| Review | I, Madman (1989) | Director | Tibor Takács |
|---|---|
| Writer | David Chaskin |
| Cast | Jenny Wright, Clayton Rohner, Randall William Cook, Michelle Fozounmayeh, Vance Valencia and Stephanie Hodge |
“If you don’t believe me, you should just read the book” – Virginia
After a pulpy horror paperback catches the imagination of bookstore clerk and wannabe actress Virginia (Wright), she seeks out the author’s second book, “I, Madman”. Once she begins to read the novel detailing an eerie tale of obsessive love the lines between real-life and fiction become blurry. Virginia believes that the tale’s fictional madman is coming to life and has designs on her.
I’ve accumulated a lot of titles over the years. First on VHS, then on DVD and now Blu-ray and 4K UHD. I remember when “I, Madman” was issued on Blu-ray in 2015 I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it since I can’t remember it getting a DVD release and it was a movie that I rented at a local video store in my early teens and I hadn’t seen it since. It stuck with me as a really scary flick. When I revisited it in 2015 I found it quite solid although not as scary as my memory indicated. In the intervening 9 years I’ve amassed a fairly large library of Blu-rays and didn’t re-watch “I, Madman” till just a few days ago. I still find it quite solid and even a little better than on my second watch.
The core idea is very good. It’s stylishly set up as the film’s villain is introduced in the fictional world of author Malcolm Brand’s (Cook – in a double role, so to speak, as author and manifestation of the madman) pulpy horror novel that’s gotten hold of Virginia’s imagination. As the film progresses the villain, in a variety of icky incarnations, appears in both the real world Virigina inhabits and in the fictional world she’s smitten with. These scenes are done in very imaginative and visually stylish ways that certainly give the film a splendid atmosphere and identity. The film is quite old-fashioned in some ways but with that unmistakable late 80’s vibe that simply seems to age better than horror films from the late 90’s and after. There’s even some stop-motion animation used to good effect to bookend the film with a…well…memorable side character. Scenes that are part of the fictional world in “I, Madman” are set in the 50’s and some care went into the production because the look of the film is really good and belies any low-budget origins.
The script is neatly written as Virginia knows the score when Brand’s madman is killing people in the book it’s also taking place in the real world but she finds it tough to explain to others. Chief among those is her detective boyfriend Richard (Rohner) who’s handling the case as people living close to Virginia and people she knows start turning up dead in grisly ways. In the end this all leads to a predictable showdown that does get bonus points for throwing in at least a couple of surprises for the denouement.
The suspense set-pieces also get a mention as director Takács ratches up the tension fairly well in a couple of stalk and slash sequences that prove to be quite brutal and visually compelling. It’s a shame Takács didn’t turn out horror flicks on a regular basis afterwards but his real claim to fame is this film and “The Gate” (1987) before settling in the world of television series and films.
The cast is solid, too. Wright is very likeable in the lead and plays well the damsel in distress who has maybe a little too much interest in sordid stories. I’ve always liked Rohner and he’s fine here but not all that convincing as the stereotypical early 30’s, stubble bearded, light brown trench coat wearing, loose tie, detective that’s quite a cliché in films around this period. Then there’s make-up maestro Cook who pulls double duty here as the titular madman and he’s a very menacing looking foe and quite creepy. The make-up work here, by Cook, is excellent.
Like the Blu-ray cover says; SPEND THE NIGHT WITH A MADMAN. You could do a lot worse.
Physical Copy
My copy of “I, Madman” is the region A Blu-ray issued by Scream Factory in 2015. Image wise the film looks very good and sound quality is top notch. There’s some solid supplements here with two featurettes, a trailer, still gallery and an audio commentary. A solid release in every way.
Why physical copy?
I always encourage the acquisition of physical copies as I dread the day when films will only exist as files on computers and through streaming services. The companies that put the effort into making the discs, create new artwork or reproduce the originals, issue booklets and much more deserve all the financial support they can. Therefore I will always mention the Blu-rays or DVD’s (and yes; also if I review something streamed through Netflix or the like) even though I gain nothing from it personally.
