Panic Fest 2026 Coverage
Frankie, Maniac Woman review
A throwback mentality aimed at modern slights…with great malice.
Festival reviews will not contain spoilers.
Frankie, Maniac Woman
Directed by Pierre Tsigaridis
Written by Pierre Tsigaridis and Dina Silva
Starring Dina Silva, Pierre Tsigaridis, Desma Triplett, Sarah Grace Lee, Jordan Kelly DeBarge, Rocio de la Grana and Stefane Estes
Frankie, Maniac Woman Review
Panic Fest is one of my favorite festivals to cover. I only do the virtual portion of the festival…to be honest I’m not even sure where the in person portion takes place. It’s not close enough that I’ve ever considered going…I know that much. But Panic Fest always makes sure that its virtual audience eats good. Sure, you can’t get some of the biggest screenings…the festival did pre-release screenings of Hokum and Obsession this year, for example. Those are two of the more anticipated movies in the coming weeks…so the studios behind them aren’t looking to cannibalize their own box office. But Panic Fest offers a ton of content for virtual viewers. This year, they dropped a bit of a surprise into the mix. Upcoming release Frankie, Maniac Woman popped up as part of the virtual festival despite not being a part of the announced lineup.
If you don’t know about Frankie, Maniac Woman…it’s the next movie from Traumatika director Pierre Tsigaridis. Traumatika hit theaters last year offering a host of, frankly, strange choices that resulted in a picture you couldn’t help but be engaged by. Frankie, Maniac Woman doesn’t make as many wildly odd movies…but it’s an even better movie than the well-received Traumatika. And…don’t worry…it still makes some odd choices.
Frankie (Dina Silva) has been pushed to her limit. Facing the scrutiny and disdain of a society obsessed with beauty. Frankie is overweight by their standards…turned away from her own event for not fitting what the bouncer ignorant of that fact deems worthy of entry. Her budding music career constantly facing the blunt reality that she doesn’t fit what producers are looking to put on a poster or album cover. Unluckily for all of them…Frankie has had enough. With a wicked conscience in the form of an imaginary not so friendly friend…Frankie decides to take matters into her own hands…and kill everyone.
Frankie, Maniac Woman gives its lead character more than just being fed up with body shaming to fuel her rampage. There is deep seeded family trauma in there too. The movie doesn’t play anything for subtlety. There are no veiled shots taken at Frankie’s appearance or nuance to her backstory. It’s the right call…because there’s nothing subtle about the bloody havoc she wreaks either. Slasher movies, which Frankie, Maniac Woman mostly is, work best when they throw their cards on the table loudly and proudly. Time wasted on subtlety is time to drag your slasher movie’s pace to a crawl. Frankie, Maniac Woman starts fast and keeps up the pace for the next two acts. It does slow down in the third act…which is actually one of the more interesting weird choices Tsigaridis has made so far.
Frankie, Maniac Woman almost becomes a different movie for a while when that turn happens. But it does it in a way that fits the story it’s been telling all along. We see, in graphic detail, what Frankie is like when confronted by someone who judges her as less than worthy based on her appearance. We hear how that voice in her head (and in physical form played by Tsigaridis himself) wants her to deal with those people. So, Frankie, Maniac Woman eventually wonders…what would she be like if that voice was gone…and she found something almost resembling acceptance. The change-up allows for both an attempt at character growth from Frankie…and a climax that offers you exactly what you want. A win-win. It’s a fascinating wrinkle to a throwback style gorefest that could have happily continued its rampage unimpeded to great effect. But they thought a bit deeper about this one.
They also cut a bit deeper too. No one is safe from Frankie’s wrath. When a particularly brutal altercation ends with a massive cut on her face…Frankie decides to adorn a mask on her escapades. It completes the physical transformation into masked killer that the story has already let psychologically play out. Like I said…nothing is subtle…but things are well thought out in Frankie, Maniac Woman.
Most importantly, Dina Silva absolutely nails the role of Frankie. She delivers an unhinged performance that contains every piece of mania combined with doubt, regret and unrelenting trauma. You feel bad for her…you cheer for her…you wouldn’t want to run into her. Every aspect needed to make the character work is brought to the table in Silva’s performance. And the structure of the movie allows you to take the journey right alongside her. I’m not saying that Frankie, Maniac Woman tries to justify the actions of its main character…in fact it goes out of its way to have her rail against them at points. But it’s also smart enough to know that there’s a good chance you’re going to want to see her kill again. And it makes sure to give you what you want.
Scare Value
Frankie, Maniac Woman is sure to appeal to fans of throwback horror. This movie would have been right at home in the mid to late 70s. Some of the intentionally comedic moments would have fit the mid 80s as well. Violent, bloody and oddly compelling. With a lead performance to kill for and some interesting thoughts about what Frankie is doing…this was a fantastic surprise from Panic Fest’s virtual offerings.
