Maniac (1934)
A former vaudeville impersonator serves as lab assistant to a mad scientist experimenting with reviving the dead. When the doctor proposes using him as a test subject, the assistant kills him, takes over his identity to hide the crime, and spirals into paranoid insanity as bodies and hallucinations pile up.
Directed by exploitation showman Dwain Esper and written by his wife Hildegarde Stadie, Maniac was a roadshow attraction that laced its lurid plot with pseudo-medical intertitles and stolen footage to dodge censorship. Long circulated without effective copyright, it survives as a touchstone of Poverty Row shock cinema.
Background
Maniac was directed by Dwain Esper, an exploitation filmmaker who sent his productions out as roadshow attractions, and it was written by his wife, Hildegarde Stadie. The film was made on a very low budget and mixed its story with pseudo-medical intertitles and footage borrowed from other sources, a common tactic of Poverty Row exploitation films trying to get past censors. It has long circulated in public-domain copies and is regarded as a touchstone of 1930s exploitation cinema.
What to watch for
The plot follows a former vaudeville impersonator who becomes lab assistant to a doctor experimenting with reviving the dead. When the doctor proposes using him as a test subject, the assistant kills him and takes over his identity to hide the crime, then spirals into paranoia as bodies and hallucinations pile up. Watch for the way the film presents that descent, which is staged with lurid, sensational touches typical of the genre. It is most often discussed today for its historical place in exploitation cinema rather than for its craft. Its use of stolen and inserted footage is part of its historical interest.
