With Robert Englund on the cover, I jumped up and down for joy. I mean, come on! It's Freddy Krueger! Okay, it's the guy that plays Fred K. You'll notice that Englund is showing his age and I must warn you, even though the front and back of this movie looks good, it's actually not. Even for the die-hard fans of the genre or die-hard fans of Robert Englund will find this movie lacking pretty much everything a good slasher film has.

This is a remake of another slasher movie, Two Thousand Maniacs, which was made 40 years ago(1964). I haven't seen the original and by this, I doubt I will in the future. The story for this remake is about a group of college kids on a road trip on their spring break to the beach. However, a detour later and they are in Pleasant Valley having sex, drinking beer and suddenly forgetting about the beach and their lives. Soon, one by one, they are killed and they slowly figure out the town's secret. Oh, and you guessed it-- 2001 maniacs with a hunger for flesh for their annual barbecue celebration. It is the exact same story as the 40-year old movie. So is this remake worth watching? I wouldn't know if the remake of a movie I haven't seen is worth watching, but if you haven't seen the original, I'd doubt you should see this remake.

I found the movie slow-moving; although it has good 15-20 minutes, but in the middle of the movie, the movie bases around sex and lots of it. Whether, it's chicks doing chicks, guys doing guys, guy doing himself and the ever popular guys doing girls, this movie has lots of sex. I actually think the movie forgets about the maniacs and whatnot and just decides to focus on the sex. However, the sex comes off of a greater price--your life. Yes, this is mostly how these kids get killed off. Their partner, whom just so happens to be a resident of Pleasant Valley, kills them off. I find this to drag because it just seems so original and I think a remake would try to do something different, but still trying to stay true to the original. With this film, I think it could have been better if the movie didn't focus on sex that much and just got straight-up and dirty with the blood and violence. This movie just feels like a "Bargin Bin" contender because of the movie tries to succeed in doing.

The violence is brutal and pretty bloody. With the first prey thinking she could get some kinky sex, but instead she gets tied up to four horses and then her body parts get ripped off. Very gory indeed and the special effects actually looked high in budget, even though this movie is in small money matters. I tell you, the violence and gore is only the good part about this film(except for a few other things). The gorehounds and violence-seekers will be pleased. The music is what you should expect for a Southern-type movie--country and Southern-type music.

To be honest, you will never get truly scared in this film and I expected to be scared. I was disappointed by that and the setting never did anything for this fil except create a setting. This very small town is located way back in the woods. It doesn't create an atmospheric mood as the director thought it did. The director, Tim Sullivan which did a pretty average job. It's exactly what a low-budget film would have. No special camera angles or special type of camera movements. Tim also wrote the script with Chris Kobin. The script was okay, I didn't find it incredible or something worth while.

The cast, which stars Robert Englund, Lin Shaye, Giuseppe Andrews, Travis Tritt, Jay Gillespie and Marla Leigh Malcom, lacks. Mainly, you'll find Robert's performance to be his element--a maniac with a very weird persona. Now, his role did scare me a bit because of what not knowing what he will do next. For fans of his "Freddy Krueger" days, there are some of his famous looks and "the laugh" appear in this film. He is the best person on this film along with Lin Shaye whom played in Dead End. She did a fantastic job as a maniac, even though she isn't seen too often, she does what she had really good. The rest of the cast is lacking, with little experience in the spotlight. Everyone did average, while others did better than others, but the standout actors are Robert Englund and Lin Shaye. One more thing that is incredible is the ending which is classic for a horror film and it's unexpected. Think The Hills Have Eyes and Wrong Turn

This is a very strange and weird movie. Many will not like and a selected group of viewers will find it enjoyable, but I doubt they will find this a great movie. I actually find it hard to actually pin-point whats actually wrong with this film. The main point I'm trying to make is avoid this movie. Do not buy it or rent it. If you are itching to see it, wait for it to come on Sci-Fi where movies like this belong.

2001 Maniacs Information:
Genre: Horror
Year: 2005
Running Time: 87 minutes
Rating: R for Strong Horror Violence, Gruesome Images, Sexuality/Nudity and Language

Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age