The Park Maniac” (Original title: Maníaco do Parque) is a 2024 film directed by Mauricio Eça. film stars Silvero Pereira as Francisco, Giovanna Grigio as Elena, Mariana Amâncio as Alice, Marco Antonio Barreto as Pescador. It follows the story of Francisco, a twisted serial killer who lures women into the State Park, only to kill them, and hide their bodies in the woods.
The Park Maniac (Maníaco do Parque, 2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
Who are Francisco & Elena?
Francisco, a guy in his early thirties, makes a living as a bike courier, and on the surface, he’s the kind of man you’d instantly trust. He is friendly, well-spoken, and totally calm. But if you scratch beneath that smooth exterior, you’ll uncover that Francisco is a cold-blooded serial killer. His M.O. is luring women into parks under the guise of a peaceful hike or some wildlife photography, only to brutally murder them. So far, he’s left a trail of bodies and is slowly working his way to becoming the most wanted man in the country. After every kill, Francisco keeps a piece of their jewelry as a sick souvenir, a reminder of his twisted crimes. While the very thought of it would make anyone’s stomach churn, for Francisco, it’s like reliving a happy memory.
On the other hand, Elena’s a firecracker of a journalist, determined to carve out her spot in the cutthroat, male-dominated world of news reporting. She’s got the talent, no doubt, and a killer instinct for finding the juiciest stories. Despite all that, she’s been struggling to climb the ranks. Her editor’s always raving about her photography skills. However, they keep pointing out that she’s missing the bigger picture, saying she lacks perspective and forgets to ask hard-hitting and meaty questions in her articles.
Why Did Elena Decide to Catch the Killer Herself?
As mentioned before, Francisco is a bike courier and a model employee at that. The kind of guy who overcomes his targets days before the deadline. If you saw him, you’d never guess he’s got a dark side lurking beneath that polished exterior. Nothing in his looks or behavior hints at a “serial killer.” That’s what makes Francisco so dangerously easy to trust. Women agree to go with him to secluded spots under the guise of a “magazine photoshoot,” not knowing they’re walking straight into his death trap.
Francisco’s smart too, and he always gives a fake name, making it impossible for anyone to trace him back. But things take a turn when a passerby stumbles upon one of his victims in the park. The cops show up and start digging around. What they find is the remains of multiple victims going back years. By now, everything’s decomposed, leaving nothing but bones.
It’s soon confirmed that a serial killer is on the loose, and the city is shaken to its core. When Elena gets wind of it, she publishes an article, branding the killer as “The Park Maniac.” Her piece blows up, landing front and center on every newsstand. Soon, the entire country comes to know about the police’s hunt for the “Park Maniac.” As the story picks up steam, Elena’s senior hijacks it, leaving Elena fuming. Not one to back down, she strikes a deal with her boss that if she can catch the killer, she gets the exclusive. Elena has no intention of letting this story slip away because not only is it her hard-earned scoop, but it’s also the career-making break she’s been waiting for.
How Elena Identifies Francisco as the “Park Maniac?”
Elena drops by the coroner’s office, hoping for a breakthrough. She learns that before the killer offs his victims, he bites them. And not just a little nibble but to the extent of issue extraction. Elena tries to squeeze more info from the cops but hits a brick wall. Delegado, the cop heading Homicide, doesn’t seem to care one bit. He won’t even run a basic DNA check on the victims to trace any foreign DNA. Elena knows she needs to get inside the killer’s mind to crack this case. That’s where her sister, a psychiatrist comes in. She tells him that the killer is likely in his early thirties and completely numb to any real human emotion, be it love, hate, regret, or shame.
Elena’s visit to one of the victim’s cousins leads to a game-changing clue. Elena learns that the man who met the victim that day skated at Ibirapuera. She investigates the skating ground’s tapes, and with some help from her cousin, narrows the killer’s identity down to Francisco. Elena rushes the tape to the cops. By the next morning, Francisco’s sketch is plastered all over the news, branded as “The Park Maniac.”
Knowing the clock’s ticking, Francisco doesn’t wait around. He gets rid of all the evidence and also the mementos then robs his employer’s garage and flees the town. The manhunt begins, and Francisco’s face is everywhere. Every channel, every talk show, all milking the situation for extra views. The media is loving it and doesn’t want it to end because once the killer’s caught, what will they have to write about? Elena’s newspaper is also riding high on the “Park Maniac” news and is raking in the cash. Ad revenue is through the roof, and sales have shot up 22%.
Who is Taina?
Elena meets Taina, Francisco’s ex, who tells her about her breakup with Francisco. They were happy at first. But things went off the rails fast when Francisco turned into a disrespectful man, who taunted her and even brought other women into their home while they were still together.
Taina then shows Elena Francisco’s diary, where he confesses that he is done living in anonymity and wants fame, even if it means getting it through killing people. Elena also calls up several women Francisco had lured to his place. They all say the same thing at first: Francisco seemed like a harmless, friendly man, but it didn’t take long for his violent, manipulative side to show.
The Park Maniac (Maníaco do Parque, 2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Why Elena Denies Francisco the Cover Story?
Francisco’s luck finally runs out when an Argentinian fisherman spots him from the paper and tips off the cops. He’s arrested and taken back to Brazil to face trial for all the murders he left in his wake. Every media outlet fights tooth and nail for an exclusive interview. However, Francisco only agrees to talk to Elena because she is the person who dubbed him “The Park Maniac.” During the interview, he plays the victim and claims he’s innocent and had nothing to do with the murders. Elena isn’t fooled, and she knows better than to believe a smooth-talking, manipulative serial killer like Francisco.
Elena doesn’t hold back in the interview and calls Francisco trash, telling him he finds joy in other people’s suffering. And just like he denied happiness to his victims, Elena tells him she’s going to deny him the one thing he wants—cleaning his image and attention. Instead of giving him a cover story, she writes about the strong women who survived his terror and persevered through the nightmare. In her piece, Elena also calls out the cops, asking to make a special task force to stop monsters like Francisco before they claim any more lives.
When the trial ends, Francisco is handed down a 285-year prison sentence but according to Brazilian law, the most time anyone can serve is 30 years. So, Francisco is set to be released in 2028.
