A bookstore employee’s love of trashy horror novels takes a scary turn when evil leaps from the pages into her real life…
How a film like I, Madman (1989) remained off my radar for so long is a mystery. It contains several things I love. 1. Used books; 2. Used bookstores; 3. A hot, nerdy bookstore employee who’s addicted to reading all of the pulp horror novels in the store; 4. Deliciously moody and creepy atmospherics; 5. 1980s Los Angeles—specifically 1989 Los Angeles; and 6. A scarily disfigured antagonist motivated to murder and mutilate his victims because he felt scorned by a woman.
Obviously I love #1 and #2 because used books, and used bookstores, are near and dear to my heart. A perfect day for me would entail spending it browsing the aisles of a well-curated used bookshop. I love #3 because I love #1 and #2, and the idea of a knockout babe like I, Madman’s star Jenny Wright reading scary stories while lounging around her LA apartment wearing only lingerie is obviously an idea I can really get behind. I love #4 because every good horror film worth its salt should, at the very least, be filled with moody and creepy atmospherics. I love #5 because I love the ‘80s, I love LA, and I love 1989. As noted before around here, 1989 was a legendary year for pop culture. Finally, I love #6 because who the hell doesn’t love a scarily disfigured antagonist motivated to murder and mutilate his victims because he felt scorned by a woman? I mean, relatable, right?
By combining all of these fantastic elements, I, Madman seems tailor-made for me, which is why I wish I’d know about it sooner. If I did see it at the video store back in the day, I have no memory of that. I feel like the first time it really crossed my path was several years ago when I found it while surfing through movies on Tubi. The name caught my attention. Then, ‘80s dream girl and flash-in-the-pan Jenny Wright hooked me further. And finally, the well-written description sealed the deal:
“After a spine-tingling paperback catches the imagination of bookstore clerk Virginia, she seeks out the author’s second book, I, Madman. But once she opens the cover, its eerie tale of obsessive love comes to life, catapulting a disfigured, scalpel-wielding killer from the world of fiction onto the streets of Hollywood with one demented goal: to win Virginia’s love, one murder at a time! Jenny Wright and Clayton Rohner star in this ‘witty, sophisticated horror film.’” (Chicago Tribune).
That sounded amazing, so I added it to my Tubi watchlist immediately…then proceeded to add a million other movies and forgot it was there. Finally, a few years after that and a few years ago from now, I sat down to watch and, boy howdy, was that Chicago Tribune quote right on the money. I, Madman is indeed witty, sophisticated horror that really deserves to be listed among the great cult movies of that era. The fact that it isn’t usually mentioned in that category completely baffles me.
Our leading lady Jenny Wright is sensational. Not only is she effortlessly sexy and absurdly easy on the eyes—everything the woman does is hot—but she also dresses fabulously. I already mentioned the sexy lingerie she wears around her pad, but then there are the fashionable sweaters and skirts, plus the opaque black tights and black heels, looking just like a sophisticated horror movie star should look. In a word, she’s mesmerizing. It’s a shame her career never really took off, because she definitely had a charismatic presence onscreen. Her character is driven mad by the madman who leaps off the page and into her life. Wright conveys this anxious downward spiral well and makes it easy to root for her as things collapse around her.
Director Tibor Takács (The Gate) establishes a spooky tone that perfectly matches the pulpy horror novels Virginia devours. The set designs are so comfortingly 1989. I just want to live in Virginia’s apartment—especially if Virginia’s there lounging in her lingerie—and work in that bookstore. It’s all so lived in and real. It’s Los Angeles in all its late-eighties glory. What’s not to love?
Calling a movie “underrated” is often a cliche, but in this case, I, Madman really is an underrated gem that deserves more attention and accolades than it’s gotten. It’s smart, unsettling, and memorable. As Joe Bob Briggs would say, four stars, check it out. Now roll the flick!
I, Madman is available to stream on Tubi.
Special thanks to our Gal Friday Yvette for digging this piece on a gem of a horror film out of the vault.
Yvette: But monsieur, doesn’t every woman lounge around ze apartment wearing only lingerie? I certainly do. I read in lingerie, cook in lingerie, clean in lingerie, feed ze cats in lingerie, take out ze trash in lingerie, do yoga in lingerie, do minor household plumbing in lingerie…ze list just goes on and on…
The Starfire Lounge 