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A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

I found myself bored most of the time, expect during the kill scenes which were too spaced out. The ending was decent, but ultimately underwhelming. Worst of all there was no nudity, except for a guys butt. The gore was pretty good, but they cut away too quickly most of the time. I'd skip this one.

Madman (1982)Madman opens with a camp-fire scene. A spooky tale is told by way of song by T.P. (Tony Fish) to some rather lifeless kids who couldn't look more uninterested if they tried. In fact T.P's tune only appears to be of interest to the other camp counsellors. The song is rather awful introduction and doesn't bode well for what's to come, especially as there are clips hinting as the counsellors' fates cut into the scene. You have the urge to turn off there and then. You've seen what's coming so why endure more? After all there maybe more dire songs (and there are). There's also another story to be blabbed out, this time courtesy of senior counsellor Max (Carl Fredericks). He recounts the urban legend of the aptly named Madman Marz (Paul Ehlers) a local guy who killed his whole family, even his kids! It just so happens that close to where our bunch are mindlessly recounting the guy's tale is Marz's home, now dilapidated. We learn that If you say his name out loud Marz will come and kill you and probably anyone else to hand too. Max evidently believes in the legend and is not best pleased when younger counsellor Richie (Jimmy Steele) shouts out for the madman to come and get him. This feels contradictory, I mean, Max has just been saying Marz's name out loud in recounting the grisly malnourished tale and he KNOWS what happens when you say the name out loud - perhaps Max has a death wish? Or just didn't like the kids and their counsellors and wanted to get Marz to come and clobber them all. It would explain why Max buggers off for the remainder of the movie leaving the rest to fend for themselves as the killer runs amok. Or it could be because the main counsellor in the original Friday the 13th buggered off and left the younger counsellors to fend themselves and the writer here simply cribbed it. And that's pretty much it for the set up. What follows is the usual silly people doing silly things that lead to silly killings as they individually venture out to find the same idiot that kick-started the murder spree - Ritchie!Like most genre flicks the main aim behind the making of the film was to make money rather than a quality product. With John Carpenter's Halloween raking in the money studios were naturally keen to cash in. They turned to the independents to see what horror produce they had that they could fling out into theatres quickly. And that's how Madman came about. Following its theatrical release in January 1982 Madman went on to be a sleeper hit on the US drive-in circuit before garnering a cult following on home video. In watching the disc's extras it would appear that the cast and crew are stunned to still be talking about the film so many years after its release. I would be too. It looks like the good folk involved have been looking to produce a remake/reimaging now for some years. They reason that Jason, Michael and Freddie have had remakes and franchises but fail to recognise that the characters mentioned were all from much more successful movies hence why they were franchised and remade. Madman is a cult movie and remaking a cult movie doesn't really work. It has a limited appeal.Madman is a perfect example of a film that is so bad that it's actually pretty good. It's hugely derivative and quite frankly awful. Madman constantly rips off far better slasher movies throughout often to its detriment. Madman plays like a greatest hits collection of horror clichés all covered by a lesser-known artists. There's the camp-fire tale that sets the scene (see also John Carpenter's The Fog, The Burning, Friday the 13th Part 2 amongst others), a hot tub scene (see also Halloween II amongst others) and, well you get the picture, even leading up to the ambiguous open ending screaming out for a sequel that, for this film, never comes. What Madman lacks in originality it more than makes up for with unintentional laughs and inventive, if poorly executed killings. The acting is awful but this adds to the fun. You find yourself wondering why so many adults are employed for the supervision of a handful of 'gifted' children, so gifted they never utter a word, and why oh why are the police never called when it's apparent things have gone very wrong indeed. Watching a hysterical woman, a poor attempt at aping Jamie Lee Curtis, empty a fridge in haste to hide from Madman Marz is so absurd you need to replay the scene for it to sink in that it actually did happen. Madman is a guilty pleasure, absurd, annoying but thoroughly watchable in an awful kind of way. You shouldn't like it but you do.This review and others feature on my site www.mybloodyreviews.com

I'm not going to say that a film titled 'Madman' is a masterpiece or anything such as that, but a slasher film such as 'Madman' is harder to come by than some would think at first glance. While the usual staples are there: teens, woods, killer it still manages to stand out among so many others in the genre and show some strengths that most couldn't claim. For one thing, the antagonist Madman Marz is one of the most memorable slasher villains in the whole genre, with a strong but basic back story that you would see in the most famous of urban legends of days past, and its this 'urban legend' aspect that keeps the film going strong for its short running time.Where the film could use some improvements is mostly in the acting & mostly out of being spoiled by other films, I wish the Madman Marz makeup could've been so much better than it turned out to be. However, these are minor nitpicks & really I should stop expecting any of these characters to be memorable unless the film has 'Halloween' 'Nightmare' or 'Friday' in the title.Overall, 'Madman' is a wonderful little gem that I try to include in my horror fan friend's watch-lists. If you love slasher films or horror, don't pass up 'Madman'.

Madman (1982): A Memorable 'Woods' SlasherReleased in 1982, Madman is another Slasher flick that features helpless campers sent to the slaughter for our viewing entertainment. At this point in the game you're probably thinking, "Again?!" Although it's difficult to overlook clichéd elements within this sub-genre some movie directors manage to get the balance right – regardless of a low budget. This is where the cult classic, already-out-of-print Madman (aka Madman Marz) makes its appearance in order to woo us over.The film opens with a varied group of campers huddled around a campfire in the dead of night, scaring each other with ghoulish stories of the macabre. Their supervisor and camp counselor, Max, entertains the small crowd with a grisly tale about a lunatic farmer by the name of Madman Marz; convicted for the crime of murdering his family, and as a result, condemned to hang by the neck. Marz escapes and remains on the prowl; widely believed to be a legend among the wide-eyed younglings. In common practice and impeccable timing, a young man by the name of Ritchie stands up and shouts Marz's name…challenging him to appear in order to prove the validity of his existence. The campers expire for the evening and reminisce about the fun times of the camping season. Waiting in the wings, however, is the 'Madman' – called forth by Ritchie and awaiting the opportunity to eviscerate the unsuspecting troupe.Madman is a competent and simplistic Slasher from the early days of the sub-genre. The film's director, Joe Giannone, would not further his career as a director. He died in 2006 at the age of 60, leaving me to wonder how well he could've sculpted his talents had he pursued show business more adamantly. Gary Sales, one of the writers who contributed his talents to the film, is currently in the works with Paul Ehlers (the man who portrayed the 'Madman') to release a second film entitled "Madman Marz"…slated for a 2011 release in 3D. It's all part of the recent remake craze. Besides, Madman has generated enough underground interest that allows a remake of this caliber to happen. Madman is definitely worth a look – from the isolated camp trails to the eerily shot Marz house, this film allows us to shut our brain off and enjoy a chilling collection of events. Think back four years ago to a splendid tale called Hatchet. There are obvious influences drawn from Madman and that's enough evidence to prove that this formula works.