After the insanely successful The Lord of the Rings films, Elijah Wood had a problem. After playing the wide-eyed Hobbit Frodo for three films, he was in serious danger of being typecast. If he didn't act quickly, he could be consigned to a future full of family films or acting opposite singing puppets. His solution? A turn in Sin City as the demented, mute serial killer/cannibal Kevin (pictured above). The role proved Wood could be incredibly creepy when he tried, and all without saying a word. He's also shown a knack for mentally unstable characters by carrying on frequent conversations with a dog on FX's Wilfred. Now it looks like Wood will be tapping into his dark side again for a new role in the indie movie Maniac.

Deadline reports that Wood will be playing yet another serial killer as the lead in Maniac. To be directed by Franck Khalfoun, Maniac casts Wood as a killer who uses the internet to identify and stalk his victims, spurred on by memories of his abusive mother. To add the cherry on top of the psychopath sundae, he works in a shop that sells antique mannequins. That would be creepy even if he weren't a serial killer.

In spite of the mannequins, Maniac is only the second most disturbing project in Wood's immediate future. He's also reprising his role as a dancing CGI penguin in Happy Feet 2 later this month. The horror...the horror...

In cheerier news, Wood will also be returning for a second season of FX's Wilfred next year.