Madman (1981) User Reviews

The ogre and the axe

[drownsoda90 · 4/10 · 28 December 2014]

"Madman" is essentially an early '80s retread of the summer camp slasher (done exponentially better by "Friday the 13th" and "The Burning" before it, and "Sleepaway Camp" after it). In the beginning of the film, a group of camp counselors and preteens are around a campfire— it's the week before Thanksgiving (who goes to camp in November?), and since the camp is shutting down, the counselors decide to tell the story of a local farmer named Madman Marz who hacked his family to death with an axe. One of the counselors decides it would be a good idea to call out his name to the surrounding woods, and lo and behold, when they come a'calling, he comes a'killin'.

Hailed as a cult film by many fans, I'm halfway baffled as to why so many consider "Madman" to be as extraordinary as they do. It's not that the film suffers from being routine — that's expected from an '80s slasher epic— but there are a lot of other issues with it that leave something to be desired. The script, for one, is beyond hokey, and the villain himself is about the least scariest maniac I can recall on film— an ogreish redneck in overalls with a clearly prosthetic face? It just ain't scary, folks. Lackluster performances and truly indistinguishable characters don't help much either.

The film does feature some really great photography at times, especially during the nighttime sequences in the woods, which make up the bulk of the film, but incredibly dodgy editing and an abrasive synth score detract from the moodiness of the proceedings. Even the darkness of the upstate New York forest and the musty cabins of the camp fail to establish a solid sense of atmosphere here, and the film suffers for it. There are a couple of gruesome killings, but by and large even the murder sequences are anticlimactic. Perhaps the film's most indubitable sin, however, is that it flashes the murder sequences of each character across the screen in the opening campfire scene. I mean, obviously we know that most of them are going to die anyway, but why strip any potential surprise from a virtually incredulous film?

It's not that I have a bias to the summer camp/backwoods slasher either, nor did I want to dislike this film. There are dozens of films that follow this thread which I am a fan of: "The Burning," "Friday the 13th," "Just Before Dawn," "The Final Terror"— the difference with those films though is that, despite their formalities, they excel in other areas and are able to distinguish themselves because of it. "Madman" doesn't do that; the most it has to offer is some neat nighttime cinematography, a ridiculous hot tub sex scene, and perhaps the most absurd theme song in film history. Highlights: the eerie silhouette of Madman in the tree (as depicted on the 2003 Anchor Bay cover art), and the downbeat ending. 4/10.

Slow, creepy atmosphere

[Tikkin · 6/10 · 7 May 2006]

Madman is nowhere near as good as some would have you believe, but it does have a slow, creepy atmosphere. The one bit that I will always remember is when you see Madman's silhouette in the trees. That one shot of him alone saves this from being just a regular boring slasher film. It creeps you out enough so that the rest of the film seems ever more creepier as he stalks around the woods killing everyone off. There are plenty of dull moments including a love scene used for padding, and a lot of the time you will be waiting for something to happen. There is a hilarious scene where one of the girls hides herself inside a refrigerator. The ending somewhat spoils the creepiness that had been built up throughout, as we get to see Madman in full light and he just looks like a regular person in a rubber mask. It just goes to show how it's better to leave such things to the imagination.

This is an essential film for any slasher fan, but beware, it's only for those able to tolerate a slower paced slasher.

This is a movie made for 2 AM at the drive-in, bombed out of your mind.

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 28 April 2019]

Madman Marz isn't Freddy or Jason or Michael Meyers or even Leatherface or maybe even Chucky, but dammit he exists. He exists!

Originally based on the upstate New York urban legend of Cropsey, the film's premise and slasher were both changed at the last minute once the production team discovered that The Burning was filming at the very same.

It took eight months and hundreds of attempts to get an investor - plus a last-minute rewrite to make the movie more unique - but this non-union effort finally made it to the screen.

A group of senior counselors and campers - Gaylen Ross is the only one most people know, as she was in Dawn of the Dead, and plays Betsy under the stage name of Alexis Dubin - gather around a campfire to hear the head counselor Max - who the filmmakers wanted to cast as Vincent Price, which would have been bonkers - regale them with the tale of Madman Marz. He killed his family with an axe and then survived a lynching attempt before disappearing into these very woods.

Richie, one of the kids, throws a rock into Marz's home and shouts his name, learning no lessons at all from this urban legend. Richie soon sees Marz in the trees - ironically, the cast would see a mysterious person in the woods while they filmed this movie - and before you can say Pamela Vorhees, they're all getting killed one by one.

T.P. is set up to be the hero here or he at least gets to have hot tub spinning something with Betsy. Seriously, this whole scene is lunacy, as they roll around and have what seems to be the unsexiest sex I've ever seen. Betsy then becomes the heroine, but she ends up blasting one of the other counselor's brains out with a double-barrelled shotgun and narrowly helping the kids escape on a school bus before getting hung up on a hook and setting Marz's house on fire.

So yeah. The killer survives, the kids are traumatized and there's an awesome theme song, sung by Tony Fish, the same guy who plays T.P. There's also a scene where Max lectures about the right way to play the game of axe in the stump, which is kind of like the sword in the stone: "Losing, winning - what's the difference? Play the game with a fair heart, and you'll always be able to look yourself in the mirror. Play too hard to win, and you might not like what you become."

This movie is packed with parts that will make you scream in terror, laugh in utter glee and sing along like some demented maniac. In short, it's everything a slasher should be. It's also a reminder that even a non-legendary slasher is still a better movie in 2019 than the finest studio releases.

Slick slasher

[fertilecelluloid · 14 January 2004]

A slick attempt at a slasher with very impressive night photography.

Madman Marz, the film's killer, is a local legend made flesh who kills a bunch of wimpy teens and their counselors.

Joe Giannone's direction of the suspense sequences and ground level camerawork is a cut above. The storyline is serviceable but predictable. The acting ain't worth more than a line.

But do check out the film's night photography. Usually I hate night scenes because they're so poorly illuminated. Not so here. Some very stylish set-ups and artful compositions.

Memorable, thumpy score, too.

Marz attacks.

[BA_Harrison · 3/10 · 11 June 2008]

An unremarkable, by-the-numbers, Friday the 13th clone, Madman will prove to be of interest only to those wishing to catch up on every 80s slasher ever made (an arduous task for even the most seasoned of horror fans) or genre fans wanting to see Gaylen Ross in one of her two post-Dawn of the Dead horror roles (the other being that of Becky Vickers in Creepshow).

Ross, who is credited here as Alexis Dubin, plays Betsy, a counsellor at a summer camp which comes under attack from the legendary Madman Marz, a vicious disfigured killer who is particularly handy with a length of rope and an axe. Also working (and dying) at the camp are a bunch of fairly unlikeable characters, most of whom are quite unattractive (a definite no-no for an 80s body-count flick).

With nary a plot to get in the way of the killing, Madman should at least have been a mindless piece of relentlessly bloody fun, but it is, in fact, a tedious, badly directed yawn-fest that doesn't even serve up the basic ingredients expected from such a film—namely, a topless babe or two, and some decent gore.

As far as nudity is concerned, all we get is a laughable 'sex' scene, featuring Betsy and her boyfriend making a hot-tub 'whirlpool' (by walking round and round in the water) whilst a naff 80s song plays in the background, and a coy cuddle (inside a sleeping bag) between a shrew-faced woman with a nasty perm and her mustachioed lover (rather him than me!).

Gore-wise, the film is just as disappointing: there are a couple of headless corpses that involve the use of shop dummies splashed with blood, a reasonable hanging from a tree, a few dreadful axings, and an impalement on a hook. All of the effects are rather basic and unconvincing, and to make matters worse, the entire film is shot at night with poor lighting, making the action very difficult to see.

Madman is often referred to as one of the 'forgotten' slashers of the 80s; to be honest, it doesn't really deserve to be remembered.

*** Point of interest: This film is further proof that, when in danger, climbing inside a fridge is your best bet for survival. Whilst being hunted by Madman Marz, shrew-faced woman does what I now refer to as an 'Indiana Jones', and, despite the contents of the appliance being scattered all over the floor, the killer is duped. ***

Occassionally Stylish Summer Camp Slasher

[marcusgrant-86630 · 5/10 · 14 September 2018]

Oh, Madman. I really want to love you. All my friends love you. They tell me you have a great personality, but I just need to spend a little bit more time with you. I've started blaming myself and thinking there's something wrong with me.

Look, I admire your colorful light schemes. I adore your simple-as-a-campfire-story plot. I think it's cool that you have a Final Boy instead of a Final Girl. I think it's neat that all the actors look like normal people and not supermodels. And by the way, I think your effects work is really top notch.

So, why don't I like you? Why do you make me sleepy when you should have the hairs on my back at attention? Why do I forget everything about you a few hours after I've spent time with you?

I guess we're just not meant to be friends.

Horror 0, Comedy 4

[rstef1 · 2/10 · 23 October 2005]

I think I must have seen a different movie than the others who posted reviews here, because there was very little redeeming about the dreck I watched. For starters, the performances were ghastly! These so called actors wouldn't have made the cut for a grade school play. I've also read the reviews that praise the night photography. WTF?? There is so much light in each scene in the woods that it looks like they were shooting in Shea Stadium with all the floods on full! Just where is all this light supposed to be coming from anyway? Of course the snail pace of the action doesn't help either. Very few clichés are missed: person slowly backing up not realizing the killer is behind her; girl limping slowly through woods to escape killer; killer slowly approaches vehicle just as it pulls away, etc. etc. Slow being the key word here folks. The story gets so repetitive that we know exactly what will happen next: person goes out in search of missing camper in woods (alone of course), stumbles over body of last person who went out searching (alone) and promptly gets whacked by Madman Marz. Snore. Special effects? Not really special at all. When Marz kills his family at the beginning it looks like the axe is splitting overripe melons. Look ma, no skull!

If you've seen Friday the 13th, Sleepaway Camp or Halloween you know what's going to happen and pretty much who will be left at the end, though they added a slight twist to keep you awake. Too little too late I say.

Now, on the positive side, I will say that parts of the film were equally as funny as Scary Movie. My favorite 3 comedy scenes are:

1. The hot tub love scene. Was this supposed to be sexy? OMG! Clearly everyone associated with writing and performing this was a virgin.

2. The mess hall stalking of the girl with the Melissa Manchester hairdo and voice that could call dogs. This one had me laughing so hard that I was thankful I wasn't drinking anything or it would have come out my nose.

3. Richie's discovery in the basement of the farmhouse. The look on this actor's face is so slow and pathetic that I almost felt bad for him. I could practically see him trying to find the right expression, which, alas, never comes. Priceless.

What did we ever do to deserve this? It's no wonder that most of these actors never did another film. Even Gaylen Ross used a pseudonym.

For those of you who think this is a decent slasher film, I urge you to view Halloween, Friday the 13th, or Nightmare on Elm Street. You'll see the difference.

Cool summer-camp slasher!

[Coventry · 6/10 · 18 April 2005]

This early 80's horror junk is exactly what you expect it to be: completely unoriginal and it probably never would have existed if it weren't for the unexpected success of Sean S. Cunningham's "Friday the 13th". Writer/director Joe Giannone wanted to cash in on this "classic" horror film's earnings and quickly thought up a similar premise with the same amount of gruesomeness and sleaze. Yet, I feel no shame in saying that I really enjoyed watching "Madman" and I would even recommend it to other slasher-freaks as much as possible. There's something about this film that simply makes it irresistible... The movie starts with what perhaps is the biggest cliché in the genre but it sure works: a group of teenagers sitting around a campfire, attempting to scare each other with spooky tales. One of the tales revolves on a local legend and introduces "Madman Marz". An unstable farmer who butchered his family with an axe before vanishing into the dark woods. If one speaks his name – and I quote – "above a whisper", the legend states that Madman Marz comes for you. And of course there's some cocky teenager who immediately yells out his name over the campfire. So far the basic premise of this film that proves just how easy it was to come up with an horror screenplay in the early 80's. But what follows is a surprisingly suspenseful film with effective shocks and good cinematography (it's lovely to see how the camera moves through the woods at night). The sound-editing is great and the opening/end score is darn chilling! The maniac Marz is a reasonably scary horror icon and his vile acts are repulsive enough to make gorehounds' mouths water...The bloody highlights of Madman include multiple decapitations and a really ugly hanging! The acting performances are weak (what else did you expect) and the climax is rather disappointing, unfortunately. And sure there are many, many flaws to detect everywhere but why would you hate a slasher like "Madness" for its ineptness? Love it for what it is: a adrenalin-rushing gore flick!

A little gem

[eer85 · 5/10 · 15 November 2004]

I think that a complete guide of the slasher subgenre it's almost impossible to write: because of its very simple&cheap formula, a lot of movie have been produced since the beginning of the 80s.

Among these, one of the earliest and most appreciable is MADMAN by Giannone, which is a very honest low-budget flick with some variations from the original (Cunningham's) model and a more fairy-tale oriented atmosphere (the nominal villain really looks like an ogre). Of course, as many other similar features, it has its flaws - acting, for example - but that's not what you seek from such kind of movies. The special effects are pretty well done and they're obtained with very simple solutions. Giannone's style is good, especially in the use of deep focus and the cinematography is genuinely inventive (the green painted leaves!). Eventually, it's better than many others.

Now who wud have thot bah a decapitation via a car's bonnet.

[Fella_shibby · 6/10 · 19 April 2021]

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs.

Revisited it recently.

Well, most will agree that this is a rip off of FT13 n The Burning but this one has some moments of lol.

The film is tedious, there is zero nudity inspite of a lousy sex scene in a hot tub.

The moustachioed guy's girlfriend acted terrible n her chase was more lengthier than the final girl.

Some hilarious description bah our killer : face wise he is more like the blind chap from Rituals (1977).

He runs like a kid but walks limping and the best part is the way he hides for his prey. (While waiting for the moustachioed guy's girlfriend).

Watch out for his sharp long nails by which he tears a female's cheek. By the way his dungaree n strength inspired Victor Crowley.

There is a character Richie who stalks the mad serial killer and he disappears from the screen at 28th min and later appears aft 60th min and within that screen disappearance time, many murders happen n he is still alive stalking the killer. He again disappears from the screen and again mayhem ensues n voila, he reappears just before the end credits.

The editing is horrendous as scenes keep cutting abruptly.

"Not Bad Slasher Flick!"

[gwnightscream · 5/10 · 19 November 2014]

This 1981 horror film stars Gaylen Ross, Tony Fish, Carl Fredericks and Paul Ehlers. This begins in the woods where a group of camp counselors tell spooky stories to some of the kids by the fire. Max (Fredericks) decides to tell one about Madman Marz (Ehlers), a crazy, deformed farmer who killed his family with an Axe. Soon, the story becomes real when Marz begins hunting and slaughtering the counselors one by one. Ross (Dawn of the Dead) plays Betsy and Fish plays T.P., her boyfriend. This isn't a bad slasher flick following in the footsteps of "Friday the 13th" and "The Burning" with gruesome deaths and a creepy score. Fans of the genre may want to check it out.

Madman Marz is the true Axes of Evil!

[Weirdling_Wolf · 10/10 · 5 April 2021]

While oft compared to the slicker, larger budgeted 'The Burning', independent filmmaker Joe Giannone's mountainously macabre mountain man massacre has not only weathered the vicissitudes of time but has deservedly garnered its very own sizable cult following, due not only to the innate axe-murdering awesomeness of Madman Marz himself but that his indomitable legend was so extraordinarily great it deserved its very own hungrily ear-worming, toe tapping, skull-rapping ditty! Unlike his equally sinister 80s-era slash-happy compadres, Marz expresses pure evil for its own edifying sake, no mewling mommy issues, no Freudian sibling shenanigans, he's not simply a vengeful burns victim, but a forest-lurking, hangman's noose jerking, deliriously decapitating, free spirited Madman, stalking his blood-soaked domain, gruesomely mutilating all those that trespass his crepuscular domain simply because he's so wicked good at it, and that is fundamentally why 'Madman' rules so heroically hard to this very day!

During the film's oft parodied introductory fireside yarn, the closely-huddled kiddie-winks and cosy counsellors anxiously learn of Marz's cruel, infamous Amityville-like slaughter, thereby eerily foreshadowing the imminent danger born of so frivolously calling out his fearful name in earshot of the benighted Marz homestead! To his great credit Giannone plays it pretty straight, no sly references to the innate absurdity of the scenario, resourcefully eking the most out of the simple slasher schematic of relentlessly bellicose bogeyman and plentiful teen quarry extinguished in multitudinously gory ways, and running contrary to the naysayers erroneous slurs, Giannone's slay-tastic 'Madman' is not quite the plasma-shy, slasher-lite affair they frequently claim it to be; since his maniacal, out-sized okie gorily dispenses some inordinately nasty kills, not the least of which being a gnarly rupture to one poor victim's windpipe that still has the shocking intensity to take more than just the beleaguered counsellor's breath away!

'Madman' is demonstratively superior to many of the shrill, photo realistic, gore-obsessed, Jump-scare bore-fests of today as there is something palpably ancient and altogether mythic about the pitilessly perfidious peregrinations of murder-Magus Madman Marz, as his grave, malefic presence perhaps infers a more classical origin, sharing the monstrous qualities of some no less hateful Homeric nemesis; so the lovelorn T. P (Tony Fish) and his camp counsellor chums discover all too painfully that by merely whispering his malign moniker their camping trip would end in a nightmarish tumult of blood-curdling calamity!

What more could a Slasher fan axe for?

[Quinoa1984 · 7/10 · 27 October 2019]

Madman features some of the more not even completely laughable but just awkward/amateur acting in a horror movie of its time (Gaylen Ross the obvious exception), while simultaneously featuring incredibly gruesome kills via superb make-up and fx, with a careful and surprisingly intense level of suspense and build-up (sometimes with Creeping-up-on-You synth music, sometimes not), and a killer who I enjoyed immensely as what Ill forever call "Farmer Yeti".

When it comes to what people pay their tickets (or buy their Vinegar Syndrome remastered blu-rays for), it delivers more than expected. This filmmaker - his one and only credit, and I wish we could've seen more of what was in store - has the right stuff when it comes to shooting at night (a number of horror grindhouse trash from this period looks underlit as garbage) and for getting us invested in these genuinely grisly and gritty set pieces.

He also does well by hiding Madman Marz through much of it - perhaps because he has a mask that isn't completely believable sticking to his face once we get to it near the end. So I can largely look past things like that one actress who is still smiling/acting calm(!?) after discovering one of the bodies, or whatever that undressing/sex scene is with the hot tub. I almost look at it as being part of the... charm of the whole thing.

It's a first movie, and looking back on that scale it makes its mark as a memorable slasher; I don't know if it's among the best, but it's very far from a bottom tier. And aside from its own theme song and a title card referencing how these are "gifted children" at this camp (are they on loan from Professor Xavier?)... There is a rare twist for this kind of story in the Final Girl scenario, which gives the ending more of a dark sense of gravity that it does earn. Bottom line here is: I don't know the story as to why Gaylen Ross isn't credited under her name for the movie (I may re-edit this once I watch the documentary) but if it's because she wasnt happy with how it turned out, she might want to give it another look some day.

Madman

[Scarecrow-88 · 5/10 · 2 May 2008]

A notorious psychopath named Madman Marz murdered his family and was a horrible drunkard. Well, supposedly he survived a lynch hanging(..while also getting his face scarred with an ax to it)and his butchered family's bodies were never recovered. Over a campfire, the mythos of Marz is that if one calls his name(..the infamous home of Marz where the murders occurred, isn't too far from the campsite setting of the film)he will return to kill those in his path. So the plot, or of what little there is, is set up as counselors, over a camp for gifted kids, are being murdered one by one. The chain reaction(..or domino effect)begins when idiot kid Richie(Jimmy Steele), the dope responsible for crying out Marz's name, tossing a stone through the legendary psycho's window, doesn't return to camp with the rest of his brethren. He takes a hike to Marz's creepy, seemingly-abandoned home, out of curiosity, and doesn't return to camp. Why? I dunno. He watches from the bushes as Marz brings victims back to his lair. Meanwhile, counselors begin to go into the woods to find Richie, and each time another meets their maker.

Marz looks like some monstrous ghoul, a Sasquatch in hillbilly attire who grunts like an aggravated animal. His skin is pale and fingernails look as if they could use a good manicure. Not the best of hair-days, either. Anyway, like many psychopaths in the slasher genre, Madman Marz has superhuman strength and can pull one male victim with a rope over a strong branch that leaves him in a difficult position, with the result being a nasty neck snap with the eventual eyes rolling back into his head. There's this ax that has been buried in a log stump for sometime with no one able to remove it with force..of course, Marz does remove it with a little pull and some grunting. There are some off-screen beheadings(..one amusingly as a female victim is working on repairs under a hood Marz slams down on her)with the severed neck squirting blood. There are subtle scenes inside Marz's cellar where he keeps the murdered bodies and we hear a sharp thud in the background, later finding that he has a thing for hanging corpses on hooks. There's one howler of a scene where this dim-bulb female victim attempts to hide from Marz in a refrigerator. She gets it with an ax and an accidental shot-gun blast to the face(..nah, not as gruesomely staged as it sounds). Poor Gaylen Ross of "Dawn of the Dead" fame gets the "final girl" role, but it isn't much and she is served a grim fate. All in all, "Madman" is tame compared to the slashers lucky enough to have obtained the talents of make-up extraordinaire Tom Savini. There's a campfire scene akin to "Friday the 13th Part 2" and "The Burning". Marz is yet another Jason Voorhies clone. Nothing that inventive or terrifying here, folk. Some stylish touches in the woods where victims pursue a dumb kid, and the sad irony is that this boy makes it out unscathed, the very one responsible for the madness in the first place. I think this benefited from the DVD boom because Madman has a quality release..the use of campfire and fireplace light are exceptional, and the way Marz is shadowed works well enough. If this weren't so damned run-of-the-mill...

I love it

[Chainsaw Slasher · 7 January 2002]

This is my kind of movie. This is a perfect slasher, and its hard to find slashers worth watching. It has blood, gore, crunching of bones, all the elements of a slasher. Beautiful. It only lacks some nudity, but I don't care about that. I like the kind of slashers that can give me a rush from the deaths (I know this sounds freaky), but this is one. This movie was ahead of its time in the slasher history.

Yet another Friday THE 13th rip-off

[Maciste_Brother · 1/10 · 11 November 2003]

MADMAN is a pretty anemic horror film that copies everything from Friday THE 13th except for suspense and believability. Even if it takes place in a forested area, the movie is extremely claustrophobic. It almost feels like it was shot in a forest that was built inside a studio. The camera is always in tight close-ups. The whole film occurs at night. We never get to see the natural splendors of the area. The forest just serves as a backdrop to the extremely derivative action. So, the camera never sweeps around the area to give us an idea of the place. The camera is very static and dull. MADMAN almost feels like it was shot on video even if it wasn't. The actors are all forgettable, as are the killings. Nothing really works here. There's one word to describe MADMAN: clunky!

Even the killer, who was sorta formidable looking from a distance during the first part of the movie, becomes ludicrous when we finally see him up close. He looks like a Morlock from THE TIME MACHINE movie starring Rod Taylor. When the camera remains more than one second on the killer's face we can clearly see the haphazard makeup effects. All in all, MADMAN is pretty much terrible and dull. The only good thing is the title and the original movie poster.

More likely a camp for the ugly and the stupid.

[Zeegrade · 3/10 · 14 August 2009]

A low-grade ripoff of "Friday the 13th", (would that make it Friday the 12th?) starring the most aesthetically unappealing cast in movie history. On the last night at a cottage for gifted kids, Max the proprietor of the place, tells a story about Madman Marz, a local farmer that killed his own family and was properly hung by the locals for this crime. Supposedly he did not stay dead which is very rude and if anyone says his name out loud well, you ain't gonna like it. This is the cue for one of the counselors to immediately say his name. Not too bright. Marz returns to his house which seems located conveniently by the cottage and picks up where he left off. Surprisingly he does not go to a family crisis counselor and talk about his pent up feelings. The cycle of violence continues.

There is nothing here to suggest that this is a cult classic rather than a cult wishing this was a classic. This is far and away the most ugly cast of actors I have ever watched. From pointed noses, to oddly spaced eyes, to terrible hair and bad mustaches it leaves little wonder why most of these actors never appeared on film again. If ever there was a movie to be broadcast in braille this is the one.

The cottage is home for gifted children, all six of them, and must be an experiment as they are saddled with a bunch of functional retards as counselors. Every character in this movie makes the most boneheaded decisions that ultimately leads to his or her own death. The formula gets old quick. One person goes into the woods. Gets killed. Another person follows. Repeat until you're bored to tears. One imbecile actually tries to flee Madman Marz by hiding in a refrigerator. When the final counselor left rises above her monkey intellect and realizes what is happening, does she call the cops? No! She calls Max the old man storyteller that went out to the bar that night. Simply brilliant. Most of the acting gives the forest a run for its money as far as wooden performances go and the kills are lackluster at best. Still, it was amusing when one of the counselors stumbles upon a headless corpse only to query, "Are you alright?". This movie IS the ugly tree!

They thought they were different...

[miss_magenta · 2/10 · 31 May 2000]

It's another one of those teenagers going camping in the woods movies with really stupid dialogue, bad acting and loud scary music coming in at the appropriate time. The characters are as shallow as their names (Richie, T.P., Betsy...). The music is atrociously bad at some points (especially in the not even full of useless nudity, jacuzzi scene). At some points, the lighting effects are quite nice, but totally irrelevant, why should the wood scenes be lighted in blue ? So imagine a bunch of teenagers : the over dramatic intellectual, the sentimental blonde, the overachieving jock, the curious clown, the feminist and the mustache guy. Now tell me you aren't looking forward to see them get mutilated by the Madman Marz, a legendary farmer who killed his family for no apparent reason. The story is more than predictable, ever so much due to the fact that we see the death of the characters during the first scene as a previews of the gore end. It is redundant, boring, common and badly done. I don't recommend it, it's not even a source of much laughs.

The refrigerator is probably not the best place to hide from an ax-welding killer

[Nightman85 · 6/10 · 6 January 2009]

Some surprisingly old camp counselors anger legendary ax-murderer, so he makes a successful come-back.

Obvious Friday the 13th knock-off, but hey, it manages to be worth a few laughs. As low-budget as this film is, it does well with what it has, making a fairly good villain and possessing an atmospheric spookiness. Gore-seekers will find plenty of blood flying in this one, the gore FX are pretty nicely done for a low-budgeter. The locations are decent and the electronic music score ain't bad. Dig that clunky theme song!

The films biggest flaw is in its casting. While leads Alexis Dublin (better known as Gaylen Ross) and Tony Fish are OK, the supporting cast are completely awful in their wooden performances. I suppose we're not watching this movie for the acting though.

Still, Madman is an enjoyable tongue-in-cheek slasher movie.

** 1/2 out of ****

Woe is me

[ctomvelu-1 · 4/10 · 29 November 2008]

Just think what Carpenter's HALLOWEEN hath wrought in the years since its release. MADMAN is just such a movie. Shot in New York in 1982, it tells about a bunch of summer campers and their counselors being mowed down by a killer farmer who starts by hacking up his family. I'm not sure, but I think a couple of the counselors were played by porn actors/actresses, especially one horse-faced blonde with a decided lisp or hearing problem. Some of the killings are appropriately nasty but the film ultimately is an unbelievable bore. It's mostly these summer people yakking on and on, until they each get theirs. And the farmer is no Jason, believe you me.

Dow Dow Dow.. Eh Eh Eh Eh Eh

[elliotdowning · 6/10 · 22 March 2006]

The last night of Summer Camp finds a group of badly-dressed pubescent teens and over-sexed counselors deep in the woods telling ghost stories by the fireside. A story is told about a local farmer (Marz) who decided it was rather appropriate to hack his family to pieces while they slept in their beds. After discovering this, the locals hung Marz from a tree-branch and left him for dead. However, his body disappeared and now it is said that when his name is uttered, he appears and randomly hacks around for a while.

From here, a story emerges about a psycho killer, aptly named Madman Marz who likes wielding various sharp, heavy implements - chiefly an axe. You always know when madman's about to hack into someone because you hear the creepy bars of music that closely resembles "dow dow dow...eheheheheheh".

The film is straight from the teen horror text book and features the obligatory hot tub scene (featuring a man with a rather strange belly button and a buxom blonde ripe for a horror film hacking). Despite some inane killing, Marz shows true compassion when saving characters with a bad 70s/80s 'do from additional shame and embarrassment by mashing their head right into a car's engine and jamming the bonnet down on their shaggy mess of hair (that's one shonky sounding starter motor).

While it won't win any awards for originality, you have to admire the simple fun that Madman offers. Whether it be watching the "special" campers get separated and randomly massacred in the woods or the screaming blonde try to hide in a refrigerator, there is no doubt that Madman is a very under-stated horror classic.

Derivative Dullness

[EVOL666 · 3/10 · 20 September 2005]

Sorry guys, not feelin' this one. Story: Freak in the woods will come and kill you if you say his name too loud. Pretty f**king retarded concept if you ask me, but hey, not all horror movies have to have a TITANIC plot, right? Even so, MADMAN is dull and derivative and has nothing new to bring to the "slasher-in-the-woods" genre. The film plods along dully, the kill scenes are fast and relatively un-bloody and the few requisite sets of tits that you do see (as is required by these types of films...) are from a couple of scrappy sea-donkeys. Avoid this one unless there is NOTHING else in the horror section at your local video store. Check out "THE BURNING","MANIAC", hell, even "FRIDAY THE 13TH" just to name a very few superior slasher/psycho films. A VERY generous 3/10 for the head-in-the-hood decapitation

Yet another forgotten gem

[acidburn-10 · 8/10 · 29 August 2007]

The Plot = It's the final night for the season at a summer camp, and all of the counsellors and children have gathered around the campfire to tell ghost stories. The old man who runs the camp tells the story of Madman Marz, a deranged man who killed his family with an axe, not far away from the camp. Naturally one of the kids make fun of the story, but what no one realizes is that the legend is real, and that Madman Marz is still lurking around in the woods by the camp...

I think Madman is definitely one of the best backwoods/camp slasher films to come out of the 1980's, It's got a big, bad villain with a huge axe, it's got a semi attractive cast and it's got a decent amount of gore. Most surprisingly however is the cinematography. While most slashers from this era were pretty low-budget, Madman looks incredibly good. The use of dark blue colours works great and really manages to create a good atmosphere.

Even though it's pretty obvious who's going to die and who's not, this movie tends to drag out on it to keep the suspense level high, and it really does work. The story may not be original but it still packs a punch but it's still a movie to be watched more than once.

All in all Madman is definitely underrated and doesn't deserve to be forgotten.

Any self respecting slasher fan would be MAD to give this gem a miss

[Stevieboy666 · 7/10 · 8 August 2022]

"They'll never go out in the woods alone, ever again!" Madman is the tale of Madman Marz, a farmer who one night butchered his family. He was hung up for his hideous crimes but the following day his corpse had vanished. Say his name and, like Canyman a decade later, he will appear! And that is exactly what happens, over the course of a single night Marz stalks and slashes a summer camp group. Made in the Golden Age of the Slasher Movie Madman ticks all the boxes, though sadly the nudity is of the blink and you'll miss it variety. The pace is good and the film boasts plenty of splattery deaths, gory practical effects, none of that horrible CGI crap. The film starts off with campers sat around a camp fire, telling spooky tales, and ends with a Final Girl, nothing original in that sense. There are obvious comparisons with Friday the 13th and The Burning, they are both much better movies but Madman is good fun, I own it on DVD, VHS and now Blu-Ray, it looks great on the latter. Like The Burning Madman has no sequel. Some of the acting is rather weak (though not terrible), I liked the synth musical score though the soundtrack does feature a couple of really cheesy songs. Watch this late at night with the lights out and with a few beers, highly recommended.

Didn't really care for it.

[gravegauze · 4/10 · 3 July 2017]

There are some actually really good obscure slasher movies from the 80s. This is not one of them.

As much as I love watching these films, this one didn't finish well for me. Which is a little odd because there were some good gory scenes, but I think what might've ruined it for me is the monster-like element in "Madman Marz". Every time he's in a scene you pretty much see his inhuman creature-like hands, and he makes stupid noises in his scenes. The acting also wasn't the best from some of the cast.

This could totally just be me though. I mean, it wasn't terrible. While I won't recommend it, I totally say you can give it a try. I can't ignore that there were some good gore scenes to see.