2001 Maniacs

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2001 Maniacs
2001 Maniacs.jpg
Pre-production promotional poster
Directed by Tim Sullivan
Written by Chris Kobin
Tim Sullivan
Based on Two Thousand Maniacs!
by Herschell Gordon Lewis
Produced by Boaz Yakin
Scott Spiegel
Eli Roth
Christopher Tuffin
Brett W. Nemeroff
Starring Robert Englund
Lin Shaye
Giuseppe Andrews
Jay Gillespie
CinematographySteve Adcock
Edited byMichael Ross
Music by Nathan Barr
Production
companies
Raw Nerve
Velvet Steamroller
Distributed by Lions Gate Films
Release dates
  • July 9, 2005 (2005-07-09)(Fantasia) [1]
  • October 21, 2005 (2005-10-21)
Running time
87 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.5 million

2001 Maniacs is a 2005 American comedy horror film directed by Tim Sullivan and starring Robert Englund, Lin Shaye, Jay Gillespie, Dylan Edrington, and Matthew Carey. [2] It is a remake of the 1964 film Two Thousand Maniacs! written and directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis. [3] The film is distributed by Lions Gate Entertainment. It was filmed in Westville, Georgia.

Contents

Plot

College students Anderson, Nelson, and Cory become lost while heading to Daytona Beach for spring break, and follow a 'Detour' sign that leads them to the southern town of Pleasant Valley, led by eccentric mayor Buckman. Three other travelers - Ricky, Kat, and Joey - arrive shortly afterwards, and Buckman tells them that for the next two days they will be honored guests at the town's annual 'Guts N Glory Jubilee.' They are joined by two other travelers, interracial biker couple Malcolm and Leah, and all are given rooms at an inn run by Granny Boone and her son Hucklebilly.

Soon after settling in, Kat is killed by being drawn and quartered, her body being served as a dish for the others. Later in the evening, Nelson is killed when he drinks battery acid, thinking it's moonshine. The following day, the group are separated and go off into different areas of the town.

Leah is dressed in a southern dress and motioned to come up to the podium during a celebration, where Granny Boone pulls a rope and crushes her with a large bell. Ricky sees this and runs off to alert the others, but he is accosted by Buckman's son and held down as two female residents impale him with a large poker.

Joey finds Kat's dog tags and the group realizes that both Kat and Nelson have been gone for a long time. They make a plan to find their missing friends and belongings, and then get out of town, but are stopped by Buckman making subtle threats.

Malcolm sets off to find Leah and is lured to a cotton press, where he is killed after being crushed. Cory and Joey head to the hotel to get their belongings, but Cory forgets his phone and leaves Joey to go get it. Joey finds a cabinet filled with jars of different body parts and dates reflecting many years of Jubilees, but before she can run off, she is captured. Cory returns to his room and is seduced by one of the townsfolk. He sits down, thinking that she is going to perform oral sex, but instead she puts on metal fangs and mauls his crotch, killing him.

Anderson finds Malcolm's motorbike being guarded by Hucklebilly in the barn, and although he attempts to goad him into giving him the keys, Hucklebilly knocks him out. Later that night, Anderson and Joey find themselves tied up by the townsfolk, who taunt them for coming into their town. Buckman shows the two their friend's severed heads and tells them that their bodies are the barbecue the townsfolk will feast upon. Buckman offers to spare Anderson if he kills Joey, since he was originally from the South, but he refuses. Anderson and Buckman have a battle that ends with Anderson ripping Buckman's eyepatch off, revealing it to be an empty hole with maggots inside. Buckman pleads with Anderson not to take his other eye and lets him and Joey go.

The next day, Anderson and Joey go to the local authorities, who are skeptical, but follow them to Pleasant Valley. When they get there, the town has disappeared and is nothing more than a graveyard. Anderson reads a plaque that reveals that during the Civil War, a group of union troops came and massacred everybody in the town, now the residents will not rest until they avenge their deaths, revealing that the residents that the group met were the vengeful ghosts of the townsfolk.

As the two drive away on their motorcycle, they are decapitated by barbed wire, which was placed by Hucklebilly. He picks up their heads and vanishes as he walks down the road.

Cast

Production

Filming took place on November 3, 2003, in Westville, Georgia and ended on December 1, 2003. Eli Roth, who produced the film, reprised his role of Justin from his own film, Cabin Fever .

Release

The film was released May 12, 2005. The film was released on DVD in 2007. [4]

Sequel

On the official Facebook page for the film, the sequel 2001 Maniacs: The Beverly Hellbillys was announced (later renamed to 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams ). Mayor Buckman and Harper Alexander were portrayed in the sequel by Bill Moseley and Nivek Ogre respectively. [5]

See also

References

  1. "Fantasia 2005 Lives!". Arrow In The Head. June 22, 2005. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  2. "2001 Maniacs". IMDB. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  3. "2001 Maniacs (Movie Review) | Bloody Good Horror". www.bloodygoodhorror.com. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  4. "2001 Maniacs [DVD]". www.amazon.com. 28 March 2006. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  5. "2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams". IMDB. Retrieved March 7, 2021.