Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Graphic
- eerie
- foreboding
- visceral
- late night horror marathon
- drive in movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded it as a derivative, predictable, and inept slasher, though some acknowledged its competent low-budget craftsmanship and later drive-in appeal.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
A child calls out Madman Marz's name, triggering the backwoodsman's return to the camp.
The youth camp and surrounding woods provide the secluded environment for the counselors' murders.
The film centers on maimings, slaughter, decapitations, and open-gash effects in an exploitation framework.
Madman Marz hunts counselors across the forest and camp grounds as they attempt to survive.
Films like Madman, and why
Friday the 13th
shared summer-camp setting, backwoods killer, slasher structure, and graphic practical kills
The Burning
shared isolated wilderness setting, supernatural killer, ominous folklore, and escalating dread
Sleepaway Camp
shared camp setting, stalking psychopath, exploitation-horror tone, and practical gore
The Final Terror
shared legendary killer premise, rural isolation, and stylized early-1980s slasher violence
Movie Details
- Director
- Joe Giannone
- Release Date
- 1981-10-30
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 5.0 / 10 (191)
Cast
- Gaylen Ross
- Tony Nunziata
- Harriet Bass
- Seth Jones
- Jan Claire
- Alexander Murphy Jr.
- Jimmy Steele
- Carl Fredericks
- Paul Ehlers
- Tom Veilleux
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Brew, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Eternal Family, Midnight Pulp
- Rent
- Apple TV Store, Brew, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Apple TV Store, Brew, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Madman about?
- A campfire legend becomes a blood-soaked reality when a brutal backwoods killer returns to hunt counselors at a remote youth camp.
- What is Madman like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Madman as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Madman violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Madman as graphic.
- What did critics think of Madman?
- Critics broadly regarded it as a derivative, predictable, and inept slasher, though some acknowledged its competent low-budget craftsmanship and later drive-in appeal.
- Which films are like Madman?
- Films with a similar feel include Friday the 13th, The Burning, Sleepaway Camp, and The Final Terror.
- How long is Madman?
- Madman runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch Madman?
- In United States, Madman streams on Philo, Brew, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, Shudder, Eternal Family, Midnight Pulp.
