Dwain Atkins Esper (October 7, 1894 – October 18, 1982) was an American director and producer of

exploitation film An exploitation film is a film that tries to succeed financially by exploiting current trends, niche genres, or lurid content. Exploitation films are generally low-quality "B movies", though some set trends, attract critical attention, become hi ...

Biography

A veteran of World War I, Esper worked as a building contractor before switching to the film business in the mid-1920s. He produced and directed inexpensive pictures with titles like '' Sex Maniac'', ''

Marihuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

'', and '' How to Undress in Front of Your Husband''. To enhance the appeal of these low-budget features, he included scenes containing gratuitous nudity and violence that led some to label him the "father of modern exploitation." Esper's wife, Hildagarde Stadie, wrote many of the scripts for his films. They employed extravagant promotional techniques that included exhibiting the mummified body of notorious Oklahoma outlaw

Elmer McCurdy } Elmer J. McCurdy (January 1, 1880 – October 7, 1911) was an American bank and train robber who was killed in a shoot-out with police after robbing a Katy Train in Oklahoma in October 1911. Dubbed "The Bandit Who Wouldn't Give Up", his mummif ...

before it was acquired by

Dan Sonney Dan Sonney (23 January 1915 – 3 March 2002) was a director, producer and distributor of exploitation films. He was the son of Louis Sonney, who founded Sonney Amusements, the husband of Margaret Sonney, and a long-term business partner o ...

''Maniac'' (1934)

Maniac Maniac (from Greek μανιακός, ''maniakos'') is a pejorative for an individual who experiences the mood known as mania. In common usage, it is also an insult for someone involved in reckless behavior. Maniac may also refer to: Film * ' ...

'', also known as ''Sex Maniac'', an

exploitation Exploitation may refer to: *Exploitation of natural resources *Exploitation of labour ** Forced labour *Exploitation colonialism *Slavery ** Sexual slavery and other forms *Oppression *Psychological manipulation In arts and entertainment *Exploi ...

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...

directed by Esper, is a loose adaptation of the

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

story " The Black Cat" and follows a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

impersonator who becomes an assistant to a

mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly amb ...

. It is considered by many film critics and historians to be the worst film of all time.

Danny Peary Dannis Peary (born August 8, 1949) is an American film critic and sports writer. He has written and edited many books on cinema and sports-related topics. Peary is most famous for his book ''Cult Movies'' (1980), which spawned two sequels, '' Cul ...

believes that ''Maniac'' is the worst film made, Charlie Jane Anders of

Gawker Media Gawker Media LLC (formerly Blogwire, Inc. and Gawker Media, Inc.) was an American Online and offline, online Mass media, media company and Link farm#Blog network, blog network. It was founded by Nick Denton in October 2003 as Blogwire, and was ba ...

io9 ''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...

described it as "possibly the worst movie in history" and ''Chicago Tribune'' critic Michael Wilmington wrote that it may be the worst film he had seen, writing: "There are some voyages into ineptitude, like Dwain Esper's anti-classic ''Maniac,'' that defy all reason." Rotten Tomatoes placed ''Maniac'' on its list of movies "So Bad They're Unmissable", the Italian ''Vanity Fair'' included the film on its list of the 20 worst movies, and it is featured in ''

The Official Razzie Movie Guide ''The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywood's Worst'' is a book about the booby prize award show the Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies), written by John Wilson, founder of the awards ceremony. The book was published in 2005 ...

''. Esper died in San Diego, California at the age of 88. He and Hildagarde had two children, Dwain Jr. and Millicent.

Filmography

Director credits

* ''Sinister Harvest'' (1930) * '' The Seventh Commandment'' (1932) : a.k.a. ''Sins of Love'' (US: reissue title) : a.k.a. ''The 7th Commandment'' (US: poster title) * ''Narcotic'' (1933) : a.k.a. ''Narcotic Racket'' (US: reissue title) : a.k.a. ''Narcotic!'' (US: promotional title) : a.k.a. ''Narcotic: As Interpreted by Dwain Esper'' (US: closing credits title) * ''

'' (1934) : a.k.a. ''Sex Maniac'' * ''

Modern Motherhood ''Modern Motherhood'' is an exploitation film by Dwain Esper. Originally released in 1934, it would gain fame by being presented in the style of later road show filmmakers such as Kroger Babb and David F. Friedman David Frank Friedman (Decemb ...

'' (1934) * ''

'' (1936) : a.k.a. ''Marihuana, the Devil's Weed'' : a.k.a. ''Marihuana, the Weed with Roots in Hell!'' * '' How to Undress in Front of Your Husband'' (1937) * ''

Sex Madness ''Sex Madness'' is a 1938 exploitation film directed by Dwain Esper, along the lines of ''Reefer Madness'', supposedly to warn teenagers and young adults of the dangers of venereal diseases, specifically syphilis.Reefer Madness ''Reefer Madness'' (originally made as ''Tell Your Children'' and sometimes titled ''The Burning Question'', ''Dope Addict'', ''Doped Youth'', and ''Love Madness'') is a 1936 American propaganda film about drugs, revolving around the melodramat ...

'' * ''Hell-a-Vision'' : a.k.a. ''Hell-o-Vision'' (US) * ''

Man's Way with Women ''Man's Way with Women'' ( sv, Sången om den eldröda blomman) is a 1934 Swedish romantic drama film directed by Per-Axel Branner. It is based on the Finnish novel ''The Song of the Blood-Red Flower'' by Johannes Linnankoski. The interior shot ...

'' * ''

Freaks Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc. Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to: Fictional characters * Freak (Ima ...

'' (uncredited) as ''Forbidden Love'', and later ''Natures Mistakes'' with Sam Alexander providing a live appearance with some disfigured members of his 'troupe' * ''Cain: Aventures des mers exotiques'' : a.k.a. ''Cain''

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Esper, Dwain Film directors from Washington (state) Esper, Dwain Esper, Dwain Film producers from Washington (state) People from Snohomish, Washington American military personnel of World War I