MOVIE REVIEW : Eyeful of Wretched Excess

The Invisible Maniac,” the current Friday and Saturday midnight show at the Ritz on Hollywood Boulevard, is not worth seeing--you should pardon the expression. It’s a trite tale about an escaped mad scientist (Noel Peters, a capable actor) who lands a summer school job teaching physics to five girls and three boys, who taunt him constantly.

The scientist, seriously disturbed since childhood, has been been struggling for years to develop a serum to make himself invisible; when he finally succeeds, wholesale slaughter is the predictable result. Along the way, writer-director Rif Coogan requires that his youthful actresses bare their bosoms about every five minutes--that goes for the sex-starved principal as well. The morbid, puritanical effect, axiomatic in schlock exploitation fare, is that sex, represented by all that bared flesh, just has to trigger a wretched excess of violence.

Although it takes a while to build momentum, “The Invisible Maniac” (rated R) has considerable technical finesse, but what trash like this really needs to play well is a low-down raunchy sense of humor. It’s too slick not to seem sick.

‘THE INVISIBLE MANIAC’

A Smoking Gun Pictures release. Producers Matt Devlen, Tony Markes. Writer-director Rif Coogan. From a story by Coogan, Markes and Devlen. Camera James Bay. Music Marc David Decker. Production designer Holly MacConkey. Costumes Lorenza Ceretto. Special effects Carlo Cuccelleli. Stunt coordinator Jon Pockran. With Noel Peters, Shannon Wilsey, Melissa Moore, Robert R. Ross Jr., Rod Sweitzer, Eric Champnella, Kalei Shellabarger, Gail Lyon, Debra Lamb, Stella Blake.

Running time: 1 hour, 25 minutes.

MPAA-rated: R (for much nudity, some sex, much violence).