| Cast: Robert Englund, Lin Shaye, Giuseppe Andrews, | | | | have the folks of Pleasant Valley differ in persona |
| Jay Gillespie, Marla Malcolm, Matthew Carey, Dylan | | | | rather than having each one act the same as the |
| Edrington, Mushond Lee, Bianca Smith, Brian Gross, | | | | other. The teens of the movie are portrayed a little bit |
| Gina Marie Heekin, Adam Robitel, Brendan McCarthy, | | | | better. While we get the usual group of guys out to |
| Christa Campbell, Wendy Kremer, Kane Hodder.My | | | | get laid, we also get a guy with two female friends |
| Thoughts:PredictableReview: "2001 Maniacs" is | | | | who has a huge twist applied to his character later in |
| supposed to be a remake of Herschell Gordon Lewis' | | | | the movie. You'll have to see it for yourself but take |
| "Two Thousand Maniacs". While I have never seen | | | | my word for it it's pretty funny, and we get the |
| that movie, the problem with "2001 Maniacs" is that it's | | | | interracial couple in which the black guy is a biker and |
| too predictable. .The story follows 2 separate groups | | | | digs Led Zepplin...which pretty much is the ultimate in |
| of young people who are headed to Daytona Beach | | | | creating an outside the box character.Robert Englund |
| Fl. for spring break. Unfortunately they come across a | | | | gives a good performance as Mayor Buckman of |
| detour sign in the road and as any good horror fan | | | | Pleasant Valley which is rivaled only by Lin Shaye as |
| knows, "Detour" signs always mean "danger" in a | | | | Granny Boone. But even the two of them can't fully |
| horror movie. Before they know it, both groups of | | | | make up for the rest of the actors who portrayed |
| teens have stumbled upon a hick town called | | | | Pleasant Valley citizens in a very subpar manner. "2001 |
| "Pleasant Valley", where the people albeit strange as | | | | Maniacs" does have it's good points also, and director |
| hell, seem friendly enough. Soon another handful of | | | | Tim Sullivan who also co-wrote the film with penner |
| young people arrive into town, a black guy named | | | | Chris Kobin - really knew how to make this a "horror |
| Malcolm and his asian girlfriend Kat.The citizens of | | | | movie". No annoying cut aways or shortening of |
| Pleasant Valley make all of the northern young folks | | | | scenes to avoid showing too much blood on screen. |
| their guests of honor and waste no time in showing a | | | | No we get the full deal here which includes body |
| little bit of southern hospitality. But soon some of the | | | | crushing, mutilations, eyeballs popping out of their |
| young northern travelers begin to disappear, and it | | | | sockets, death by acid, and two others kills which are |
| becomes evident that all may not be what it seems | | | | even more twisted than those I just mentioned. I just |
| with the so called good folks of Pleasant Valley who | | | | wish they had surrounded all of this great blood, gore, |
| behind the unsuspecting northerners backs, are | | | | and mayhem with some better villains.While I thought |
| planning a huge "Feast"...literally. "2001 Maniacs" offers | | | | Englund was a great villain as Mayor Buckman, the |
| up a good subplot which explains the towns sudden | | | | other baddies were either portrayed by bad actors or |
| appearance out of nowhere. It seems back during the | | | | were just too annoying to be cool villains. Now you |
| civil war a group of renegade northern soldiers wiped | | | | could say because I'm a northern guy I don't connect |
| out the entire town of Pleasant Valley, all 2001 of it's | | | | with the whole southern persona thing, which is why I |
| citizens in fact.Now they have come back for revenge | | | | didn't care for most of the villain characters. But on the |
| against the north, on the same day their town was | | | | flipside of that I thought the Firefly clan in "House of |
| desecrated all of those years ago no less, and it's | | | | 1000 Corpses" which was yet another psycho |
| made obvious early on that these northern travelers | | | | redneck flick, were awesome villains. But they were |
| are in for some bad times. However...it takes the | | | | much more hardcore than the Pleasant Valley folk, |
| travelers awhile to realize it and the question becomes, | | | | who came off to me as just a little bit too cornball and |
| will they be able to put 2 and 2 together before it's too | | | | not serious enough to make them good villains.Pros: |
| late? While "2001 Maniacs" certainly delivers in the | | | | Creative kills, blood and gore abound, the northern |
| blood, gore, and overall splatterfest department...the film | | | | travelers were likeable for the most part. The films |
| lacks an ora of mystery and telegraphs itself way too | | | | final act which includes a showdown between the two |
| early. Everything happens the way you would expect | | | | survivors and Mayor Buckman and the citizens of |
| it to up until the end, where a little bit of creativity is | | | | Pleasant Valley was awesome. Lin Shaye gives a |
| shown when the last two survivors are thrown into a | | | | good performance as Granny Boone despite limited |
| fight for their lives. The kills are rather creative but you | | | | screen time.Cons: With the exception of Robert |
| can pretty much figure out who's going to die and in | | | | Englund as Mayor Buckman The villains weren't |
| what order which further enhances this films | | | | badass enough, and like I stated in the review |
| predictable nature. The people of Pleasant Valley | | | | everything is spelled out to the viewer too quickly as |
| themselves are an annoying bunch, even the very | | | | to what will happen to these kids and how. I also did |
| attractive girls in the town are painful to watch when | | | | not like the ending and the chain of events which lead |
| they start talking.The southern stereotypes from | | | | up to the films final ending left me shaking my |
| beastiality jokes, incest jokes, and just overall | | | | head.Overall: Average horror movie that has a few |
| southerners being disturbingly odd jokes are all over | | | | items which save it from being a total waste of time. |
| the place in this movie. And that's what kills most of | | | | Worth a rental when it hits dvd March 28th.Review by |
| the fun. It would've been a nice change of pace to | | | | Mr. |