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murder
Virginia read about in the novel. From her apartment window, Virginia witnesses Kessler murder a man in the building across the street and cut off his ears. Richard is appointed to investigate the murder, which has left Virginia traumatized. Virginia insists that Kessler has manifested in reality and envisions her as a real-life analog of Anna Templar, wanting to carve out her heart as his ultimate victim. Virginia's claims lead investigators to believe she is mentally ill.
282:, in which Kessler, having gone mad and carved off his own facial features, brutally kills victims and grafts parts of their faces onto his own. Kessler in particular becomes obsessed with beautiful actress Anna Templar. In one graphic passage, Kessler stalks and attacks a woman, incapacitating her in her apartment with a sedative before
289:
While working in the bookstore, Virginia comes across a set of books from Brand's personal state that have been sold to the store, among them graphic medical literature. Outside, she sees a newspaper detailing the brutal murder of her acting classmate
Collette Berkowitz, which resembles the scalping
308:
Back at her apartment, Virginia reads another passage from the novel that leads her to fear for the safety of Mona, her coworker working the nightshift at the bookstore. Virginia rushes to the store to save Mona, but finds her dead with her lips cut off. Kessler appears and pursues
Virginia, who
297:. She visits Brand's publishing office and questions Sidney Zeit, the head publisher, about the books' history. Sidney recounts how Brant requested his works be classed as nonfiction, and believed his characters had come to life and tormented him. Sidney assumed Brant was
29:
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horror novels of the late author
Malcolm Brand. Virginia's detective boyfriend, Richard, begins to grow concerned about her fixation on the books, which she becomes immersed in during her free time, occasionally having
241:
in
January 1990, where it won the Grand Prize award for best feature. While some film critics derided its pacing and graphic violence, others praised the film for its visual style and mixture of elements from classic
301:, and reveals he was found mutilated in his home. This leads Virginia to believe that it is in fact Brand's ghost who is tormenting her rather than the Kessler character. One night on an unpopulated block of
305:, Virginia witnesses another of her classmates, Lenny, brutally murdered by Kessler. In an attempt to capture the killer, Richard unsuccessfully has Virginia attempt to lure him inside the local library.
426:, derided the film for being derivative, noting: "Everything that can be done has been done, in terms of shock, and so someone like Takacs ends up littering his ugly little killings with mutilation."
474:
s
Johanna Steinmetz also praised the film for its suspense and employment of "the power of suggestiveness" despite its graphic violence, awarding it three out of four stars. Chris Willman of the
313:. Virginia is saved by Richard, who shoots Kessler moments before he is about to slash Virginia with a razor, but the gunshot only momentarily stops him. He is ultimately killed by a
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455:(1984), but added that its plot receives "mostly dull and static treatment," largely involving the "less-than-arresting" relationship between the lead characters.
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praised the film, writing: "Climaxes in thrillers have gotten pretty standard recently, involving chases and shootouts and a lot of blood.
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will probably lose you if you're not a trash-and-slash fan. But if you are, this is one movie to curl up with." The staff critic of the
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often is, die-hard genre fans may want to seek it out because
Canadian director Tibor Takacs (whose only previous feature was
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Richard sleeps over at
Virginia's apartment one night, during which she stays up late reading a passage from the Brand novel
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has some surprises... places its terrors where they belong, in the midst of everyday life." The
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Virginia examines the book, and notices on the title page that it has been classified as
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The film had a regional release in some U.S. cities in the spring of 1989, opening in
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in which their villain, the deformed serial killer Dr. Kessler, appears to her.
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is a loving salute to the days when movie monsters had hearts." In his book
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Principal photography began on
November 30, 1987 in Los Angeles.
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The
Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 1960s and 1970s
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The Gorehound's Guide to Splatter Films of the 1960s and 1970s
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from the novel who appears and hurls him out the window.
834:. April 12, 1989. p. 39 – via Newspapers.com.
872:"Power of suggestion heightens suspense of 'I, Madman'"
769:. April 7, 1989. p. 34 – via Newspapers.com.
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Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
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in the spring of 1989, the film later screened at the
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Virginia Clayton, an aspiring actress who works at a
741:"Grisly 'Madman' relies on schlock instead of shock"
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Raf Nazario as Lyle, Hotel Clerk (as Rafael Nazario)
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449:praised the film's premise, likening it to that of
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925:"Grand Prix Winners of the Avoriaz Film Festival"
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1103:
1023:Slimetime: A Guide to Sleazy, Mindless Movies
406:Avoriaz International Fantastic Film Festival
239:Avoriaz International Fantastic Film Festival
806:"Trash and slash fans will love 'I, Madman'"
309:finds she has been locked in by the store's
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1006:. New York City, New York: Perigee Books.
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880:. p. 158 – via Newspapers.com.
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1044:. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland.
1025:. Manchester, England: Critical Vision.
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901:. p. F7 – via Newspapers.com.
814:. p. 93 – via Newspapers.com.
606:released the film for the first time on
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870:Steinmetz, Johanna (October 13, 1989).
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509:as it is of current-day slasher films,
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859:from the original on April 25, 2023.
826:"Face it, the guy's really a madman"
804:Coto, Juan Carlos (April 27, 1989).
803:
793:from the original on April 26, 2023.
610:on July 21, 2015. This release went
602:DVD of the film on August 26, 2003.
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351:Michelle Jordan as Colette Berkowitz
1322:American psychological horror films
946:Erickson, Glenn (August 25, 2003).
891:Willman, Chris (October 14, 1989).
594:released it to home video in 1990.
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342:as Dr. Alan Kessler/ Malcolm Brand
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845:Ebert, Roger (October 13, 1989).
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480:wrote: "Nonsensical and silly as
1357:Films set in apartment buildings
1387:Trans World Entertainment films
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838:
739:Baltake, Joe (March 31, 1989).
568:Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival
1377:Films directed by Tibor Takács
1352:Films scored by Michael Hoenig
948:"DVD Savant Review: I, Madman"
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354:Vance Valencia as Sgt. Navarro
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1407:English-language horror films
1228:Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep
893:"'I, Madman': Stylish horror"
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553:Saturn Award for Best Actress
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1397:1980s English-language films
1337:1980s Christmas horror films
1327:American serial killer films
1212:Nature Unleashed: Earthquake
711:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
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1040:Stine, Scott Aaron (2015).
1021:Puchalski, Steven (2002) .
360:Murray Rubin as Sidney Zeit
286:her with a straight razor.
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1382:Supernatural slasher films
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650:. Fourth Castle Micromedia
412:, France in January 1990.
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266:, becomes absorbed in the
33:Original theatrical poster
1372:Films shot in Los Angeles
1164:Sabrina the Teenage Witch
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646:Counts, Kyle (May 1989).
452:A Nightmare on Elm Street
420:Joe Baltake, writing for
357:Mary Baldwin as Librarian
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1367:Films set in Los Angeles
1156:The Gate II: Trespassers
592:Media Home Entertainment
429:Juan Carlos Coto of the
144:March 31, 1989
1362:Films set in bookstores
1317:American monster movies
716:American Film Institute
671:Cite magazine requires
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253:
233:Released regionally by
1332:American slasher films
1196:Twice Upon a Christmas
1002:Monaco, James (1992).
614:on December 11, 2019.
596:MGM Home Entertainment
1188:Once Upon a Christmas
786:Turner Classic Movies
363:Steven Memel as Lenny
1392:1980s American films
1260:Lies & Illusions
1180:Sabrina Goes to Rome
435:praised the film's "
340:Randall William Cook
264:downtown Los Angeles
1402:1980s slasher films
1252:NYC: Tornado Terror
987:on October 6, 2022.
831:New York Daily News
446:New York Daily News
330:as Virginia Clayton
303:Hollywood Boulevard
199:is a 1989 American
1347:Films about novels
1342:Films about actors
1118:Films directed by
847:"I, Madman review"
781:"I, Madman: Notes"
766:Detroit Free Press
746:The Sacramento Bee
423:The Sacramento Bee
16:1989 American film
1312:1989 horror films
1294:
1293:
1051:978-0-786-49140-7
1032:978-1-900-48621-7
1013:978-0-399-51780-8
898:Los Angeles Times
852:Chicago Sun-Times
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477:Los Angeles Times
416:Critical response
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811:Miami Herald
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719:. Retrieved
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652:. Retrieved
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612:out of print
590:
572:Grand Prize
514:
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506:Frankenstein
504:
500:House of Wax
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376:Bruce Wagner
328:Jenny Wright
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212:Jenny Wright
208:Tibor Takács
206:directed by
204:slasher film
201:supernatural
195:
194:
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160:Running time
137:Release date
72:Jenny Wright
43:Tibor Takács
1236:Ice Spiders
975:"I, Madman"
912:Monaco 1992
706:"I, Madman"
648:"I, Madman"
598:released a
459:Roger Ebert
188:$ 3 million
57:Produced by
39:Directed by
1307:1989 films
1301:Categories
1268:Spiders 3D
1244:Mega Snake
634:Stine 2015
618:References
600:full frame
587:Home media
560:Nominated
398:Sacramento
384:Production
378:as Pianist
336:as Richard
295:nonfiction
164:89 minutes
148:1989-03-31
113:Production
49:Written by
1204:Mansquito
1148:I, Madman
1078:I, Madman
1067:I, Madman
721:April 25,
521:Accolades
511:I, Madman
482:I, Madman
463:I, Madman
441:I, Madman
370:Bob Frank
280:I, Madman
273:daydreams
248:film noir
228:Hardcover
220:I, Madman
196:I, Madman
94:Edited by
22:I, Madman
1140:The Gate
958:Archived
953:DVD Talk
933:Archived
857:Archived
791:Archived
654:July 13,
531:Category
487:The Gate
284:scalping
177:Language
102:Music by
65:Starring
1172:Redline
996:Sources
608:Blu-ray
534:Nominee
410:Avoriaz
402:Detroit
392:Release
348:as Mona
180:English
169:Country
146: (
115:company
1287:(2022)
1279:(2013)
1271:(2013)
1263:(2009)
1255:(2008)
1247:(2007)
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1231:(2006)
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1167:(1996)
1159:(1990)
1151:(1989)
1143:(1987)
1135:(1977)
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537:Result
185:Budget
1276:Bunks
528:Award
472:'
315:demon
1072:IMDb
1046:ISBN
1027:ISBN
1008:ISBN
723:2023
677:help
656:2023
578:Won
541:Ref.
437:pulp
321:Cast
268:pulp
254:Plot
246:and
226:was
214:and
1081:at
1070:at
503:or
408:in
262:in
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