and their looks don't lesson the film's quality. They make the film seem more real. Real looking people makes it scarier. They also say that it is cheesy. Alright the beginning song by TP is alittle cheesy but the over all film isn't too cheesy. the acting isn't great but it is a low budget independent slasher film and if you expect great acting then find another subgenre of film. As far as being a rip off of F13 well it really isn't. Yeah there is a summer camp and people die but the kills are all original, the story line is more creepy, and the whole picture takes place at night. No sunlight so that makes the film creepier. the lighting is fantastic so you never get mad that you can't see anything. the gore is actually good and there is some gorehounds. Plus the score is great and the ending song is great as well. so if you haven;t seen this film yet and you like slashers than check it out. You may have to watch it twice but it is worth it. trust me. don't listen to most of the bad reviews. go out and find this. you should like it.

movie in the 90's as effective as this one in the horror genre. Horror movies are becomming like cars, they just don't make them right anymore. Madman is like a 76 Cadillac coup with a 500 cubic inch engine, while The Haunting or Haunted Hill is like a Toyota with a little 4 cylinder engine!!! Bottom line I LOVE THIS MOVIE!! Why do you think I call myself MADMAN MARS anyway!!! Long live MADMAN MARS, and everybody involved in this movie.

films scared me back then. However, I just got my hands on a very used videotape copy of "Madman". I haven't seen this film since it originally came out in the movie theaters back in 1981. Watching it after all these years, I was surprised and delighted to find that "Madman" still carries a terrifically scary punch! Unfortunately, because this came out alongside so many lousy Friday the 13th imitators, to this day it is treated as such. This horror film deserves better. Plot: The owner of a children's camp, the campers and the camp counselors are sitting around a campfire as the camp owner tells them the legend of "Madman Marz", a local farmer who lived in a farmhouse right next to the camp. One day he went insane and hacked his family with an axe as they slept. The farmer escaped into the woods and was never caught by authorities. Now, according to the camp owner, if you spoke his name out loud above a whisper, he would come for you. One of the counselors, thinking this is just a dumb legend, then stands up and challenges Madman, out loud, to come get him and then throws a rock at the old farmers house which crashes through one of the windows. BIG mistake!

but indeed actors portraying roles instead. In watching MADMAN I felt the same thing. But the biggest difference was that both of these older films were more frightening because of that simple reason as well as the fact they were made with heart as opposed to dollar signs.MADMAN opens with the remaining kids at camp and their counselors sitting around the campfire on the last night telling ghost stories. Max Frederick Neumann tells the story of a killer who lived in the abandoned house a stone's throw from their fire. A farmer who murdered his wife, his son and his daughter. The townspeople upon discovering the deed went after him and during the fight to capture him he was scarred after being hit by an axes. They took him to the woods where they are now and hung him from a tree only to find him missing the next morning. The legend says that you should whisper his name if you dare mention it at all, the name of Madman Marz.Of course one of the teens at camp, Richie Tom Candela , has to yell out the name and tosses a rock through the window of the house. Sufficiently frightened the counselors and campers head back to their cabins. The lead counselor TP Tony Fish stays with the three boy campers to put out the fire but before they return Richie sees something in the trees and remains behind.Upon returning the kids go to bed, the counselors get together for their last night at camp and Max heads to town for supplies and to play cards. TP and Betsy Gaylen Ross cozy up in the hot tub while the others pair off as well. When TP checks in on the campers he finds Richie missing and heads out to find him. It isn't long before TP is found by Marz Paul Ehlers and becomes the first in a line of new victims of Madman Marz.Whereas most movies of this genre focus on the gore quality of the film with extreme shots of viscera on display MADMAN relies more on suspense and story than the rest. Yes, the story is simple and familiar but the interplay between characters here feels more real than many films of the genre. No in depth amount of time is spent to develop these characters but each is one that doesn't take an enormous amount of writing to recognize. And rather than horny teens we have horny college age students which is something different as well.While taking place at night the film never puts the viewer so much in the dark that you can't tell what you're looking at and that's a credit to director Joe Giannone and cinematographer James Lemmo. Far too many horror films have been ruined by being too dark to decipher who was who or what was what. And specific shots of Marz are wonderful to view, giving a tease of him in the shadows, in silhouette or as a flashlight passes over him only to find him gone when swung back into view. All of these add to the suspense of the film.And suspense is more of what this film is about rather than the typical blood fest. We watch as campers remain in cabins unaware of what it taking place until near the end and counselors are picked off one by one as they search for the missing teen Richie only to find Marz in their path bent on their destruction. As I said, it has similarities to movies made at the time but also is different enough to make it a film worthy of its own fan base.Vinegar Syndrome has done a fantastic job of presenting this on blu-ray with an amazing 4k restoration from the original negative. It's never looked better. On top of that the extras are wonderful as well and include a documentary on the film that's as long as the movie itself. That feature is THE LEGEND LIVES: 30 YEARS OF MADMAN MARS and was made in 2010. Other extras include a new interview with producer Gary Sales, Madman Marz himself Ehlers and Candela, the first time Ehlers and Candela have seen one another in 35 years, the featurette MADMAN ALIVE AT 35, a commentary track with the producer, director and cast, a commentary track by The Hysteria Continues, music inspired by the film, an in memoriam piece on members who have passed away, the original theatrical trailer, TV spots and a vintage image gallery.The movie works on all levels and this version from Vinegar Syndrome is amazing to watch. Couple that with the extras noted above and fans of horror need to make sure that they add this one to their collection. Forget about the old VHS copy you still have, the bootleg version on disc or any previously released versions. THIS is the one to own.

family with him.Now it's said he roams the woods looking for people to chop and string up.If you say his name above a whisper...Madman Marz will get you! "Madman" is a typical early 80's slasher flick that provides some genuine chills.The cinematography is surprisingly striking with some lovely blue tinged night scenes.Madman Marz is a really creepy psycho and there is plenty of gore including a messy throat slashing,a nasty axe in the chest murder plus a couple of severed heads.The ending is surprisingly downbeat and the action is fast-paced.Give this wonderful slasher flick a chance.8 out of 10.

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.

huddled around a campfire in the dead of night, scaring each other with ghoulish stories of the macabre. Their supervisor and camp counselor, Max, entertains the small crowd with a grisly tale about a lunatic farmer by the name of Madman Marz; convicted for the crime of murdering his family, and as a result, condemned to hang by the neck. Marz escapes and remains on the prowl; widely believed to be a legend among the wide-eyed younglings. In common practice and impeccable timing, a young man by the name of Ritchie stands up and shouts Marz's name…challenging him to appear in order to prove the validity of his existence. The campers expire for the evening and reminisce about the fun times of the camping season. Waiting in the wings, however, is the 'Madman' – called forth by Ritchie and awaiting the opportunity to eviscerate the unsuspecting troupe.Madman is a competent and simplistic Slasher from the early days of the sub-genre. The film's director, Joe Giannone, would not further his career as a director. He died in 2006 at the age of 60, leaving me to wonder how well he could've sculpted his talents had he pursued show business more adamantly. Gary Sales, one of the writers who contributed his talents to the film, is currently in the works with Paul Ehlers the man who portrayed the 'Madman' to release a second film entitled "Madman Marz"…slated for a 2011 release in 3D. It's all part of the recent remake craze. Besides, Madman has generated enough underground interest that allows a remake of this caliber to happen. Madman is definitely worth a look – from the isolated camp trails to the eerily shot Marz house, this film allows us to shut our brain off and enjoy a chilling collection of events. Think back four years ago to a splendid tale called Hatchet. There are obvious influences drawn from Madman and that's enough evidence to prove that this formula works.