Neon Maniacs is one of those 80's flicks that is kind of underwhelming but is weird enough to be enjoyable. Watching it, I would have assumed that it was a straight to VHS deal, although I'm seeing release dates on imdb, so who knows. It doesn't help (or totally helps, depending on your appreciation for this sort of stuff) that it feels like a sequel to a movie that was never produced - or at the very least it's missing an act or a reel or something. There are some pretty big gaps in the plot - especially as it pertains to the titular maniacs (who are definitely not neon in any way, shape, or form). You see, we never figure out just what they are. There is an unhelpful voiceover in the very opening of the film, which is basically just saying "beware of the neon maniacs." Then, this weird book is found by a random guy, and underneath the book is a bunch of trading cards with pictures of these humanoid mutant things dressed as various characters (a samurai, and old knight, etc.). It turns out these are artist renderings of the maniacs that we see a bit later in the film. The guy is anonymously murdered with an ax, and then the cards (I guess) come to life?
The maniacs themselves are kind of interesting, and I wanted to know more about them. Each one of them has some sort of gimmick - a samurai guy with a sword, a knight with a crossbow, a monkey guy, an electro-man... they are obviously characters of some kind, and it's be nice to know what their background is and just how they came to life. Oh yeah, and they can't get wet, like at all... otherwise they die. Which is a pretty serious flaw if you are a killer mutant. Even a partygoer with a cup of beer is enough to frighten them off!
Our story centers around a young woman named Natalie (I think - someday I'll start taking notes about character's names) - she's outed as a virgin early on, so you have to like her chances for survival. Anyways, she's at a party with a bunch her friends at a San Francisco park. The party consists of about a dozen kids, everyone but her drinking and making out. All of a sudden, the maniacs show up. Action-wise, this sequence really should have been the climax - or at the very least not in the first 15 minutes. The maniacs go hog-wild, killing all of her friends in a variety of ways - and it's pretty cool. The maniacs have a good look and a good m.o. (attacking as a group but kind of slowly, like smart zombies with weapons) and the kills are low budget but fun.
Unfortunately, all of this action right out of the gate sets a pretty high bar for Neon Maniacs - one it doesn't even attempt to reach again until the climactic attack at the battle of the bands. After the park massacre, all of the bodies of Natalie's friends have mysteriously vanished, and no one believes her story about what happened. She is excused from school indefinitely, and her parents are traveling, so all she can really do is sit around her house and think about the maniacs. She is courted by a young grocery delivery/band front -man named Steve, who is skeptical of her story but goes with it, since he's been pining after her for years. After the maniacs attack them on their first date (apparently the maniacs are following Natalie now?), they team up with an aspiring horror filmmaker a couple of years their junior. She's been spying on the maniacs and knows the secret to defeating them. (Hint: it's water.) Will our heroic trio be able to convince the town of the danger they are facing? Or will they have to take matters (and squirt guns) into their own hands? Tune in to find out!
There aren't a lot of surprises in Neon Maniacs. Once you see the big mutant face on the box art, you should have a decent idea of what you are getting into. The story is nothing special... basically just an excuse for the maniacs to attack several different-sized groups in different environments - a handful of people in the park (Act I), chasing around one or two people in the city/their homes (Act II), or the big crowd scene at the battle of the bands (Act III). It's pretty flimsy but does the job. None of the characters are particularly memorable - my favorite is a cop who is cruising around on a child's bike - he's only in the movie for like five seconds though. But at least they aren't annoying. Same with the acting. Really, on all non-maniac fronts - flimsy, but serviceable.
But the highlight of the show is easily the titular maniacs. Again, it would have been nice to know what exactly their deal is (or at least where they are from - and why they just hang out in a warehouse during the day), but what we get of them is pretty cool. It's very much a makeup heavy film - there is a little bit of gore, but it's pretty tame. The bulk of the creative work appears to have gone into creating the maniacs, and they look really good. I can imagine there were a ton of man-hours put into each character - they are all easily identifiable and almost always seen in full costume (i.e. you don't really just see their heads or whatever). I wouldn't go so far to say they have a personality - again, think smart zombies. But if you are into the makeup effect aspect of horror filmmaking, I think you'd really get a kick out of Neon Maniacs.
Overall, I rather liked this film. It's not some kind of forgotten gem, but there is clearly a love of the genre on display here. It's a little corny at times and a little flat in the story department, but the maniac action makes up for it. I don't want to give the impression that the action is all that great - I'd say just seeing the maniacs meandering about brandishing their weapons is probably the most memorable thing about it. But there's always something I like about a horror baddies that attack as a group, and at least they look cool doing it here.
I would recommend this film.
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