I, Madman (1989) starring Jenny Wright and Clayton Rohner, brings us something other than the usual ’80s, deranged monster slasher. Director Tibor Takacs (The Gate) and writer David Chaskin (A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge) brilliantly deceive us as they lead us down a twisted path to an unexpected ending. I, Madman draws its inspiration from those classic horror films of the ’30s and ’40s that played on our fear of the unknown and what hides in the shadows of our imagination.
Buy I, Madman Blu-rayVirginia (Wright) works at a used bookstore in Los Angeles where she delights in reading old, forgotten pulp horror novels. Her latest fascination is with a very obscure and eccentric author from the 1950s named Malcolm Brand who only penned two books before going stark-raving mad. Brand makes Stephen King seem tame and the more enthralled Virginia becomes with these dark tales of a deranged mad doctor named Kessler, the more her vivid imagination begins to turn on her. She insists the disfigured villain has jumped from the pages into the real world and is out to kill her.
Good thing Virginia’s boyfriend Richard (Rohner) is a local police detective who reluctantly starts to believe her as the mutilated bodies of Virginia’s peers pile up around them. These grizzly murders take place just as they do in the novels where Dr. Kessler uses a scalpel to slice away their prominent features. Kessler then grafts those pieces onto himself in an effort to become attractive to Virginia. Has Virginia flown over the cuckoo’s nest? Has Richard finally had enough of Virginia’s flights of fancy and gone looney? Could it be possible that Dr. Kessler has actually crossed from the literary world into the real one?
Takacs delivers a brilliant, limited-budget masterpiece by mixing mad-scientist and cloaked-figure tropes with some gore and slasher elements. All the while tipping his hat to Universal horror and film noir of the 1940s. Randall William Cook adds to the creepy vibes by digging deep into his old-school bag of tricks and channeling his inner Lon Chaney. Cook not only did his own make-up for his performance as Dr Kessler but also handled the few stop-motion effects used throughout the movie. With the good practical effects and Takacs use of shadows and lighting, we are treated to a movie thick with a spooky atmosphere that brings to life the art of those fantastic old pulp covers.
The cast handle Takacs’s direction well and do their part to enhance the mood of this clever ode to pulp horror novels of the past. He manages to bounce back and forth between the real world and that of Virginia’s imagination as she immerses herself in the books she reads. Jenny Wright is sexy but vulnerable and navigates her parts well, portraying both an ’80s lady and a dame from the1950s. Clayton Rohner as a young detective tackles his role as best he can and manages to wear the trench coat well. Randall William Cook keeps Dr. Kessler creeping in and out of the shadows like a blend of Count Dracula and the Phantom of the Opera. In the special feature interviews, it’s interesting to listen to them speak about the special effects and locations used around L.A. including that beautiful old used-book store. Sadly missing from those interviews is Wright. Her absence is never explained nor touched upon.
Special Features Include:
- Audio commentary by director Tibor Takacs with actor and artistic supervisor Randall William Cook
- Much of Madness, More of Sin, a visual essay by Chris O’Neill
- Ripped From the Pages: The Making of I, Madman featuring interviews with director Tibor Takacs, actor and artistic supervisor Randall William Cook, screenwriter David Chaskin and actors Clayton Ronner and Stephanie Hodge
- Behind the scenes footage with commentary by Randall William Cook
I, Madman did not rip up the box office in 1989 but it left a mark on the home video market, where I first saw it all those years ago. It’s not really a slasher and the gore is at a necessary minimum, which is a good thing, as it adds to the movie’s quirky, unique appeal. Though I’m sure the lack of carnage detracted from its box office appeal when screened alongside the bloody, splatterfest of sequels released that year. Fans of the lesser-known horror movies of the ’30s and ’40s, like Night Monster and The Lodger, will enjoy this fun 89-minute horror offering.
