stale, as studios had bled it to the point of anemia (the lame trailer didn't help any). The movie has the slight feel of a Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street) film (the mixing of realities), but director Takács avoids Craven's style as a blueprint. He knows how to set up a scene and creates a level of tension and suspense that kept me drawn into the story throughout. I really liked how he handles the violence in the film, as it wasn't shown very often, but you always knew what was occurring. There is a good deal of violence in the film, but it is rarely shown on screen. An example of this is when Virginia is watching from her apartment window the killer stalking a victim in a building across the way. The killer draws the shades, but the silhouettes of him and his victim are clear, as is the subsequent actions, and the audience is left to fill in the rest in their imagination. There's another scene where a woman is getting attacked in her bathroom, and while we know what is going on, the violence is obscured as the scene is shot from behind the killer, but it's clear what's happening due to the killer's almost exaggerated movements. I really liked the use of color and atmospheric elements throughout the film, as they helped create a feel, a mood that other films in the genre lacked, or tried to develop but failed miserably. Also, his transitioning between time periods (the main character would often imagine herself as part of the stories she read) was flawless. I thought the actors all did very well, most all playing their roles within character, never really hamming it up or going overboard. The makeup on the killer (done by the person who played the role) was exceptional and quite gruesome, giving the character a realistic quality. Were the flaws in the film? There may have been, but I really didn't notice...I feel if the effort is there, and there's enough solid material and decent performances, I find myself willing to overlook certain superficial elements that may work against the movie. I suppose if I were to pick on something it might be the stop motion work. Most parts looked good, but there were one or two moments where it didn't feel entirely lifelike (given the probable limited budget of the film, picking on this would be an easy target). Takács usage of stop motion in his previous film, The Gate (1987), looked much the same as here, but since I liked that story as much as I did this one, it was easy to dismiss any perceived faults.

My only disappointment of this film was in its' lackluster DVD release. Presented is only the fullscreen format. Why MGM couldn't have dug up the original wide screen format and included it also is beyond me. The picture quality is decent, and the vibrant colors come through most of the time. The only extra is the lame theatrical trailer.

Cookieman108

I, MADMAN is, at best, a guilty pleasure ... with forced camp-ridden dialogue in a forced camp-ridden situation (a stunningly beautiful bookworm shucking her life away at some used book stores stumbles across an author who penned only two 'non-fiction' horror stories magically brings the demented author to life in a very Freddy Krueger-esque fashion) ... and you can't but help enjoy this harmless horror flick despite your best intentions.

Yes, others have made mention of this, but the lead actress (Jenny Wright) is an absolute stunner to look at. Sadly, the film is a bit dated with the wardrobe and hair choices, but, one she slimmed down to the bra and panties it's a very easy gaffe to dismiss. (snicker)

The plot is relatively predictable (the script squeezes out a few surprises), and the premise isn't entirely original ... but the "Nightmare on Elm Street" twist works very well in the limitations of the acting and effects.

What's the real travesty is the fact that I, MADMAN -- if it enjoyed a theatrical release -- is only offered up in standard television ratio. Some of the scenes might've played better given the 'look' of widescreen (especially some of the more suspenseful moments where our lead actress finds herself in the role of a lead actress -- a novel within a novel). The film's 'period piece sequences' are slim, but they arguably would've played out more effectively visually had a widescreen transfer been available.

With an ending too brisk, it's hard to say if a franchise could've been made of the MADMAN. There certainly was potential, and the career of Jenny Wright in constant pursuit of the Madman seeking other victims might be 'the big fish that got away.'

Interesting, full-blooded horror thriller about a used-book store clerk Virginia (Jenny Wright) who becomes involved in a 50's pulp horror novel and finds the author (who's also the lunatic in the book) apparently stalking her. The mad doctor/maniac of the book is reconstructing his face with facial features obtained from his murder victims to please the heroine. Virginia not only sees the mad Malcolm Brand/Dr.Kessler (who supposedly died) but finds that he's committing mutilation murders around her as in the book. Of course no one believes her. The film has the old fashioned feel and look of a 50's pulp horror novel as well as neat fantasy sequences from the book with Wright as Anna, the book's heroine, being terrorized by Kessler. The murders are gruesome and lurid but not overly explicit. There's also a monster from the book (a creation of Kessler's) that appears in an early fantasy sequence and in the great climax. Randall William Cook (who also did the special effects) is wonderful as the enigmatic, black clad and facially disfigured Brand/Kessler. Wright is good as Virginia, Clayton Rohner is Virginia's detective boyfriend and comedian Stephanie Hodge is Virginia's laconic co-worker Mona. The fantasy vs.reality theme is well handled and gives the film a good, colorful creepy ambience. This is one of the few modern day horror films that actually works as well as entertains. Highly recommended for buffs. Lights out. Enjoy.

One of my Favorite scenes in the movie is near the beggining when we see Jenny wright get up to answer the phone in Her Panties, She's got Nice Bunns !!! Also the Story and pacing of the film is pretty Good and interesting. I do believe the other reviewer who called this film a "Rarely Seen Gem", this film is very unique and original on a shoestring budget. I guess that is what you get when you have a team of filmaker's who Actually DO care about the Final product !!! Kudos Guys ;)

I can't believe this gem of a thriller isn't better known.

Reclusive secondhand bookstore shopper Jenny Wright finds an obscure paperback original horror thriller, and loves it so much she hunts down the unknown author's only other title, "I, Madman." Its story is about a psychotic surgeon scorned by the object of his affections, who, in order to please her with the perfect visage, novocains himself, cuts off his own face, and murders other people to steal their features and sew them onto himself. But no sooner does Wright begin reading the story, than a bizarre, masked stalker begins following her around, enacting the story in real-life, killing her friends to steal their features and get closer to her. The author of "I, Madman," it seems, wasn't writing a thriller - he wrote his autobiography.

This one's a beautifully produced low-budget winner, benefiting from solid performances, a good script, gripping suspense and just the right amount of graphic gore. It even has a nice opening and closing surreal special effects sequence, used probably to help diminish the intensity of the film so viewers will be reminded that it's just a story, after all, and not have as many nightmares after watching as they might otherwise.

Definitely not for the faint of heart or squeamish of stomach, but lovers of thrillers and horror flicks will be more than satisfied.

This is interesting film that's been tip-off to me. I thought Canadian genre director Tibor Takacs, (more well-known for The Gate ), done a great job with this film. I, MADMAN is a loving salute to the days when movie monsters had hearts. For those who don't know this film is about a second-hand bookstore clerk Virginia Clayton becomes absorbed in the book `I, Madman' by Malcolm Brand. In the book the deranged, deformed Dr Kessler is obsessed with beautiful actress Anna Templar and kills victims, sewing part of each victim's face onto his own. But as Virginia continues to read, someone starts to emulate the killings in the book, targeting the people around her.

Takacs includes some wonderfully grisly scenes in which he injects himself with Novocain and slices off his own facial features with a scalpel to send as love gifts to the heroine and then cuts up the people in her life and reattaches their facial parts to himself. There is a tragic Phantom of the Opera -like to the villain's love, although this doesn't perhaps get as much airing as it should. One would have preferred if Kessler were allowed to speak - what expression such a character would have.

The atmosphere of this film is very good like others has mention here and the moody moments was inviting. The most intriguing aspect of the film is its double-structure, flipping between the plot of the book and the reading heroine's life with both heroines being played by the same actress. It is filled with all manner of fascinating small details - the way a rose knocked over in the book is mirrored in the real world; how when a tea kettle is placed on in the book one starts whistling in the real world even though we never saw Jenny Wright put one on when she entered the apartment. And although Kessler is given a nominally rational explanation, by the end of the story we are never entirely certain whether it was Brand or Kessler that has been pursuing the heroine - certainly the explanation that would rely on it being Brand offers no explanation of how the abovementioned incidents of meta-fictional synchronicity occurred.

Less effective is Takacs's cast. Jenny Wright is obviously a sweet heart but seems distant and not really emotionally involved at times. Clayton Rohner lacks any conviction at all, looking hardly old enough to be out of college let alone a seasoned detective. The climax of the film is let down by Randall Cook's unconvincing stop motion animation. Takacs shoots in Canada - like many other Canadians he attempts to give the impression the film is American-made and in one wonderful false move we have a downtown bus that is just labeled `Los Angeles'. Besides that "I, Madman" is worthy of our attention and fear but sadly underrated.

This is a very good & very underrated horror film! The madman in this movie is very creepy! Some of the efx are very out dated but nowhere near bad enough to ruin this awesome classic.

If only Tibor Takacs had done more like this film.
I saw this film in the VHS release as HARDCOVER. It retains the same superb tone as THE GATE, in which it seems that the same stop motion animator has been used.
Takacs seems to know how to go one step beyond, and the leading Lady is great; comments to the contrary are just sour grapes. Also, to have Nicole Kidman in this film would just destroy it, since Kidman is so horrible at acting.
The word was that the inventor of the Makeup for this film was so good, that Takacs decided to cast him as Malcolm Brand... could be film legend, but I don't think so.
I have lost count of how many times I have watched this film, and it is great each time. Very escapist, not much gore , despite the messy cuts in the actors, it is not a splatter fest. More of a superb fright fest.
I can't recommend this enough... its a real fun ride at every stage of the twisted, and wonderfully done , plot.

I'll keep this brief since there are so many other great reviews. This movie impressed me so much when I saw it I went on to write a paper and give a presentation about it while in college for video production. It is one of my favorite horror movies. It is so much more like a CLASSIC horror movie than any of the hack and slash garbage that usually comes out. It is more based on suspense and drama than gore. The gore is actually rarely shown - it is more implied through sillouttes and other interesting camera shots. Great story, great lighting and great symbolism make this a keeper...BUT...Why in the world is it only available Full Screen? That is so disappointing, as I've been waiting for this to come to DVD since I got my player. Oh well, sometimes you just have to make due with what's available.