Maniac: Director Franck Khalfoun

When it was released that there was a remake in the works of the 1980s classic Maniac, horror fans across the country rioted. They were out for the scalps of the filmmakers who dared to do such a thing. But the reviews have been released as well as the film on VOD, and it appears the raucous crowds have calmed. Franck Khalfoun’s remake is pretty damn good.

Being a horror fan myself, I was stoked to pick the brain of Khalfoun and investigate how exactly he pulled off a proper remake. We chatted for a second while he finished his salad, where I felt like more the interviewee on this occasion. He quizzed me on my life story, somehow managing me to reveal that my great grandparents are from Lebanon and that yes, in fact Franck, I am not married. No wonder he didn’t have a problem getting into the mind of a slick serial killer.

All jokes aside, Khalfoun dished the dirt on modernizing Maniac, working from the POV concept and Elijah Wood’s innocent eyes.

ATW: You worked with Maniac writers Alexandre Aja and Gregory Lavasseur on P2. When they came to you with this new project, what was your initial reaction to the pitch?

K: I said hell no. Unless we come up with a way to do it that’s really cool and that the audiences will respond to and have fun. We have to do something ballsy that’ll be fresh and new. The genre audience is going to freak. And off course they did, How dare you! Burn in hell! With Elijah Wood? Even worse!  But this horror audience loves movies. It’s not because it’s a remake; it’s cause they think you’ll make a bad one.

ATW: Why set it in LA instead of NYC?

K: New York is not the New York it was in the 80s. When I read this script it said, ‘Lower East Side Manhattan and the place is desolate and there’s a girl walking by herself.’ That doesn’t exist anymore in Manhattan. LA represents more of the center of our culture than New York these days, for better are for worse. It’s shallowness and depth of everything. It embodies more of the character, this isolated, dark place that’s been abandoned and starting to re-discover itself. It mirrors Frank.

ATW: There are a lot of scenes in the film that appear like an ode to horror films. What movies influenced the aesthetic of Maniac?

K: I certainly think those old Italian movies from the 70s that are very stylish and plush but at the same time horrific. That really was the key for me, to make a beautiful film, to create this false sense of security that the audience would find itself in just the same way as the victims. The act of violence would be that much more jarring if you’re settled into this comfortable place. Every frame is geared towards crating an emotion.

ATW: Why did you decide to make the film mostly Frank’s POV?

K: You see POV done in found footage. It’s annoying and it’s hard to maintain your attention by doing that.  I wanted the film to be poised and have master shots but to never leave the concept of POV. He sees himself in the mirror, he has dreams-we’re still in the POV in the brain. Then he has outer body experiences; this is a great way of seeing our character but staying in the concept.

ATW: Much of the narrative is communicated through voice overs. What was the process of ADR like in post?

K: There was still a creative process in ADR.  It wasn’t locked in stone what the character was saying because he wasn’t on screen. Elijah and I had a chance to continue to be creative throughout the process. It remained this organic process throughout.

ATW: Speaking of Elijah, you took a risk casting him. Were there other character actors you were considering that maybe looked more like a serial killer…not that I know what a serial killer looks like!

K: Exactly! That’s the whole point! Isn’t it more terrifying to know that perhaps it’s your next-door neighbor, the unsuspecting person? In the original, he’s a really scary looking guy, and you’re like how is this girl trusting him? He looks like a creep! If you want a relationship to bud, you have to believe that somehow it’s possible. When Elijah’s name came up, I immediately thought of those eyes, how innocent they were. It was perfect because there’s innocence about him.

IFC Midnight is releasing Maniac theatrically in LA June 28^th! The film is currently out in NYC and on VOD!