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Alexis Dubin, Tony Fish, Harriet Bass, Seth Jones, Jan Claire ... see more see more... , Alex Murphy , Jimmy Steele , Paul Ehlers , Carl Fredericks , Michael Sullivan , Gaylen Ross , Alexander Murphy Jr.

Set at the North Sea Cottages, a wooded retreat for gifted children, the film begins with the campfire retelling of the legend of Madman Marz (Paul Ehlers), a mean, drunken farmer who went nuts one ni... read more read more...ght and hacked up his entire family with an ax. Marz was lynched by ten locals and hung from a tree to die, but when they came back for the body in the morning, he had vanished. Now, the story has it, he roams the woods and will come and kill anyone who says his name above a whisper. Of course, a moronic teenaged counselor screams his name, and on the final night before Thanksgiving break, the crazed madman starts hanging and hacking the horny counselors one by one. This all might sound like it has potential to be a rousing gorefest along the lines of Friday the 13th or The Burning (both of which it slavishly imitates), but that would ignore the wretched songs, tedious pacing, bad acting, and ludicrous makeup. Leading man Tony Fish was never heard from again, and co-stars here with Harriet Bass, Seth Jones, and Jan Claire. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Flixster Users

39% liked it

2,007 ratings

R, 1 hr. 28 min.

Directed by: Joe Giannone

Release Date: January 1, 1981

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DVD Release Date: February 13, 2001

Stats: 167 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (167)


  • October 14, 2011
    Madman is a much better Slasher film than most people would care to admit. Sure, the film is derivative of other backwoods slashers such as Friday the 13th and The Burning, but this film is still a very entertaining, and fun Slasher with great kill sequences. Madman is an underra... read moreted Slasher film and doesn't get the credit it deserves. The film is very entertaining, and is a superb Slasher. The film has everything you'd expect from an effective Slasher, stupid characters, setting in the woods and of course a maniac. The film has plenty to offer a diehard horror fan bent on wanting the ultimate Slasher experience. Madman offers that. This is a well done Slasher film with good kills, a pretty good story and plenty of good chills. Sure the film has some weak moments that could have been improved upon, but for the most part, the film succeeds at having a good mix of tension, cheesiness and awesome kills. Madman is a Slasher film that horror fans should check out, and the film is definitely a satisfying film worth watching. Sure the film copies from other Slasher films. But name one film that doesn't rip-off a film that was previously released in the genre. Every Slasher film has been a clone of the previous one. Madman is good film that will appeal to the diehard horror fans. This is a must see film that shouldn't be dismissed too quickly. There are plenty of good things going on here, and there are lots of great, horrifying elements that make up a good Slasher film, and that should be enough.
  • February 13, 2011
    There is a grand total of 1 shot in this movie that I found effective, and that has a lot to do with smoke and back-light. I've seen EVERYTHING in this movie done before and done better. For complete-ists only.
  • January 9, 2011
    Not a bad Friday the 13th rip-off, with some decent kills, even if they do lack a bit of blood. Beware the cheesy, cringe-worthy hot-tub scene though LOL! If you enjoy killer-in-the-woods slashers than this is well worth seeing. It also has a crazy but catchy theme tune too that'... read morell stay in your head for months!
  • January 3, 2008
    It's pretty ridiculous, but hey, it IS a slasher film. This is decent entertainment only if nothing else is on.
  • September 5, 2007
    Fairly lifeless and uninteresting. Well shot, but not worth going out of your way to see.
  • October 26, 2008
    Incredibly dumb, pathetic acting in the whole cast, bad editing, and rather boring at times, but earns extra points thanks to the spooky atmosphere, some cool death and funny moment but this is not enough to watch it.
  • September 27, 2009
    B quality maybe, but still a good old fashioned horror flick. Kids at camp (no explanation) and a killer on the loose! Death, murder, mayhem and a touch of sex!
    I enjoyed the show myself!
  • July 9, 2009
    old school fuckin horror,,,,this is one of my favs of all time...i saw it when i was a kid and its probably the reason im a sicko to this day...the acting is terrible but who cares madman marz is one of the best horror film characters ever...the truckhood scene freaked me out as ... read morea kid and the scene of marz in the tree still creeps me out to this day...BIG THUMBS UP
  • December 2, 2008
    "Madman"
    I have to disagree with the masses; I completely enjoyed this movie and still do.
    First off it's a maniac in the woods flick "my favorite" .I liked the premise of the movie.
    Does Madman Marz look cheesy ? a bit, yes, but that's ok the kills are good and its suspens... read moreeful and I like the legend of madman told by the fire and how they reenact it I liked the characters except the girl who looks like a rat that is always whining and whos boyfriend is much too HOT for her..
    Sorry I'm a woman. We notice these things, all in all it's a good slasher its in my top 15.
    And a tip "never work on your engine with your head underneath the hood when there is a madman running loose!!"
  • November 4, 2008
    An okay pass at the slasher genre, but Madman Marz never quite gels as the killer, and the low budget atmosphere is pretty laughable at times.

    Rental or cable at best.

Critic Reviews


Scott Weinberg
January 9, 2011
Scott Weinberg, FEARnet

At least the DVD is a worthwhile package, even if the flick is better left to the annals of your vague memory. Full Review

Dennis Schwartz
March 22, 2009
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Frightfully inept fright film. Full Review

Dustin Putman
October 15, 2008
Dustin Putman, DustinPutman.com

Fits the '80s slasher blueprint to the letter. It's only adequately made, but it happens to feature a handful of scenes so knee-slappingly bad that the film ranks as a party favorite. Full Review

Emanuel Levy
December 18, 2004
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Madman Trivia


  • Name the movie that contains the following: "I'm the most wanted man on my island. Except, I'm not on my island, of course. More's the pity." "Your island? You mean Ireland." "Aye, it's MINE" "You're a madman." "I've come to the right place then."  Answer »
  • In what Movie did Sean Connery have to lead a group of people "the likes of which mankind has never seen" into battle against a masked madman?  Answer »
  • Which actor plays the murderous salesman Madman Mundt in the film 'Barton Fink'?  Answer »
  • I play - A burguar God A Lawyer An officer A Madman A Dumb Man A Pet Lover The Star Of A Show that i didn't know i was in Who Am I ?  Answer »

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