I AM NOT A DISGRUNTLED EXTRA, FRIEND OF THE FILMMAKER, OR AFFILIATED WITH American MANIACS IN ANY WAY. I'M JUST A BLOGGER WHO WANTS TO SHARE MY FEELINGS ON THIS TITLE. I WON'T TELL YOU TO SEE OR AVOID THE FILM. I MERELY WANT TO PROVIDE AN ALTERNATE TAKE. IT'S WRITTEN FROM A PLACE OF GENUINE REVERENCE, NOT ONE OF ANGST AND PETTY RESENTMENT.

Working throughout the decade as a director, producer, writer, cinematographer, and visual/special effects guy: CM Downs was "paying his dues." Film-making is an incredibly fascinating and thankless job for both those observing from a far and the people who are actually fighting the battle. For those of us in the know, it's no great revelation to find out how many incredibly gifted artists and films lie outside the Hollywood juggernaut. As an avid seeker of great genre cinema, I (on occasion) have the opportunity to bask in the glory of some truly revolutionary and imaginative viewing experiences. Not long ago, I found myself in a tremendously frustrating movie "rut" forcing my eyes upon one disappointing DVD after another. And then came FETCH (now known as American MANIACS).

What Downs has realized with this venture is nothing short of stupefying. American MANIACS may very well be the best European film not made by a European. It's sensibilities are right in line with those revered directors across the pond. Dark, emotional themes weave their way in and out of haunting landscapes and with the help of a beautifully visceral visual and auditory design, create a tapestry that is as much lush as it is sparse: as gorgeous as it is frightening. It's a film that Downs has clearly poured the very essence of his being into, but more than that: it's representative of a moment in time when an artist steps forward and redefines a genre, pulling at the very seams of it's constraints.

Assembling an incredibly gifted group of performers, Mr. Downs coaxed when he needed to, directed when the moment demanded, and let his actors roam free within his confines at all the right places. His eye for the minimal and heart for the grand are on display throughout American MANIACS' narrative in such a way that as the characters become more lost or unhinged, the viewer does so as well with empathetic fervor. Whether redirecting our focus, inviting us to fall in and out of love with the tragic, leaving our mouth agape with what we have just seen, or pulling us into situations we clearly don't want to be a part of: Downs executes his plan for the viewer with disturbing precision. As this director's project creeps toward distribution, one can only imagine what is on his professional horizon. A man who grew up on and is fully devoted to horror and genre cinema, yet brings the medium to levels that defy stereotyping; CM Downs is one of very few filmmakers who have begun the revolution to redefine genre film.

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Acting was a bit wooden at times, but overall I enjoyed the movie. It was coherent and interesting enough to see to the end. I really do not understand the low ratings that have been given to the movie. Mind you there were no car chases and no that much graphic violence. Both big selling factors. The one thing that was lacking was a central character. The killer did not have the gravitas to convince you that he was really that bad a dude and the sheriff was pretty one dimensional as well. The low life and the stripper (minor characters) were sufficiently convincing, but the retard brother was not. Just putting a silly hat on a fat guy does not a retard make. In summary, in spite of some very evident flaws the movie is quite watchable.

I would like to first begin by saying how amusing it is that my review was deleted, and then a new review was posted highlighting that he's "not a disgruntled extra". My review didn't break any guideline rules--it's a review. Don't take it so personally. In addition, "disgruntled extra" is a very funny way of putting who I am. I would love to see how you'd feel after volunteering to help shoot a film, driving quite a distance to stand in snow until midnight, and then get told that the hot food being displayed for you is "for paid actors only." Very sweet guy, let me tell you.

This movie is pretty awful. I saw a screening of it recently in Kansas City, and I was a walk-on extra during the "search" scene (which, by the way, was a horrible experience),and I was truly excited. Sure, they didn't include my wife's name in the credits even though she nearly froze to death doing their stupid scene--which showed up as a MONTAGE in the movie. Sure, my name's in the credits--as a CLUB PATRON, when I wasn't even IN A CLUB! But these "film makers" somehow managed to take a semi-interesting concept and turn it into a giant turd of a film that only the retarded would find decent. If the movie was made as a spoof-horror for comedic purposes then it would get a 10 from me. I found myself struggling to hold in my laughter throughout several scenes in the movie, especially during scenes that were supposed to be "scary!" I'm going to flood this review with spoilers, so I hope you guys are ready for this. If not, stop reading at this point and do everything in your power not to waste your time with this flick.

*~OH MY GOD, SPOILERS!!~* Now then, let's begin. First, the stereotypes. I love how the movie opens up to two horrible actors in some grocery store, both with the worst mid-western accents I've ever seen. News flash, Fetch: WE DON'T TALK LIKE THAT. The dialog was about as uncomfortable as you could get, and the script was amazingly bad. Fast forward to a bunch of horrible acting and a plot full of holes, and you've got a perverted old Sheriff who enjoys advancing on prostitutes while his crippled / perverted wife watches and gives pointers. Another uncomfortable movie, but not because it's "distbrung", "strange", or "frightening", but because the acting's horrible and there's no rhyme or reason for any of it. It's just plain crap.

Fast forward over some mindless blah blah blah and you have a mentally handicapped guy looking so incredibly stereotypical. Do this for a second, readers: close your eyes and imagine an overweight retard with a beard. Imagine what he's wearing and how he's acting. Yep, you nailed it! He's wearing a flopping stocking cap with a fuzzy ball on the end and is overacting his handicap! Way to go, Fetch! Now give him some chips and stick him in the back seat--he'll entertain himself! Also, why is there so much mindless nudity in this movie? Mindless, tasteless nudity-- especially in the opening credits. Don't get me wrong, I love nudity-- but besides the horrible acting, plot, and storyline, I'd bet you that the excessive amount of nudity plays a role in the reason why this movie will NEVER hit theaters and probably won't even sell as a DVD ANYWHERE.

Another spoiler--so, the killer is this guy that's missing half of his "junk" and is really upset about it. He stores these girls in chicken coops in his barn, yells out a bunch of nonsense when he's around them, and then kills them and feeds them to his dogs (which, by the way, are cute little dogs that were actually the only nice thing during filming). The movie doesn't explain why the dogs are hungry enough to eat people, what happens to the remains of the dead people (or the smell),why the killer is angry-- basically, we have no clue why any of this is happening. None of this is scary, by the way. It's all very predictable, and the acting makes most of it pretty funny. The girls are in chicken coops, people. Chicken coops! An 8 year old child can probably kick his way out of a chicken coop, yet all these girls can do is mildly cry a little bit and whine about their situation. Oh, and when I say they "mildly cry and whine", I mean they seriously pout. If I was caged by a madman killer, I wouldn't just whine and cry a little bit--I'd sob and do everything in my power to escape!! Even a little speck of realism would have been appreciated, but they couldn't even deliver that!! All in all, I would highly suggest seeing this movie if you're into wasting time and/or laughing at something that's not meant to be funny. You'll walk away from it feeling bad for the dog (which gets SHOT, by the way, as if the dog really had a choice in the matter),and pretty much feeling sorry for yourself for staring at the television for the last few hours. The positive reviews on this site had to be created by the movie makers, themselves, which is pretty sad. Throw any positive review you've ever seen out of the window, because they're wrong.

Way to go, Fetch. Way to go. Worst. Movie. Ever.