It's time for spring break and some college kids head down for Daytona Beach, Florida, but on their way there they take a detour and end up in a small Southern town. The place is called Pleasant Valley and the town folk seem really hospitable, inviting the kids to stay for the annual barbecue celebration. The kids accept the invitation, something they'll soon come to regret.
This was just what I needed. Been watching too much crap lately and desperately been trying to shake off the bad feeling I got from Tobe Hooper's crapfest that was Mortuary, and this one surely helped me to do so. Not only was it entertaining and fun to watch, it also gave me back some faith in new horror. Even though it's a remake it still felt very fresh combining humour and gore in an excellent mix that would be really hard to say no to.
I recently read quite a negative review about 2001 Maniacs. I usually don't pay that much attention to these sort of things and always wanna see it for myself anyway, but it didn't get my hopes up. And maybe that was a good thing since I didn't expect very much from this movie, but instead found it to be more than I had hoped for and that sure came as a nice surprise. If you expect full-on horror, creepy atmosphere or just to be scared, then let me tell you, it's not gonna happen. So with that in mind, you know what to not expect and maybe that will help to make 2001 Maniacs a good movie experience. Because it really is a good movie experience. If you're a horror/splatter fan with a good sense of humour, you'll most likely have a great time watching this film.
These three college guys are on their way to Daytona Beach and stop for gas at some gas station. There they meet a couple of girls and a guy who are also on their way to spring break. Later on they take a detour which eventually takes them to Pleasant Valley, a small town that are about to have their annual barbecue. The girls and the guy that they met earlier, and a motorcycle couple also end up in the Southern town and they're all invited to stay for the celebration.
 
They all stay and the town seems to have a lot of nice chicks among all the nice and charming Southern people. At first everything seems really good and the people in the town are kind and lets them be part of the Southern ways. But later on the gentle people prove to be not so gentle after all, and soon the kids start go missing, one by one.
This movie has so many cool elements in it and mixes horror and comedy in a excellent and very enjoyable way. Eli Roth appears in the beginning of movie as Justin, the same character as seen in Cabin Fever. There are actually quite a lot of familiar faces here and they all make for a really good cast. Robert Englund stars as the major of Pleasant Valley and he really seems to have a lot of fun with his character. The way the South is portrayed is actually really good and definitely gives the movie a certain feel. Everything from how things look to how people talk and behave, they've captured it in a really good way and it does a lot for the overall experience.
Ok so what about the gore, guts and the blood? Well, it's definitely there, in your face at times and gorehounds will not be disappointed with 2001 Maniacs. Although, remember that this is a humorous movie so even when it's gross it's still a lot of fun. I'm not gonna go into further detail regarding the gore and what you get to see, all I can say is that it's there and if you're into that type of stuff you'll definitely have a good time watching 2001 Maniacs.
I predict that this movie will be a cult classic among horror fans in the near future. Don't be to serious when watching 2001 Maniacs as it is not a serious movie. That doesn't mean that it's not well made or anything even remotely close, it just means that take it for what it is and you will probably have a great time watching it.
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ALTERNATIVE TITLE:
MOVIE YEAR: 2005
DIRECTOR: Tim Sullivan
WRITING CREDITS: Chris Kobin, Tim Sullivan
GENRE: Horror, Comedy
CAST: Robert Englund, Lin Shaye, Giuseppe Andrews
COUNTRY: USA
RUNTIME: 87 min
RATING: 8/10
2001 Maniacs Website/IMDB
2001 Maniacs Trailer
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