‘They thought they were alone.’
Madman is a 1981 slasher horror film about a legendary psychopathic murderer who still stalks a summer camp.
The movie was directed and written by Joe Giannone.
The Jensen Farley Pictures production stars Gaylen Ross (Creepshow; Dawn of the Dead) under the name of Alexis Dubin, plus Tony Fish, Harriet Bass, Seth Jones, Jan Claire and Paul Ehlers as Madman Marz.
The film was originally supposed to be based on the Cropsy killer legend, but in August 1980, when word reached the production that the film The Burning was being based on the same legend, the script was re-formatted.
Madman was briefly in Variety‘s top ten best-performing movies when it was released on January 1, 1982, in New York, and it went on to rent well on home video.
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Although passed uncut for UK cinema by BBFC censors, the VRO pre-cert video was briefly seized by Hampshire police during the 1980s video nasties moral panic, although no prosecutions were made. It was later released fully uncut in Britain on DVD by Anchor Bay in 2002.
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Plot:
A group of counsellors at a summer camp gather around and one of them tells the story of Madman Marz, a farmer who one night butchered his wife and kids and disappeared into the woods, never to be seen again.
Rumour has it that if you say Mr Marz’s name out loud, then he will come and get you. So that’s exactly what one bright spark does, and sure enough, the young things soon have an axe-wielding maniac on their hands…
Reviews:
Without being as iconic as the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street movies, Madman may be the most archetypal ‘80s slasher film […] as played by Paul Ehlers, the long-haired, mountain-bearded Madman Marz makes for an outstandingly memorable villain.” Mike “McBeardo” McFadden, Heavy Metal Movies book
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“Alternatively cheap and cheerful, and sometimes even a little creepy … Despite some of the cheesiest performances ever committed to celluloid, it manages some fairly suspenseful sequences – particularly when one of the counsellors chooses to hide inside a fridge. ” J. A. Kerswell, Teenage Wasteland: The Slasher Movie Uncut book
Buy: Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com
Buy Madman 30th Anniversary Special Edition Code Red DVD from Amazon.com
Blu-ray releases:
In March 2022, Vinegar Syndrome reissued Madman upgraded to 4K Ultra-High Definition:
Region Free 4K Ultra HD / Blu-ray Set
4K UHD presented in High-Dynamic-Range
Scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
“I’m Not a Screamer” – a brand new interview with lead actress Gaylen Ross
Commentary track with director Joe Giannone, producer Gary Sales, and actors Paul Ehlers and Tony Nunziata
Commentary track with The Hysteria Continues!
An interview with creator/producer Gary Sales
An introduction by Gary Sales
“Alive at 35” – a featurette with Gary Sales, Paul “Madman” Ehlers, and “Richie” actor Tom Candela
“The Legend Still Lives! – 30 Years of Madman” – a feature-length making-of documentary by Victor Bonacore
Original theatrical trailer
Still Gallery
In Memoriam featurette
TV Spots
Music Inspired by Madman featurette
Deadpit interviews with Gary Sales & Paul Ehlers
Reversible cover artwork
English SDH subtitles
Filming locations:
Fish Cove Inn, Southampton, Long Island, New York
Trailer:
Free to watch online on YouTube:
