2001 Maniacs

They say that the South will rise again. Does that mean that the South has fallen and it can't get up? Who's to say? But, one thing is for sure, if the South does, in fact, rise again, it's not going to be because of the movie, 2001 Maniacs.



2001 Maniacs is a semi-sequel to the 1964 Herschell Gordon Lewis gore classic, 2000 Maniacs, which itself was a riff on Brigadoon, the story of a town that appears only once every hundred years. Here's the basic story for 2001 Maniacs: A group of kids on their way to spring break take a detour and find themselves in the small town of Pleasant Valley, Georgia. The town folk welcome them with open arms and make them the guest of honor at the Guts And Glory Festival that's going on (they might have taken the name of the festival, Guts And Glory, as a sign!). Well, at first things seem fine, but when, one by one, they begin to disappear, our group of teen partiers begin to think something is wrong. Well, wrong might be an understatement because the folk of Pleasant Valley are planning a little bar-be-que, and the menu is made up of Northerners!

2001 Maniacs isn't a bad movie, in fact, if you're looking for a good old fashioned gore movie, then you'll love it. But, there's not much else here, it's obvious from the beginning what's going to happen, it's just a matter of how the kids will be killed...and they are killed in fantastic ways! And the end, that sets up the sequel that should be out by the end of the year (The Beverly Hellbillies) is actually quite cool. I'm giving 2001 Maniacs three and a half cigars,

because if you're looking for a great slasher movie with no sub-text or anything there to make you think, then you'll love it. If you like you movies with a bit more meat, you might be disappointed. So, until next time, when, like the South, I'll rise again...from my easy chair to change the DVD in the player, remember that the best movies are bad movies!