Here’s a film that deserves way more love than it gets.
Jenny Wright (Near Dark) and THE Clayton Rohner (Just One Of The Guys) star in Tibor Takács’ follow-up to The Gate, and while that earlier film gets most of the nostalgic attention, I, Madman (1989) is still an ambitious piece of work. It’s a stylish, genuinely unsettling thriller that manages to build dread without relying on jump scares… or overexplaining itself.
The premise is simple enough: a bookstore clerk becomes obsessed with a pulp horror novel from the 1950s, only to discover that the book’s disfigured villain is stepping off the page and into her reality. It’s part slasher, part psychological thriller and part love letter to trashy dimestore novels. And it totally works. Takács directs the material with a straight face and a straight razor. I’m not sure what that means and I dont care, I like the sound of it.
It also belongs to that rare and always-entertaining “book unleashes evil” subgenre. Maybe it’s my childhood obsession with The Never Ending Story, but here’s something compelling about the idea that reading the wrong book can tear a hole in reality, and I, Madman taps into that notion without feeling derivative.
And for that, you can thank David Chaskin, who also wrote A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge. Say what you will about that film’s place in the Elm Street canon, but Chaskin knows how to write for boogeymen. I, Madman explores somewhat similar territory with more control and a clearer vision.
I, Madman never caught the cult following it deserved. It arrived at the tail end of the 80s horror boom, got a limited theatrical release, and slowly dissolved on video store shelves. But it’s a genuinely well-crafted dream-pop horror film that earns its scares and respects its audience’s intelligence.
If you’re looking to crack open something that blends vintage pulp aesthetics with genuinely creepy practical effects and a premise that actually delivers, curl up with a cuppa joe and a copy of I, Madman. -Pop