Sergio Martino is an Italian director who can usually be relied upon to churn out a decent B-movie and DAY OF THE MANIAC is typical of his work: it's an offbeat, slightly bizarre entry into a genre that bears obvious influences from previous, better films but nevertheless provides a fun viewing experience for the undemanding fan. DAY OF THE MANIAC is a giallo film with all the usual trappings of that genre: beautiful women being stalked by weird strangers, menaced by swishing blades, pleading their sanity to their unsympathetic partners, and voicing their concerns to doctors and psychoanalysts. On top of that, the film is a variation of ROSEMARY'S BABY, as the heroine joins a Satanic cult and begins to suspect that those around her are not who they seem.
The cast is headlined by Edwige Fenech, possibly the prettiest and most rewarding of all giallo heroines. Here, she's at the top of her game, projecting a fragile beauty and only overacting on occasion. Fenech is let down a little by a staid George Hilton, who always seems to be wooden whatever the film he appears in; as her husband, he makes little more impact than a lump of wood. Far better is Ivan Rassimov; although his appearance is limited to only a few sequences, Martino makes superb use of his imposing presence and he really seems to be having a ball with his turn here. Julian Ugarte also deserves mention as the suave leader of the black magic cult and on top of that there are some interesting bit parts from the likes of model Susan Scott and Italian film regular Luciano Pigozzi.
DAY OF THE MANIAC becomes quite delirious in places, leaving the viewer just as confused as the heroine to what on earth is going on. There's a noticeable lack of gore by genre standards but Martino makes sure he puts the requisite nudity into the production (why have the heroine clothed when talking to her husband? Why not have her in the bath or getting dressed?). The moments with the Satanic coven are quite well staged with plenty of eerie interludes (the stabbing of the fox springs to mind). Things get even weirder as it transpires that Fenech has psychic abilities, a plot device that leads to a climax fraught with tension and impending danger. A little more intrigue in the first hour would have made this a real classic of the genre; as it stands, it's a decent enough giallo flick, not perfect but certainly above average thanks to the sheer style resulting from Martino's compelling direction.
The cast is headlined by Edwige Fenech, possibly the prettiest and most rewarding of all giallo heroines. Here, she's at the top of her game, projecting a fragile beauty and only overacting on occasion. Fenech is let down a little by a staid George Hilton, who always seems to be wooden whatever the film he appears in; as her husband, he makes little more impact than a lump of wood. Far better is Ivan Rassimov; although his appearance is limited to only a few sequences, Martino makes superb use of his imposing presence and he really seems to be having a ball with his turn here. Julian Ugarte also deserves mention as the suave leader of the black magic cult and on top of that there are some interesting bit parts from the likes of model Susan Scott and Italian film regular Luciano Pigozzi.
DAY OF THE MANIAC becomes quite delirious in places, leaving the viewer just as confused as the heroine to what on earth is going on. There's a noticeable lack of gore by genre standards but Martino makes sure he puts the requisite nudity into the production (why have the heroine clothed when talking to her husband? Why not have her in the bath or getting dressed?). The moments with the Satanic coven are quite well staged with plenty of eerie interludes (the stabbing of the fox springs to mind). Things get even weirder as it transpires that Fenech has psychic abilities, a plot device that leads to a climax fraught with tension and impending danger. A little more intrigue in the first hour would have made this a real classic of the genre; as it stands, it's a decent enough giallo flick, not perfect but certainly above average thanks to the sheer style resulting from Martino's compelling direction.