I, Madman - DVD Review

Aug 5, 2011
Mike Brandolino

I, Madman (1989) - DVD Cover

I, Madman is loosely based on Jack the Ripper. But, in this version, the murderer is a character in an obscure novel who comes to life in the real world.

I, Madman, is a rather obscure modern-day (late-1980s), loose interpretation of the classic Jack the Ripper story. Very few people heard of this film.

Plot / Storyline

A vintage bookstore sales clerk, named Virginia (Jenny Wright), has a fascination with old, obscure horror novels. She has been searching for a copy of a book called I, Madman for quite some time. Eventually, she finds a copy among the many stacks of old, dusty books.

As Virginia reads the strange novel, similar events and murders to those in the book start to occur in places throughout the city in the real world. Virginia begins to suspect that the murderer has come to life from the pages of the book and is responsible for the gruesome events.

Virginia becomes intrigued and obsessed with the book and the author. She visits the book editor at a local, obscure publishing house. The editor tells Virgina that the author was a bit wacky and that he insisted that the fiction novel be published as non-fiction.

The Murderer

The murderer is a Jack the Ripper type urban monster, but much more sinister and gruesome. He attacks young women and removes various body parts and adorns himself with their flesh.

Virginia becomes entangled in the story. She gets drawn into the bizarre and gruesome events and becomes a target of the murderer. The murderer becomes obsessed with the lovely Virginia and terrorizes her. She tries to explain the situation to her boyfriend, but he does not believe her strange tale.

Fiction and Reality Become Blurred

As the movie progresses, the division between reality and fiction / fantasy becomes blurred. Some scenes in the movie are shot in a old comic-book style, with unusual background colors, heavy shadowing effects, and tightly-cropped stop-action frames.

These effects are to give the illusion the Virginia has become part of the novel and is being pursued by the killer. Using basic color, lighting, and filming techniques, the director (Tibor Takacs) manages to convey the transition between reality and literary realms.

Eventually, Virginia's boyfriend come to her rescue.